The OCI's headquarters is located at the National Sport Center – Tel Aviv.

In 1948, shortly after the State of Israel was established, its request to participate in the 1948 Olympics was denied, as the newly formed country wasn't yet recognized by IOC.

[citation needed] The OCI was re-organized in 1951 under joint-leadership of Maccabi and Hapoel, the two major sports organization in the country.

OCI has sent delegations to all Summer Olympics since then, except for Moscow 1980, which Israel supported the United States in a boycott over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Between 1954 and 1974 Israel took part in the Asian Games, but political pressure exerted by Arab countries due to the Arab–Israeli conflict led to Israel's exclusion from the re-organized Olympic Council of Asia in 1981.