25 Years of Grand Duke Henri's IOC Membership

To the left: Grand Duke Henri's portrait in three-quarter profile looking right, with a suggestion of the Olympic rings below. The designer Chiara Principe's initials "CP" appear in the middle ring; the Paris Mint and Engraver-General Joaquin Jimenez's marks in the right ring. The issuing state "LËTZEBUERG" and "GROUSSHERZOG HENRI" run along the left edge into the coin ring. The commemorative inscription "MEMBER VUM INTERANTIONALEN OLYMPESCHE KOMMITEE" runs along the lower right edge into the coin ring. Five stylised athletes representing Olympic disciplines, together with the years "1998" and "2023", are arranged from upper to lower right, with one figure forming the numeral "25".

This coin was also issued as a photorealistic strike in a mintage of just 2,500. The portrait of Grand Duke Henri was rendered photorealistically. This variant is only included in the official coin set.

Luxembourg holds a special place in international sport: as one of the smallest countries in the world, the Grand Duchy has sent athletes to the Olympic Games for decades and is firmly embedded in the structures of world sport. Grand Duke Henri, head of state of Luxembourg since 2000, was admitted as a member of the International Olympic Committee in 1998 — a role he views as personal commitment rather than merely a representational duty. The IOC, founded by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894, today counts more than 100 members from around the world; members from ruling houses or royal families are not uncommon, but Henri also brought his own sporting background from Luxembourg, including as an active equestrian.

Henri's IOC membership reflects a country that, despite its size, maintains a strong presence in sports policy. Luxembourg was already represented at the early modern Olympic Games and has produced individual top-level international performances over the decades. The IOC mandate allows Henri to help shape global sports policy — from anti-doping rules to the awarding of the Olympic Games to questions of athletes' rights. On the 25th anniversary of this membership in 2023, Luxembourg marked the occasion with a 2-euro commemorative coin.