IOC President Thomas Bach claimed his organisation was in a position of "strength" and "stability" ©ANOC

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has urged all National Olympic Committees (NOC) to review their events and consider whether some are "really necessary" due to fears over the world's economic situation and climate change.

Speaking at the Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly here, Bach expressed concerns over escalating inflation, rising energy costs and economic recessions around the world.

Bach claimed that the IOC was in a position of "strength" and "stability", insisting that the organisation had acted with "foresight to be prepared for an unpredictable future".

The German official has encouraged all NOCs to respond in a similar "prudent" manner by setting clear priorities to enable them to overcome "turbulent times".

NOCs at the ANOC General Assembly were urged by Bach to take
NOCs at the ANOC General Assembly were urged by Bach to take "prudent" measures due to financial concerns ©ANOC

"Our stable situation is by no means a foregone conclusion," said Bach.

"We are where we are today thanks to the collective and concerted effort by all of us.

"In this fragile world, the stability that we are enjoying is perhaps the strongest currency that you can have.

"Not many other organisations can claim to have this strong currency of stability in our volatile times.

"This volatility also means that each one of you faces different circumstances and different challenges.

"Therefore, each one of you has to be prudent.

"Review now all your planned activities and decide whether every event, every competition, every meeting is really necessary given the precarious situation the world economy is and will be facing.

"Such a review of our actions is prudent not only from a financial perspective. In our interconnected world, we are also facing interconnected challenges.

"The climate crisis is one such urgent global challenge."

The IOC is doing everything it can to reduce carbon emissions, its President Thomas Bach has claimed ©Getty Images
The IOC is doing everything it can to reduce carbon emissions, its President Thomas Bach has claimed ©Getty Images

Bach credited the IOC's Olympic Agenda 2020+5 for helping to reduce the organisation's carbon emissions, claiming that it had already cut its carbon footprint "significantly" and stressed the need for all Olympic Games to be "climate-positive" by 2030.

"I can only urge all of you to do the same: review all your sport events, your competitions, meetings and all your activities not only from a financial perspective but also with the aim to reduce your, to reduce our collective carbon footprint," said Bach.

"In doing so, you will be showing solidarity, in particular with your fellow NOCs who are threatened in their very existence by the climate crisis.

"In this sense, all of us share a double-responsibility - the responsibility to ensure the financial sustainability of sport and the responsibility to safeguard the sustainable future of our planet."