Since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was formed in 1894 at the Sorbonne Congress, there have been 536 IOC Members. How many of these have actually competed in the Olympics (and we’re not counting the Arts Competitions, which would add Pierre de Coubertin)?

Well, the direct answer to that question is 112 IOC Members have also been Olympic sports competitors. Of these 23 of the IOC Olympians have been women, which is a fairly high percentage since there have only been 39 female members of the IOC all-time – the first women were only elected to the IOC in 1981 with Finland’s Pirjo Häggmann and Venezuelan Flor Isava-Fonseca.

How many of the IOC Olympians were successful, i.e., actually won Olympic medals? It’s a large percentage, as of the 112 IOC Olympians, 65 have won medals, and 47 actually won gold medals. This group is led by Norway’s Ole Einar Bjørndalen with 13 medals and 8 gold medals, while among the female IOC Olympians, Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic’s Věra Čáslavská leads with 11 medals and 7 gold medals. In all, 14 of the IOC Olympians won 5 or more medals, and 12 of them won 3 or more gold medals.

The first IOC Member to have competed in the Olympics was Greek Alexandros Merkati, who became an IOC Member in 1897, and competed in the Olympic golf event in 1900. He is one of only four IOC Individual Members (see next paragraph) who competed in sports at the Olympics while they served on the IOC, the others being William, Lord Desborough, who served on the IOC from 1905-13, and competed in fencing at the 1906 Intercalated Olympics; Peter Tallberg, elected to the IOC in 1976, but an Olympic sailor for Finland from 1960-80; and Prince Albert II of Monaco, who became an IOC Member in 1985, and then competed in bobsledding at the Olympics five times between 1988 and 2002. Counting Athlete Members, four have competed in the Olympics while on the IOC: Russia’s Aleksandr Popov in swimming, the Czech Republic’s Jan Železný in athletics (javelin), Ukrainian Sergey Bubka in athletics (pole vault), and Great Britain’s Matthew Pinsent in rowing.

In 1999, in response to he Olympic Bribery Scandal, the IOC instituted a new category of IOC Membership termed the Athlete Member. Has this increased the number of IOC Olympians significantly? Certainly has. Since 2000, 38 former Olympians have become IOC Members, 35 of them in the Athlete Member Category. So that is only 3 IOC Individual Member Olympians in the period 2000-14, while there were 74 IOC Individual Member Olympians from 1894-2000, so the rate of former Olympians becoming a full IOC Individual Member has actually decreased significantly.

What about the current IOC Membership? There are currently 111 IOC Members, of which 39 competed at the Olympics at one time. The longest standing of these is Tallberg, as noted above, an Olympic sailor from 1960-80, who became an IOC Member in 1976, and was a long-term chairman of the Athlete’s Commission. The only other IOC Olympian Member who joined the IOC in the 1970s and is still a member is Dick Pound, a 1960 Canadian swimmer who was co-opted onto the IOC in 1978.

Here is the entire list of IOC Olympians, listing their NOCs while on the IOC, their sports, their Olympic span, their IOC tenures, and their medals won:

[table]

