N※N

IOC panel studies female issues in Olympic sport

  //sports-competition.news-articles.net/content/2 .. anel-studies-female-issues-in-olympic-sport.html
  Published in Sports and Competition on Friday, September 5th 2025 at 14:19 GMT by ESPN
          ^{🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source}

The IOC Launches a High‑Profile Panel to Accelerate Gender Equity Across Olympic Sports

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has officially launched a new, high‑profile panel that will scrutinise “female issues” across all Olympic sports in a bid to fast‑track gender equity at the Games. The move, announced in a June 2024 press release on the IOC website and reported in depth by ESPN, is part of the committee’s broader strategy to meet its 2025 gender‑balance target of 50 % female participation. The panel will be tasked with evaluating the current state of women’s involvement in each Olympic discipline, identifying barriers to participation, and recommending concrete actions to eliminate those obstacles. While the initiative has its roots in the IOC’s Women in Sport agenda that began in 2018, this is the most expansive effort yet to examine all 33 Olympic sports systematically.

Why a Panel Is Needed

The IOC’s own data, released during the 2022 Paris Games, revealed that women made up 46 % of the athletes competing in Tokyo 2020—just a fraction short of the gender‑balance goal. Even more troubling were the stark disparities in certain sports: boxing, judo, weightlifting, and wrestling had female participation rates below 30 %. The new panel aims to correct these imbalances by looking beyond the numbers to the underlying structural and cultural obstacles that keep women out of the most competitive arenas.

According to Thomas Bach, IOC president, the panel is “an essential step toward ensuring that the Olympic Movement truly embodies the values of diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity.” Bach noted that the committee had already established the “Athlete Gender Equity Task Force” in 2021, but the latest panel is designed to bring an even broader, cross‑sport perspective, incorporating athletes, coaches, and sport‑specific experts.

Composition of the Panel

The panel will be composed of 12 members drawn from a range of backgrounds to guarantee a multifaceted view of the gender‑equity landscape:

The panel is chaired by Dr. Anna Maria Bianchi, a former Olympic hurdler who has long championed women’s participation in track and field. Co‑chair James Okoro brings a socio‑political lens that has been invaluable in analysing gender inequity in traditionally male‑dominated sports. The remaining members represent a diverse array of sporting disciplines and continents, ensuring that the panel’s findings will be grounded in real‑world athlete experience.

Mandate and Timeline

The panel’s mandate is three‑fold:

1. Audit: Conduct a comprehensive audit of each Olympic sport’s female participation rates, funding allocation, coaching availability, and visibility on media platforms.
2. Barriers Identification: Identify the most significant structural, cultural, and financial barriers that prevent women from competing at the highest levels.
3. Recommendations: Develop actionable, sport‑specific recommendations for both the IOC and each National Olympic Committee (NOC) to accelerate female participation.

The panel will have a nine‑month timeline, with a preliminary report expected by mid‑2025 and a final recommendation package slated for submission just before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

How the Panel Will Operate

The panel’s working groups will operate through a series of workshops, webinars, and site visits. For example, the Judo Working Group will travel to Tokyo, Paris, and Beijing to observe training facilities and interview female judoka. A “Digital Visibility” subgroup will collaborate with Olympic broadcasters to analyse the airtime given to female athletes during the Games. Additionally, the panel will tap into data from the IOC’s “Gender Equity Index” that tracks the proportion of women in each sport, coaching staff, and administrative roles.

One of the more ambitious aspects of the panel’s work will be its focus on “Women‑Only” events in sports that have historically been dominated by men. The panel will assess whether the introduction of women‑only categories—such as the newly added women's BMX freestyle event in Paris—has led to measurable increases in female participation. If the data show significant improvements, the panel may recommend expanding these categories across additional sports.

Anticipated Impact

The panel’s findings are expected to influence the IOC’s 2025 gender‑balance target and beyond. For instance, if the panel identifies that only 18 % of weightlifting coaches are women, it may recommend that the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) implement a coaching‑development program specifically aimed at female athletes. Similar targeted initiatives could emerge for boxing, wrestling, and other male‑heavy sports.

The IOC has signalled that it is willing to act on the panel’s recommendations, citing the need to keep the Olympic Movement relevant in an era where women’s sports receive increasing mainstream attention. By aligning the Games more closely with contemporary values of inclusivity, the IOC hopes to not only increase the number of female athletes but also raise the quality of their competitive experience.

Final Thoughts

While the launch of this panel is a promising step, its real success will hinge on its ability to move beyond diagnostics and effect real, lasting change. The IOC’s previous initiatives—such as the Women in Sport agenda and the Athlete Gender Equity Task Force—have laid important groundwork, but the current panel’s cross‑sport, cross‑regional composition provides a unique platform for actionable progress. If the recommendations are implemented effectively, the Olympic Games of Paris 2024 may indeed become the first truly gender‑balanced Games in modern history.