Press release: The International Olympic Committee and UN Women sign new agreement to advance gender equality through sport

The renewal of the MoU with UN Women highlights the continuous action taken by the IOC, as the leader of the Olympic Movement, to advance gender equality.

Significant progress has already been made on the field of play, with the Olympic Games Paris 2024 set to break further new ground as the first Games to achieve full gender parity, with the IOC allocating exactly the same number of quota places to female and male athletes.

Advances have also been made off the field of play, with the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms helping to increase female representation in IOC commissions from 20 per cent in 2013 to 50 per cent in 2022. Similarly, thanks to these reforms, around 40 per cent of the IOC members are now women. This is up from 21 per cent from before Olympic Agenda 2020.

The IOC is also working with its stakeholders to leverage the progress on the field of play to advance gender equality elsewhere. This includes launching targeted initiatives to increase the number of women represented in key leadership roles, and supporting stakeholders in adopting gender-equal and inclusive portrayal practices.