Journal of Olympic Studies Vol. 3 No. 2 Fall 2022 © 2022 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois The Olympic Movement and Cultural Policy: Historical Challenges and Ways Forward Beatriz Garcia University of Liverpool Beatriz.Garcia@liverpool.ac.uk ABSTRACT: Since its inception, the Olympic Movement has had a strong culture mandate, with “sport, culture and education” being presented as the essential pillars of Olympism in the Olympic Charter. Dedicated cultural programs—now called the Cultural Olympiad—have been a compulsory requirement at the Olympic Games since 1912; artists have always been welcome contributors to the Olympic narrative, and cultural values have informed the development of Olympic rituals from the outset. Despite this, John J. MacAloon and others have noted the lack of a coherent cultural policy framework within the movement and have debated the diversity and local sensitivity of the International Olympic Com- mittee’s cultural mandate and portfolio. Tis article reviews the signifcance of MacAloon’s refections on this subject since 2000 and interrogates the value of recent developments such as the role of culture within Agenda 2020, changes in the composition of the IOC Cultural and Olympic Heritage Commission, and the evolv- ing positioning of the Cultural Olympiad as the leading contribu- tion of Olympic host cities into the movement’s cultural ofer. Te article concludes with refections on the potential and challenges for fully inclusive, timely and representative Olympic cultural policies going forward. KEYWORDS: Olympic cultural policy; Cultural Olympiad; Agenda 2020; IOC 2000 Commission; Olympic art From Journal of Olympic Studies 3:2 (Fall 2022). Copyright 2022 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Complimentary copy. Not for distribution without permission