Neşe Gündoğan

Neşe Gündoğan was the first female Secretary General of the Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) and has served since 2003. She spearheaded the implementation of the TOC’s development programmes and projects for athletes, coaches and youth, in addition to the institutional policies that promote gender equality and inclusion.

A former middle-distance runner who competed for the Turkish national team, Gündoğan worked as an athletics coach at ENKA Sports Club, where she helped establish teams for individuals under 16, juniors, senior men and women and carried out a talent identification project, recruiting hundreds of young people to athletics. In 1996, she worked for the Atlanta Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) and served as a volunteer at the New York Marathon and Penn Relays. She has also worked at NGOs and shelters, providing support for women and children.

Following the Atlanta Games, Gündoğan was appointed Sports Director at the Turkish Olympic Committee and served as Deputy Chef de Mission for the Turkish Olympic teams at nine Olympic Games. Gündoğan also served as Secretary General of the Turkish Athletics Foundation (TAF), where she helped support young, talented athletes by providing funding and equipment, carrying out grassroots projects, organising seminars and creating the “Young Athletes Support Project,” which many former athletes join to support promising young athletes and become role models. She is a member of the ANOC Executive Council, ICMG Executive Committee and IOC Women in Sport Commission.

Born in İstanbul, Turkey, Gündoğan graduated from Gazi University in Ankara and received her doctorate degree in Sports Management from Temple University in Philadelphia in 1996.