President Bach has significantly increased the number of women appointed to a commission since his election, with 38 per cent of places now taken by women – a historic high. That is a 70 per cent increase since 2013. In 2017, 29 more positions are held by women across the 26 IOC commissions than in 2016, and female members are present on each of them.
The changes to the function and composition of the commissions, which are effected by the IOC President working closely with the IOC Executive Board, also include increases in the number of members from America, Africa and Asia, thus guaranteeing a more global and diverse continental representation.
“These changes are aligned with the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020 and show that a stronger participation of women and a more diversified continental representation are our top priorities,” said IOC President Bach.
“The diversity of members guarantees interesting and more inclusive discussions and reflects the Olympic Movement’s commitment to universality,” he added.
The new make-up of the IOC commissions, which provide assistance to the IOC and Olympic Games Organising Committees, is also marked by the inclusion of young men and women who represent a new generation and will be the sports leaders of tomorrow. Since 2010, each edition of the Youth Olympic Games has welcomed and generated a group of Young Ambassadors who are still active today in their sport, in their territory or in their community. Seven of these talented ambassadors (of whom six are women) have joined the commissions to give youth a stronger, louder and clearer voice within the Movement.
“Listening to youth, entrusting youth and empowering youth is needed more than ever in the world of sport,” said President Bach. “This will contribute to keeping tomorrow’s sport and the Olympic Movement as a whole relevant, inspiring and impactful,” he continued.
Thomas Bach added: “We need to mentor and nurture the next generation of sports leaders. This recent move is a positive signal and message for the entire movement and world of sport”.
A new “Digital and Technology Commission” has been created to advise the IOC Session, the IOC Executive Board and the IOC President on issues relating to the effective and secure use of digital and information technologies.
The Commission will make recommendations on the IOC’s strategy for information security, including cyber-security, and will ensure that the IOC has an appropriate strategy for the effective, secure and sustainable use of technology to support the delivery of the Olympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games.
The review of the scope and composition of the IOC commissions was one of the 40 recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020, which was approved by the 127th IOC Session in December 2014 in Monaco.
A list of all the commissions can be found here.
The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organisation made up of volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 3.25 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.
News courtesy of the IOC.