Editing International Olympic Committee (section)

===Amateurism and professionalism===
{{main|Olympic Games#Amateurism and professionalism}}

De Coubertin was influenced by the aristocratic ethos exemplified by [[Independent school (UK)|English public schools]].<ref name=OIdeology>{{cite book |last=Eassom |first=Simon |title=Critical Reflections on Olympic Ideology |year=1994 |location=Ontario |publisher=The Centre for Olympic Studies |pages=120–123 |isbn=0-7714-1697-0}}</ref> The public schools subscribed to the belief that sport formed an important part of education but that practicing or training was considered cheating.<ref name=OIdeology/> As class structure evolved through the 20th century, the definition of the amateur athlete as an aristocratic gentleman became outdated.<ref name=OIdeology/> The advent of the state-sponsored "full-time amateur athlete" of [[Eastern Bloc]] countries further eroded the notion of the pure amateur, as it put Western, self-financed amateurs at a disadvantage. The [[Soviet Union]] entered teams of athletes who were all nominally students, soldiers, or working in a profession, but many of whom were paid by the state to train on a full-time basis.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,976117-1,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090902183140/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,976117-1,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 September 2009|title=Traditions Pro Vs. Amateur|author=Benjamin, Daniel|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=18 March 2009|date=27 July 1992}}</ref> Nevertheless, the IOC held to the traditional rules regarding amateurism.<ref>{{cite web|last=Schantz |first=Otto |title=The Olympic Ideal and the Winter Games Attitudes Towards the Olympic Winter Games in Olympic Discourses—from Coubertin to Samaranch |publisher=Comité International Pierre De Coubertin |url=http://www.coubertin.ch/pdf/schantz.pdf|access-date=13 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505052232/http://www.coubertin.ch/pdf/schantz.pdf |archive-date=5 May 2013 }}</ref>

Near the end of the 1960s, the [[Canadian Amateur Hockey Association]] (CAHA) felt their amateur players could no longer be competitive against the Soviet full-time athletes and other constantly improving European teams. They pushed for the ability to use players from professional leagues, but met opposition from the [[International Ice Hockey Federation|IIHF]] and IOC. At the IIHF Congress in 1969, the IIHF decided to allow Canada to use nine non-NHL professional hockey players<ref name="Num17">{{harvnb|Podnieks|Szemberg|2008}}, [http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/the-iihf/100-year-anniversary/100-top-stories/story-17.html Story #17–Protesting amateur rules, Canada leaves international hockey] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010205021/http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/the-iihf/100-year-anniversary/100-top-stories/story-17.html |date=10 October 2017 }}.</ref> at the 1970 World Championships in [[Montreal]] and [[Winnipeg]], Manitoba, Canada.<ref>{{harvnb|Podnieks|Szemberg|2008}}, [http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/the-iihf/100-year-anniversary/100-top-stories/story-40.html Story #40–Finally, Canada to host the World Championship] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010210250/http://www.iihf.com/iihf-home/the-iihf/100-year-anniversary/100-top-stories/story-40.html |date=10 October 2017 }}.</ref> The decision was reversed in January 1970 after Brundage declared that the change would put ice hockey's status as an Olympic sport in jeopardy.<ref name="Num17" /> In response, Canada withdrew from international ice hockey competition and officials stated that they would not return until "open competition" was instituted.<ref name="Num17" /><ref>{{cite news|title=Summit Series '72 Summary |publisher=[[Hockey Hall of Fame]] |url=http://www.hhof.com/html/GamesSummarySUM1972.shtml |access-date=2 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807130920/http://www.hhof.com/html/GamesSummarySUM1972.shtml |archive-date=7 August 2008 }}</ref>

Beginning in the 1970s, amateurism was gradually phased out of the Olympic Charter. After the 1988 Games, the IOC decided to make all professional athletes eligible for the Olympics, subject to the approval of the IFOSs.<ref name="Amateurism">{{cite news | title=Amateurism | date=12 July 1999 | work=USA Today | url=https://www.usatoday.com/olympics/owg98/osytr01.htm | access-date=9 February 2009 | archive-date=23 February 2002 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020223021004/http://www.usatoday.com/olympics/owg98/osytr01.htm | url-status=live }}</ref>