Title 36, Patriotic and National ObservancesRelease 119-102

§220503 Purposes

Title 36 › Subtitle II — Patriotic and National Organizations › Part B — Organizations › CHAPTER 2205 — UNITED STATES OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE › SUBCHAPTER I — CORPORATION › § 220503

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The corporation must carry out 16 main goals to support amateur athletics in the United States. It must set national goals and help reach them, coordinate U.S. amateur sports for international competition, and have exclusive control over U.S. participation in and the organization of the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, the Pan‑American Games, and the Parapan American Games. It must help send the best amateur athletes to those events, promote competition and fitness, assist sports groups and athletes, quickly resolve disputes and protect the chance to compete, improve access to facilities, share technical and safety information, support research and programs for women, athletes with disabilities, and racial and ethnic minorities, promote sports free from emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, and oversee national governing bodies so they follow the corporation’s policies.

Full Legal Text

Title 36, §220503

Patriotic and National Observances, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The purposes of the corporation are—
(1)to establish national goals for amateur athletic activities and encourage the attainment of those goals;
(2)to coordinate and develop amateur athletic activity in the United States, directly related to international amateur athletic competition, to foster productive working relationships among sports-related organizations;
(3)to exercise exclusive jurisdiction, directly or through constituent members of committees, over—
(A)all matters pertaining to United States participation in the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, the Pan-American Games, and the Parapan American Games, including representation of the United States in the games; and
(B)the organization of the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, the Pan-American Games, and the Parapan American Games when held in the United States;
(4)to obtain for the United States, directly or by delegation to the appropriate national governing body, the most competent amateur representation possible in each event of the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, the Pan-American Games, and the Parapan American Games;
(5)to promote and support amateur athletic activities involving the United States and foreign nations;
(6)to promote and encourage physical fitness and public participation in amateur athletic activities;
(7)to assist organizations and persons concerned with sports in the development of amateur athletic programs for amateur athletes;
(8)to provide swift resolution of conflicts and disputes involving amateur athletes, national governing bodies, and amateur sports organizations, and protect the opportunity of any amateur athlete, coach, trainer, manager, administrator, or official to participate in amateur athletic competition;
(9)to foster the development of and access to amateur athletic facilities for use by amateur athletes and assist in making existing amateur athletic facilities available for use by amateur athletes;
(10)to provide and coordinate technical information on physical training, equipment design, coaching, and performance analysis;
(11)to encourage and support research, development, and dissemination of information in the areas of sports medicine and sports safety;
(12)to encourage and provide assistance to amateur athletic activities for women;
(13)to encourage and provide assistance to amateur athletic programs and competition for amateur athletes with disabilities, including, where feasible, the expansion of opportunities for meaningful participation by such amateur athletes in programs of athletic competition for able-bodied amateur athletes;
(14)to encourage and provide assistance to amateur athletes of racial and ethnic minorities for the purpose of eliciting the participation of those minorities in amateur athletic activities in which they are underrepresented;
(15)to promote a safe environment in sports that is free from abuse, including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, of any amateur athlete; and
(16)to effectively oversee the national governing bodies with respect to compliance with and implementation of the policies and procedures of the corporation, including policies and procedures on the establishment of a safe environment in sports as described in paragraph (15).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 22050336:374.Sept. 21, 1950, ch. 975, title I, § 104, as added Nov. 8, 1978, Pub. L. 95–606, § 1(b), 92 Stat. 3046. Before clause (1), the word “objects” is omitted as included in “purposes”. In clause (4), the word “competition” is omitted as included in “each event”.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2020—Par. (3). Pub. L. 116–189, § 4(a)(3)(A), substituted “the Pan-American Games, and the Parapan American Games” for “and the Pan-American Games” in subpars. (A) and (B). Par. (4). Pub. L. 116–189, § 4(a)(3)(B), substituted “the Pan-American Games, and the Parapan American Games” for “and Pan-American Games”. Par. (9). Pub. L. 116–189, § 6(a)(1), inserted “and access to” after “development of”. Par. (16). Pub. L. 116–189, § 6(a)(2)–(4), added par. (16). 2018—Par. (15). Pub. L. 115–126 added par. (15). 1998—Pars. (3), (4). Pub. L. 105–277, § 142(d)(1), substituted “Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games” for “Olympic Games” wherever appearing. Par. (13). Pub. L. 105–277, § 142(d)(2), added par. (13) and struck out former par. (13) which read as follows: “to encourage and provide assistance to amateur athletic programs and competition for individuals with disabilities, including, where feasible, the expansion of opportunities for meaningful participation by individuals with disabilities in programs of athletic competition for able-bodied individuals; and”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

36 U.S.C. § 220503

Title 36, Patriotic and National Observances

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102