IOC Congress #9

The 9th Olympic Congress was held in Berlin from 25-30 May 1930. The opening ceremony took place at the Aula of the Friedrich Wilhelm University, but the debates took place at the Herrenhaus. The theme of this congress was the “Modifications of the Olympic Regulations.” There were 125 participants from 34 nations, with 31 IOC members present, and representatives of both the NOCs and the IFs. The Congress was organized by the German Reichsportführer Hans von Tschammer und Osten. Its President was the IOC President, Henri, Count de Baillet-Latour, and the Patron was Paul von Hindenburg, President of the German Reich.

Three working groups were formed: 1) Amateurism, chaired by Theodor Lewald; 2) the Olympic Program, chaired by J. Sigfrid Edström, and 3) the Construction of Playing Grounds, chaired by Reginald Kentish, a British IOC Member. The third working group on playing grounds was considered of minor importance at this Congress. The decision to call this Congress was basically a dispute concerning the amateur rules of the Fédération International de Football Association (FIFA), the soccer federation. The main question was whether broken-time payments could be made to soccer players who had to pay alimony.

One conclusion reached by this Congress was that it drafted rules of procedure for all future Olympic Congresses. The amateur issue concerning the soccer players was resolved when the Congress confirmed the decision of the 1925 Congress, forbidding the payment of broken-time payments.

Concerning the Olympic Program, women’s participation was discussed but no conclusions were reached. Baillet-Latour proposed to limit women’s sports to gymnastics, swimming, tennis and ice skating, but it was not adopted because it would have denied women the right to perform in the Olympic Stadium, which had been Coubertin’s desire. Further, eliminating women completely from track & field athletics in 1930, after they had competed in the sport in 1928 at Amsterdam, would have brought strong objections, notably from the United States, but also from the IAAF.

The Congress decided upon a modified standard program. Handball and basketball were mentioned as possible Olympic Sports for the first time, and shooting was deleted from the program because prize money was common in the sport at the time. Other sports were to be allowed if their amateur rules fell in line with the IOC definitions.