Most scholarships on this site are about degrees. This one is not. The IOC Olympic Solidarity Athlete Scholarship Programme pays elite athletes a monthly amount so they can train and try to qualify for the Olympic Games or the Youth Olympic Games. There is no university, no course and no IELTS score involved. What matters is your results, your qualification potential and your need for support.
If you are a Pakistani athlete competing at national or international level in an Olympic sport, this is one of the few funding routes built for someone in your position. If you are a student who plays sport at club or university level and is looking for a sports scholarship to study abroad, this is the wrong programme. You can read the full scholarship details on our scholarship page, and this guide explains how the system actually works in practice.
What Olympic Solidarity is and why it funds athletes
Olympic Solidarity is the part of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that redistributes a share of Olympic broadcast and marketing revenue to National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and their athletes. Its focus is on athletes from NOCs with fewer resources. The IOC is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, which is why the programme is listed under Switzerland, but you will not be moving to Switzerland for it. It runs worldwide through each country's National Olympic Committee.
The individual athlete scholarship supports training, coaching, equipment, accommodation and competition costs on the road to the Games. A separate edition runs for every Summer, Winter and Youth Olympic Games, so it is not a one-time award. Athletes preparing for future Games, including Los Angeles 2028, go through their NOC.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Provider | International Olympic Committee (IOC), Olympic Solidarity |
| Funding type | Partial funding (monthly support plus needs-based costs) |
| Level | Not a degree programme. Elite athlete support |
| Sports | All disciplines on the Olympic and Youth Olympic programme |
| Deadline | Set by each National Olympic Committee's internal nomination cycle ahead of each Games |
| Country | Switzerland (IOC headquarters), operating worldwide through NOCs |
| Official site | Olympic Solidarity on olympics.com |
The numbers from Milano Cortina 2026
The best way to understand the scale is the most recent Winter cycle. Ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, the IOC offered 449 individual scholarships to athletes from 90 NOCs across six winter sports. Of those, 249 scholarship-holders qualified for the Games. That is over half of all recipients, and they came from 74 NOCs across five continents. Scholarship-holders also won multiple medals and dozens of top-8 diplomas at those Games.
Two things follow from this. First, the pool is genuinely global, so a small sporting nation is not shut out. Second, a scholarship does not guarantee qualification. Nearly half of the Milano Cortina recipients did not make it to the Games. The IOC funds potential, and the athlete still has to deliver results.
What the monthly money and extra support pay for
The core of the award is monthly financial support to help cover your living and training costs. On top of that, depending on your individual needs, the scholarship can fund:
- coaching fees
- sports equipment
- accommodation and access to high-performance training centres
- competition participation and travel during the Olympic qualification period
The source material does not give a fixed monthly figure, and scholarship levels and slots vary significantly by NOC size and sport. So do not plan your budget around a number you heard from another athlete in a different sport or country. Ask your NOC what the current level is for your discipline, and treat it as partial funding. It is meant to support your preparation, not to replace every other source of income.
Support can also be renewed across an Olympic cycle, which gives multi-year help rather than a single payment. But continued support is tied to your ongoing training progress and competition results. If your results drop off, expect questions.
Why you cannot apply to the IOC yourself
This is the point most people get wrong. There is no public portal where an athlete fills in a form and submits it to the IOC. Olympic Solidarity does not accept applications from athletes who have not been nominated by their NOC.
For Pakistani athletes, the NOC is the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA). The POA decides whom to nominate based on its own criteria and timelines, then sends a nomination dossier to Olympic Solidarity. The IOC's Olympic Solidarity Commission reviews it and approves awards based on performance level, Olympic qualification potential and financial need. Once approved, the money is disbursed monthly through your NOC.
So your real audience is not the IOC. It is your national federation and the POA. If they do not know who you are or do not rate your chances of qualifying, you will not get nominated, however strong your financial case is.
The five eligibility conditions in plain terms
- You must be an elite athlete nominated by your National Olympic Committee.
- You must be actively working toward qualification for an upcoming Olympic Games or Youth Olympic Games.
- Financial or resource need is a key consideration, and priority often goes to athletes from NOCs with fewer resources.
