The new Medical Code of the Olympic Movement

The Olympic International Committee has published the new version of the Olympic Movement Medical Code, in force as from 31 March 2016. It replaces the current one applied since 1 October 2009. The new version of the OMMC conforms with IOC ethical standards, and applies to the Olympic Games, beginning with Rio 2016.

It will help doctors protect the health of athletes by enabling them to properly and ethically practice medicine. The Code supports signatories - whether organisations or individuals - to ensure that correct medical standards are in place. The substantive changes between this new version of the Code and the old version mainly refer to change from "should" to "must", to reflect the fact that it is mandatory for those individuals and bodies that have agreed to be bound by the Code.