Support initiatives

Since the creation of the Women in Sport policy, the IOC has launched initiatives on the ground with the aim to give greater visibility to women and sport issues and to encourage the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), Continental Associations, International and National Federations to step up their work in this area.

From regional seminars and workshops to training courses helping women develop leadership skills, the IOC hopes to increase women’s representation at the highest ranks of the Olympic Movement.

Building 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. The group has already gathered more than 1000 like-minded individuals, all working to advance gender equality in sport.

Gender equality webinars encourage change

Since 2015, the International Olympic Committee and International Federations (IFs) have participated in an annual forum with a view to closing the gender gap on and off the field of play. With the 5th IF Gender Equality Forum cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a series of six online sessions were held, hosted by the IOC in collaboration with the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations and the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations. By sharing examples of concrete initiatives, the series aimed to encourage and support IFs in embracing change and implementing action plans to address gender equality in sport. The webinars are available online, with the following topics covered:
- leadership (governance, coaches and technical officials),
- safeguarding, and removing gender bias from all aspects of portrayal

Olympic solidarity programmes

Olympic Solidarity offers National Olympic Committees a series of assistance programmes for athletes, young hopefuls, coaches and sports managers, and these benefit a growing number of women. More information can be found in the Olympic Solidarity section.