Name,Gdr,NOC,Sport,Olympics,Tenure,G,S,B,TM

Alexandros Merkati,M,GRE,GOL,1900,1897-1925,0,0,0,0

Henri Hébrard de Villeneuve,M,FRA,FEN,1900,1900-1911,0,0,0,0

William Lord Desborough,M,GBR,FEN,1906,1905-1913,0,1,0,1

Carlos de Candamo,M,PER,FEN,1900,1905-1922,0,0,0,0

Gheorghe Plagino,M,ROM,SHO,1900,1908-1949,0,0,0,0

Albert Glandaz,M,FRA,SAI,1900,1913-1944,0,0,0,0

Justinien Count Clary,M,FRA,SHO,1900,1919-1933,0,0,1,1

Ernst Krogius,M,FIN,SAI,1912,1920-1948,0,0,0,0

Jacobo Duke de Alba,M,ESP,POL,1920,1924-1927,0,0,0,0

Alberto Count Bonacossa,M,ITA,TEN,1920,1925-1953,0,0,0,0

Karl Ritter von Halt,M,GER,ATH,1912,1929-1964,0,0,0,0

Paolo Count Thaon Di Revel,M,ITA,FEN,1920,1932-1964,1,0,0,1

David Lord Burghley,M,GBR,ATH,1924-1932,1933-1981,1,1,0,2

Arthur Lord Porritt,M,NZL,ATH,1924,1934-1967,0,0,1,1

Avery Brundage,M,USA,ATH,1912,1936-1972,0,0,0,0

Gaston Baron de Trannoy,M,BEL,EQU,1912-1920,1939-1957,0,0,0,0

Charles Pahud de Mortanges,M,NED,EQU,1924-1936,1946-1964,5,2,0,7

Armand Massard,M,FRA,FEN,1920-1928,1946-1970,1,1,1,3

Ioannis Ketseas,M,GRE,TEN,1906,1946-1965,0,0,0,0

Josef Gruss,M,TCH,TEN,1908,1946-1965,0,0,0,0

Olaf Ditlev-Simonsen,M,NOR,SAI,1936,1948-1967,0,1,0,1

Bo Ekelund,M,SWE,ATH,1920,1948-1965,0,0,1,1

Brooks Parker,M,USA,FEN,1920-1924,1950-1951,0,0,0,0

Lewis Luxton,M,AUS,ROW,1932,1951-1974,0,0,0,0

Jean Count de Beaumont,M,FRA,SHO,1924,1951-1990,0,0,0,0

Gustaf Dyrssen,M,SWE,FEN,1920-1936,1952-1970,1,2,0,1

Vladimir Stoychev,M,BUL,EQU,1924-1928,1952-1987,0,0,0,0

Crown Prince Konstantinos II,M,GRE,SAI,1960,1963-1974,1,0,0,1

João Havelange,M,BRA,SWI/WAP,1936-1952,1963-2011,0,0,0,0

Sylvio Padilha,M,BRA,ATH,1932-1936,1964-1995,0,0,0,0

Jim Worrall,M,CAN,ATH,1936,1967-1989,0,0,0,0

Masaji Kiyokawa,M,JPN,SWI,1932-1936,1969-1989,1,0,1,2

Sven Thofelt,M,SWE,FEN,1928-1948,1970-1976,1,0,1,2

Tony Bridge,M,JAM,SHO,1960-1964,1973-2000,0,0,0,0

Julie Roosevelt,M,USA,SAI,1948-1952,1974-1986,1,0,0,1

David McKenzie,M,AUS,FEN,1956-1964,1974-1981,0,0,0,0

Peter Tallberg,M,FIN,SAI,1960-1980,1976-date,0,0,0,0

Kevan Gosper,M,AUS,ATH,1956-1960,1977-2013,0,1,0,1

Roberto Peper,M,ARG,SWI,1932,1977-1999,0,0,0,0

Niels Holst-Sørensen,M,DEN,ATH,1948,1977-2002,0,0,0,0

Dick Pound,M,CAN,SWI,1960,1978-date,0,0,0,0

Pirjo Wilmi-Häggman,F,FIN,ATH,1972-1980,1981-1999,0,0,0,0

Chiharu Igaya,M,JPN,ASK,1952-1960,1982-2012,0,1,0,1

Dame Mary Alison Glen Haig,F,GBR,FEN,1948-1960,1982-1993,0,0,0,0

Phil Coles,M,AUS,CAN,1960-1968,1982-2012,0,0,0,0

Pál Schmitt,M,HUN,FEN,1968-1976,1983-date,1,0,0,2

Prince Albert II of Monaco,M,MON,BOB,1988-2002,1985-date,0,0,0,0

Anita DeFrantz,F,USA,ROW,1976,1986-date,0,0,1,1

Anton Geesink,M,NED,JUD,1964,1987-2010,1,0,0,1

Anne HRH The Princess Royal,F,GBR,EQU,1976,1988-date,0,0,0,0

Frank Nyangweso,M,UGA,BOX,1960,1988-2011,0,0,0,0

Fernando Bello,M,POR,SAI,1968-1972,1989-2009,0,0,0,0

Thomas Bach,M,GER,FEN,1976,1991-date,1,0,0,1

Denis Oswald,M,SUI,ROW,1968-1976,1991-date,0,0,1,1

Jacques Rogge,M,BEL,SAI,1968-1976,1991-2013,0,0,0,0

Valery Borzov,M,UKR,ATH,1972-1976,1994-date,2,1,2,5

