Gender Equality in Sport

Sport is one of the most powerful platforms for promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls.

As the leader of the Olympic Movement, the IOC is taking continuous action to advance gender equality.

Great progress has been made in terms of balancing the total number of athletes participating at the Games, however, many other challenges and gaps remain. The IOC is working to address these inequalities through leadership development, advocacy and awareness campaigns, and appointing more women to leadership roles within the administration and key governance positions.

Together with many Olympic Movement stakeholders, the IOC has implemented significant gender equality initiatives so that girls and women around the world are being given greater access and opportunities to participate in sport.

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Gender Equality and Inclusion Objectives 2021-2024

Kevin Krawietz of Team Germany and Laura Siegemund of Team Germany
To support the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020+5, the IOC has set Gender Equality and Inclusion Objectives for 2021-2024. These objectives build on many of the recommendations of the IOC Gender Equality Review project with the goal of continuing the “promotion of women in sport at all levels and in all structures” whilst ensuring an inclusive approach that accounts for diverse and intersectional identities of women and men.
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IOC Gender Equality and Inclusion Report 2021

Outlining the progress made in advancing gender equality and inclusion in the last Olympiad, this report reviews the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020 Recommendation 11 and the IOC Gender Equality Review Project and presents the IOC’s objectives for 2021-2024, which cover the IOC’s three spheres of responsibility (IOC as an organisation, as owner of the Olympic Games and as leader of the Olympic Movement) across five focus areas: participation, leadership, safe sport, portrayal and resource allocation.

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Portrayal guidelines

Sports coverage is very influential in shaping gender norms and stereotypes. These guidelines are intended to raise awareness of what constitutes gender bias across the various aspects of portrayal within the sporting context, and how this can be overcome to ensure our content and communications are more inclusive, balanced and representative of the world we live in.
Download them here

Women in Sport Commission

IOC Commission Women in Sport

The role of the Women in Sport Commission is to advise the IOC Session, the IOC Executive Board and the IOC President on the development and implementation of the IOC women and sport policy and to promote equal opportunities for girls and women to participate in, and benefit from sport and physical activity.

Learn more

A gender-equality community

An IOC LinkedIn community group has been created for individuals working in the Olympic movement who are committed to closing the gender gap in sport. The group is a place to share best practices, success stories, lesson learned, news and events, and fosters a solutions-based approach to achieving gender equality both on and off the field of play.

Join the group

Gender equality through time

Women playing Rugby

The IOC has been actively promoting the advancement of gender equality in and through sport across the Olympic Movement and beyond since the 1900s. This section offers a historical timeline of women’s participation in Olympic sport and leadership.

At the Olympic Games

Within the Olympic Movement

Advocacy and Support

IOC Women and Sport awards

One of the IOC’s priorities is to actively advocate equality between men and women. The IOC provides essential tools and funding in order to achieve the Olympic Movement’s gender-equality goals.

Gender Equality Review Project

Women & Sport Awards

Support initiatives

Partnerships

Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination

The IOC Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-discrimination aims to help sports bodies provide pathways to inclusion in elite sport for all athletes, without discriminating on the basis of gender identity or sex variations, while defining disproportionate advantage in ways that preserve meaningful and fair competition.
Find out more

Reference documents

  • Documents
    • IOC Gender Equality Review Project
      13 Nov 2020 · 36 pages · Pdf · pdf (2.1 Mo)

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    • Informe sobre Igualdad de Género e Inclusión 2021 (Spanish)
      21 Apr 2022 · 30 pages · 2,1 Mo

      Download
    • La protección de los atletas ante el acoso y el abuso en el deporte (Spanish)
      13 Nov 2020 · 106 pages · Pdf · pdf (9.4 Mo)

      Read publication
    • IOC Toolkit on Safeguarding Athletes from harassment and abuse in sport
      13 Nov 2020 · 106 pages · Pdf · pdf (7.5 Mo)

      Read publication
    • Factsheet "Women in the Olympic Movement"
      09 Dec 2021 · 6 pages · Pdf · pdf (193 Ko)

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    • Los Angeles Declaration (2012)
      13 Nov 2020 · 3 pages · Pdf · pdf (126 Ko)

      Read publication
    • 5th IOC World Conference on Women and Sport Report
      13 Nov 2020 · 79 pages · Pdf · pdf (2.8 Mo )

      Read publication
    • IOC Gender Equality and Inclusion Report 2021
      01 Jan 0001 · Pdf · pdf (3124 Ko)

      Download
    • IOC Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sex variations
      01 Jan 0001 · Pdf · pdf (1235 Ko)

      Download
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