Report: One in Ten Olympic Committee Members Is a Noble

A Brazilian newspaper has published a dive into the world of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), where nobility is vastly overrepresented compared to the greater world population, despite the group’s claims its members are those “considered more qualified for the job.”

According to the Brazilian Newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, one in ten members on the committee have a surname that is derived from nobility. Among these nobles are sheikhs, kings, and princesses. Of the 128 members of committee, 14 come from nobility.

Folha reported, “On the committee’s website, the organization says that the members are elected by the majority in the assembly. The organization reports that it recruits and elects its members among those considered most qualified for the job.”

Some of the nobility on the committee include Princess Anne of the British Royal Family (Prince Charles’ sister), Princess Nora of Liechtenstein, Prince Albert II of Monaco, and Prince Frederik of Denmark, according to Folha.

The high-profile committee is usually regarded with the utmost prestige. However, given recent scandals involving Russian doping allegations and the committee’s lack of intervention, the IOC has taken some heat. Breitbart News reported last month:

The World Anti-Doping Agency is disappointed that Olympics leaders have rejected their plea to ban Russia from the Rio Games. WADA’s investigators had found further evidence that dope-testing in Russia has been manipulated by official bodies. But the International Olympic Committee decided against a blanket ban on Russians competing in the Rio Games next month, allowing each sport to decide on participation.

The committee’s lack of action concerning the Russians has garnered much criticism. The committee did not follow the usual protocol, and decided against a ban of the Russian team. Instead, according to Breitbart News, it turned power over to the individual sports: “The International Olympic Committee has instead left it to individual sports to decide whether they want to exclude Russians from next month’s event.”