Arne Ljungqvist,M,SWE,ATH,1952,1994-2012,0,0,0,0

Věra Čáslavská,F,CZE,GYM,1960-1968,1995-2001,7,4,0,11

Jean-Claude Killy,M,FRA,ASK,1964-1968,1995-2014,3,0,0,3

Yury Titov,M,RUS,GYM,1956-1964,1995-1996,1,5,3,9

Olegario Vázquez Raña,M,MEX,SHO,1964-1976,1995-date,0,0,0,0

Guy Drut,M,FRA,ATH,1972-1976,1996-date,1,1,0,2

Irena Kirszenstein-Szewińska,F,POL,ATH,1964-1980,1998-date,3,2,2,7

Nawal El-Moutawakel,F,MAR,ATH,1984,1998-date,1,0,0,1

Aleksandr Popov,M,RUS,SWI,1992-2004,1999-date,4,5,0,9

Johann Olav Koss,M,NOR,SSK,1992-1994,1999-2001,4,1,0,5

Jan Železný,M,CZE,ATH,1988-2004,1999-2012,3,1,0,4

Manuela Di Centa,F,ITA,CCS,1984-1998,1999-2010,2,2,3,7

Vladimir Smirnov,M,KAZ,CCS,1988-1998,1999-2001,1,4,2,7

Bob Ctvrtlik,M,USA,VOL,1988-1996,1999-2007,1,0,1,2

Sergey Bubka,M,UKR,ATH,1988-2000,1999-date,1,0,0,1

Hassiba Boulmerka,F,ALG,ATH,1988-1996,1999-2000,1,0,0,1

Roland Baar,M,GER,ROW,1988-1996,1999-2004,0,1,1,2

Charmaine Crooks,F,CAN,ATH,1984-1996,1999-2004,0,1,0,1

Susie O’Neill,F,AUS,SWI,1992-2000,2000-2005,2,4,2,8

Kip Keino,M,KEN,ATH,1964-1972,2000-2010,2,2,0,4

Manuel Estiarte,M,ESP,WAP,1980-2000,2000-2004,1,1,0,2

Paul Henderson,M,CAN,SAI,1964-1968,2000-2004,0,0,0,0

Carlos Arthur Nuzman,M,BRA,VOL,1964,2000-2012,0,0,0,0

Alfredo Goyeneche,M,ESP,EQU,1960,2000-2002,0,0,0,0

Randhir Singh,M,IND,SHO,1968-1984,2001-date,0,0,0,0

Matthew Pinsent,M,GBR,ROW,1992-2004,2002-2004,4,0,0,4

Pernilla Wiberg,F,SWE,ASK,1992-2002,2002-2010,2,1,0,2

Ådne Søndrål,M,NOR,SSK,1992-2002,2002-2006,1,1,1,3

Jari Kurri,M,FIN,ICH,1980-1998,2002-2006,0,0,1,1

Hicham El Guerrouj,M,MAR,ATH,1996-2004,2004-2012,2,1,0,3

Frank Fredericks,M,NAM,ATH,1992-2004,2004-date,0,4,0,4

Rania El-Wani,F,EGY,SWI,1992-2000,2004-2012,0,0,0,0

Barbara Anne Kendall,F,NZL,SAI,1992-2004,2005-date,1,1,1,3

Beckie Scott,F,CAN,CCS,1998-2006,2006-2014,1,1,0,2

Saku Koivu,M,FIN,ICH,1994-2006,2006-2014,0,1,2,3

Nicole Hoevertsz,F,ARU,SYF,1984,2006-date,0,0,0,0

Haya HRH Princess Bint Al-Hussein,F,UAE,EQU,2000,2007-date,0,0,0,0

Yumilka Ruiz,F,CUB,VOL,1996-2008,2008-date,2,0,1,3

Mun Dae-Seong,M,KOR,TKW,2004,2008-date,1,0,0,1

Claudia Bokel,F,GER,FEN,1996-2004,2008-date,0,1,0,1

Yang Yang (A),F,CHN,STK,1998-2006,2010-date,2,2,1,5

Angela Ruggiero,F,USA,ICH,1998-2010,2010-date,1,2,1,4

Barry Maister,M,NZL,HOK,1968-1976,2010-date,0,0,0,0

Adam Pengilly,M,GBR,SKE,2006-2010,2010-date,0,0,0,0

José Perurena,M,ESP,CAN,1968,2011-date,0,0,0,0

James Tomkins,M,AUS,ROW,1988-2008,2012-date,3,0,1,4

Tony Estanguet,M,FRA,CAN,2000-2012,2012-date,3,0,0,3

Kirsty Coventry,M,ZIM,SWI,2000-2012,2012-date,2,4,1,7

Danka Barteková,F,SVK,SHO,2008-2012,2012-date,0,0,1,1

Tsunekazu Takeda,M,JPN,EQU,1972-1976,2012-date,0,0,0,0

Stefan Holm,M,SWE,ATH,2000-2008,2013-date,1,0,0,1

Paul Tergat,M,KEN,ATH,1996-2004,2013-date,0,2,0,2

Bernard,M,BRA,VOL,1976-1984,2013-date,0,1,0,1

Ole Einar Bjørndalen,M,NOR,BIA/CCS,1994-2014,2014-date,8,4,1,13

Hayley Wickenheiser,F,CAN,ICH/SOF,1998-2014,2014-date,4,1,0,5

Poul-Erik Høyer Larsen,M,DEN,BDM,1992-2000,2014-date,1,0,0,1

[/table]