International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach on Tuesday unveiled 40 recommendations for reform destined at opening up the world body and making bidding for Olympic Games more flexible and less costly.
Fireworks explode above the athletics stadium during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games on August 12, 2012
"Some people tell us: Why do you change? The games in London were successful? We are financially stable? The answer is that sport, the Olympic Games, is too important in society to ignore the rest of the changes in the society," said Bach.
Since he took over from Jacques Rogge as IOC president in September 2013, the former German Olympic Committee boss had launched his project Agenda 2020, a roadmap for the future of the Olympic movement.
The debate was open not only to the Olympic movement but the public and included 14,000 internet submissions and fourteen working groups including organisations such as the United Nations, the World Bank and Google.
"It was a message in itself. We have opened the window because we wanted fresh wind," explained Bach.
The plan which it is also hoped will help reduce bidding costs are among 40 recommendations which will be voted on at a meeting of IOC members in Monaco on December 8 and 9.
Bach revealed that the IOC were willing to consider joint bids between countries and cities in order to make hosting an Olympic Games more accessible.
Alerted in recent years by the reluctance of some countries to embark on an adventure as long as costly and uncertain -- the 2022 Winter Olympics will not attract more than two bids after several withdrawals -- the IOC officials intend to change the current standing on cities.
"Under certain conditions, mainly for reasons of geography and sustainable development, it might be possible to organise some events in other cities other than the host city, or even in other countries," Bach told the press.
"If a city says 'we don't have enough facilities for this sport, in this place, but there are some in a close city', why not? In the Winter Games it already exists. If two countries share a mountain, then why not share a bid?" he continued.
"In the Summer Games, it is more about small neighbouring countries where distances are close.
"It is about giving smaller countries the opportunity to organise Games."
Another recommendation revealed at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne on Tuesday was to cap the number of sports and athletes, while giving a new sport or discipline an invitation to participate in the Games every four years.
"These 40 recommendations are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle," explained Bach, a former Olympic gold medallist in fencing from Germany.
"When you put them together, a picture emerges that shows the IOC safeguarding the uniqueness of the Olympic Games and strengthening sport in society.
"We still want to limit the number of Olympic events but within this framework, we want to give more flexibility to sports which want to become Olympic," Bach continued.
"The Olympic Games mustn't become bigger, but more diverse."
The recommendation on reducing costs for bidding also includes cutting the number of presentations that are allowed by bidding cities and "providing a significant financial contribution from the IOC".
The IOC also want to have an "invitation phase" for bidding during which cities will be "advised about the opportunities this new procedure offers".
The recommendations were announced to a round table of athletes, many of whom contributed to the 'Olympic Agenda 2020' process.
"In the case of the Summer Olympics, it could be small countries with short distances. Sometimes the distances within a country are less important than in a metropolis of 15 million people," said Bach.
"The host contract is always signed with a city but in reality it would be the whole country that would be the partner."
Occasionally, the IOC has allowed co-organisation, particularly in the case of the Winter Games, among a host city and ski resorts, or for sailing events, often relocated during the Summer Olympics.