Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commission ()

In 1995, a Women and Sport Working Group was formed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to advise the IOC president on suitable policies to be developed in this field. The working group became a formal IOC Commission in 2004, the Women and Sport Commission. The commission had a consultative purpose and met once a year, forwarding its policies to the IOC Executive Board. Under President Thomas Bach the Women and Sport Commission was subsumed within the Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Commission.

The IOC website noted, “The role of the Gender Equality Diversity and Inclusion Commission was 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.”

The responsibilities of the Gender Equality Diversity and Inclusion Commission were to advise on:

• The development and implementation of an IOC women in sport strategy;
• Advocacy for increased participation of women athletes in the Olympic Programme and in leadership positions in the Olympic Movement, promoting the rights and well-being of women and girls in and through sport and greater access to sport for girls and women;
• Recognition of achievements of individuals and organizations promoting women in and through sport, including through the Women and Sport Award;
• Development and dissemination of IOC’s position on women and sport issues, and monitoring and regularly reporting on the progress of the Olympic Movement in meeting gender equity;
• Promotion of the use of sport as a tool for gender equality and empowerment and raising awareness of harassment and abuse in sport;
• Supporting the development of women’s skills in management and leadership within the Olympic Movement, including through training, seminars, workshops, and mentoring; and
• Support of local projects benefiting girls and women, including through providing grants for IOC women and sport awardees to implement identified projects.

Some of the above was taken from the IOC official website. In October 2026 the IOC announced that this commission would be disbanded and replaced by working groups on an ad hoc basis.