1 Introduction

The International Olympic Committee, as the leading body of the Olympic Movement, plays an important role in global governance. Its language management is crucial for maintaining efficient operations within the organization and cooperation with national Olympic committees and international sports federations. Existing research mostly focuses on its history, values, and other aspects, while there is relatively little research on language management and its impact on the language life of the Olympic Games. This article is based on Spolsky's language management theory, analyzing the language policy, ideology, and practice of the International Olympic Committee, and exploring its key issues in language management in the future.

The Current Status and Theory of Language Policy Research in International Organizations

The research on language policies of international organizations has not received sufficient attention in the academic community both domestically and internationally, despite its significant impact on the global language ecology. Foreign research mainly focuses on intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union, while domestic research covers language policies of specific organizations, the international influence of Chinese language, the status of other languages, language selection mechanisms, and language life planning theories. Domestic scholar Fang Xiaobing proposed that a comprehensive examination of the language policies and concepts of international organizations, as well as the actual language life situation, should be conducted to reveal the differences between concepts and practices. This article adopts Spolsky's theory of language management, dividing language policy into three parts: management, belief/ideology, and practice, emphasizing the role of supranational organizations in internal management and foreign policy influence. Spolsky pointed out that language policy is influenced by social language status, identity recognition, social change, and language choice rights, among which globalization and the dominant position of English are particularly important for language management in international organizations.

3. Language Policy and Ideology of the International Olympic Committee

The language policy of the International Olympic Committee has undergone an evolution from monolingual to multilingual. During the monolingual period (1894-1948), French was the only official language of the International Olympic Committee, with symbolic significance and strong communicative value that can be traced back to the modern Olympic Games. The multilingual era (1949 present) began with the inclusion of English as one of the official languages in the 1949 version of the Charter, forming the French English bilingual policy. With the development of the Olympic Movement, the International Olympic Committee has established a multilingual system dominated by European languages, including simultaneous interpretation of French, English, German, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic. However, the current language policy reflects a "monolingual view of multilingual systems" and does not give all member countries equal legal rights and equal status in participating in administrative activities. Against the backdrop of the increasing global multi-level structure and the concept of linguistic diversity, the language policy of the International Olympic Committee will face challenges. Chinese, as one of the official languages of the United Nations, has a very low usage rate at the International Olympic Committee. As an important participant in the Olympic movement, China should seek the use and promotion of Chinese in internal and external affairs of the International Olympic Committee.

The International Olympic Committee's Management and Influence on Olympic Language Life

The language management behavior of the International Olympic Committee in the Olympic Games is mainly reflected in protecting the status of French and improving language service capabilities. Despite the strong spread of English and the gradual decline in the status of French in Olympic language life, the International Olympic Committee still strives to maintain its status as the first official language. For example, in 2007, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games signed an agreement with the French speaking International Organization to take a series of measures to ensure the status of the French language. However, in recent Olympic Games hosted by Asian countries, the status of English has been placed before that of French, and the status of French has gradually been replaced by English.

5 Key Issues in Language Management of the International Olympic Committee

Entering the 21st century, the Olympic Games face many challenges, such as excessive scale, excessive commercialization, and aging audiences, which pose a threat to the sustainable development of the Olympic movement. The International Olympic Committee has undergone reforms under the leadership of its new president Bach, but language management issues have not been included in the reform agenda. The key language management issues that the International Olympic Committee needs to address include balancing the dual demands of language communication efficiency and language diversity, bridging the gap between official language policies and language practices, establishing an emergency language service mechanism for the Olympics, and exploring a language governance system with multiple stakeholders.

6 Conclusion

In the context of economic globalization and world integration, the International Olympic Committee, as the core of international sports organizations, plays an important role in global governance. The article analyzes the historical evolution of the International Olympic Committee's language policy and ideology, pointing out that its current language policy dominated by a few European languages does not match the sustainable development needs of the Olympic Movement, and reform is urgently needed. It is recommended that the International Olympic Committee establish a diverse and collaborative language governance system, adhere to the values of "consultation, co construction, and sharing", conduct language demand surveys and planning, develop intelligent language service technology, and establish an Olympic emergency language service mechanism to achieve a harmonious Olympic language life. At the same time, we call on more language policy researchers to pay attention to the language life of international organizations, provide modern language management solutions for international organizations, accelerate China's participation in language management of international organizations, enhance China's international discourse power and the international dissemination of Chinese language.