Following the recent approval of its new strategic roadmap, Olympic Agenda 2020+5, the executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) discussed on May 12 the practical implementation of a series of recommendations in the areas of sustainability, legacy, gender equality and inclusion as part of its new Gender Equality and Inclusion Strategic Framework 2021-2024. All these criteria are already enshrined in the Fundamental Principles of Olympism and are integral components of the IOC’s work.
In the sustainability area, the IOC – already a carbon-neutral organization – will become climate-positive by 2024 by removing more carbon emissions from the atmosphere than it emits. This will involve, among other measures, a reduction in the IOC’s emissions by 45 percent by 2030, as well as the creation of an “Olympic Forest” to offset more than 100 percent of its unavoidable emissions. As a key part of the Olympic Agenda 2020+5, the IOC will also accelerate the transition to a climate-positive status for the Olympic Games by 2030. Until then, Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 have committed to holding carbon-neutral Games, while Paris 2024 recently announced its ambition to stage the first climate-positive Games.
Regarding the Olympic legacy, the IOC will continue to ensure that it is embedded all through the Olympic Games’ lifecycle, which means ensuring that governance structure and long-term funding for legacy are in place early in the Games’ lifecycle. Additionally, the IOC has committed to improve the monitoring and measurement of the impact and legacy of the Games, including their contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Finally, in the areas of gender equality and inclusion, the IOC noted in the first place that with 49 percent female participation, the Tokyo 2020 Games will be the first gender-equal Olympic Games ever. The Tokyo Games’ competition schedule will also see the number of mixed events double as compared to Rio 2016. Then, for the first time in Olympic history, Paris 2024 will see the participation of the exact same number of female athletes as male athletes.
To build on these achievements, the IOC will now also focus on gender equality within the athletes’ entourage, most specifically on coaches. On average, only 10 percent of the accredited coaches are women. The objectives for 2021-2024 include the development of an action plan, in collaboration with International Federations (IFs) and National Olympic Committees (NOCs), for more female coaches to be eligible and selected to participate in World Championships and the Olympic Games. The IOC also intends to promote gender-balanced representation in other leadership roles and decision-making bodies.
The IOC itself is giving the example in this respect. On the IOC executive board, female representation stands at 33.3 percent, up from 26.6 percent set by the previous Olympic Agenda 2020. Women also currently account for 47.8 percent of the members on the IOC’s commissions, as compared to 20.3 percent of the pre-Olympic Agenda 2020.