- You must comply with IOC eligibility rules, including anti-doping and the Olympic code of conduct.
- Continued support depends on ongoing training progress and competition results.
Notice there is no age limit, degree requirement or language test in the list. The age rules that matter are the ones set by your sport's qualification system and, for the Youth Olympic Games, by that event. Check those with your federation.
What goes into a nomination dossier
Because your NOC submits the dossier, you will not upload anything to the IOC directly. You will, however, need to supply your NOC with most of the material. Expect the dossier to include:
- the nomination form or dossier submitted by your NOC
- your competition results, rankings and performance history in your sport
- proof of NOC and international federation membership or eligibility
- a training and competition plan toward Olympic qualification
- any supporting documents on financial need requested by the NOC or Olympic Solidarity
The training plan is where many athletes are weakest. A vague plan ("train hard, compete more") does not help your NOC argue your case. Work with your coach to set out which qualification events you are targeting, what ranking or result you need, and where you will train. If you are gathering certificates and personal documents for the first time, our scholarship documents checklist covers the basics of keeping records organised.
From first contact to monthly payments
- Contact the Pakistan Olympic Association (or your own NOC if you compete for another country) and ask about Olympic Solidarity athlete scholarship nominations.
- Work with your NOC and national sports federation to build a competition and qualification record that supports nomination.
- The NOC submits your nomination dossier to Olympic Solidarity.
- The Olympic Solidarity Commission reviews and approves scholarships based on need and qualification potential.
- Approved athletes receive monthly support through their NOC for the rest of the qualification cycle.
Timing your approach around the Olympic cycle
There is no single global deadline. Each NOC sets its own internal nomination cycle ahead of each Games. The general pattern looks like this:
| Stage | Typical timing |
|---|---|
| NOC nomination window opens | 2-4 years before the target Games |
| Olympic Solidarity review and approval | Ongoing through the qualification cycle |
| Scholarship disbursement | Monthly, throughout the qualification period |
| Games qualification period | Final 1-2 years before the Games |
The practical lesson: if you wait until the qualification period to ask, you have probably missed the window. For the Los Angeles 2028 cycle, the time to start talking to the POA and your federation is early, and you should confirm the exact internal timeline with them rather than assume.
Where athletes lose their chance
The most common mistake is writing to the IOC. It wastes time and goes nowhere. Start with the POA.
The second is a thin record. Nomination decisions weigh performance level and qualification potential heavily, so keep official results, rankings and training logs in one place and up to date. If your federation cannot quickly see your progress, you are hard to nominate.
Third, unrealistic expectations. Slots vary by NOC size and sport. Look honestly at the level of athletes from Pakistan who have qualified in your sport before, and set your training goals against that.
Fourth, anti-doping. Violations can end scholarship eligibility immediately. Check every supplement and medication with your federation's medical staff before you take it.
Finally, do not rely on this as your only funding. Ask your national federation about International Federation (IF) development programmes, which sometimes complement Olympic Solidarity support.
If you also want to compare this with academic funding routes, see the other Switzerland scholarships we cover, though most of those are for degree study.
Frequently asked questions
Can Pakistani athletes get this scholarship?
Yes, through the Pakistan Olympic Association. The programme runs worldwide through each country's NOC, and Pakistani athletes should contact the POA about NOC-level nomination.
Can I apply directly to the IOC?
No. Athletes must be nominated by their own National Olympic Committee. There is no direct public application to the IOC.
Is this only for winter sports?
No. Olympic Solidarity runs athlete scholarship programmes for the Summer, Winter and Youth Olympic Games cycles, across all sports on the Olympic programme.
Does the scholarship pay for a university degree?
No. It is elite athlete support, not a degree programme. The money is for living and training costs, coaching, equipment, training-centre accommodation and competition travel.
How much will I receive each month?
No fixed amount is published in the information we have, and levels vary significantly by NOC size and sport. Ask your NOC for the current figure in your discipline.
For the latest programme information, check the Olympic Solidarity athletes page and contact the Pakistan Olympic Association. Our IOC Olympic Solidarity scholarship page keeps the key details in one place.