In order to increase the number of women occupying leadership and administrative positions within the Olympic Movement, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) set the following goals: By 31 December 2005, the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), International Sports Federations (IFs), and sports bodies belonging to the Olympic Movement should establish as a goal that at least 20% of the positions in all their decision-making structures (in particular the executive and legislative bodies) are held by women. An initial target of having at least 10% of positions within decision-making bodies held by women was set for December 2000.
The IOC is well aware of the fact that such a goal can be reached only in successive stages. At present, more than 30% of the NOCs and 29% of the IFs have already achieved the 2005 target.
The IOC and the Institute of Sport and Leisure Policy at Loughborough University (UK) cooperated on a joint two-year research project aiming at evaluating the roles of women in Olympic governance. This project took place further to the establishment of the IOC targets.
The project evaluated the processes of recruitment of women to decision-making structures, their career paths into Olympic governance, their impact on the activities of the organisations themselves, and the nature of training and support required by both the women members and the sports organisations to ensure that the benefits of wider involvement in decision-making by women were realised. In doing so the project has explored the views of both female executive committee members and NOC secretaries general on the implementation and impact of the policy.
The results highlighted several successes, among which were a significant increase of women in leadership at NOC level, an awareness raising about gender inequalities, the possibility for talented women to enter the Olympic Movement and overall an improved Olympic governance. In addition to these good practices, it was also stated that further work would be necessary with Continental Associations of NOCs, women’s committees of NOCs and other members of the Olympic family, in particular International and National Federations to enable gender equality from grass-root level to the top. It was also noted that more policy changes were to be encouraged at NOC level and more direct work to be done with women and sport committees that had been established and needed further support.
In 1981, under the impulse of President Samaranch, two women were elected to the IOC. Since then, a total of 21 women have served as IOC members, which currently has 115 active members (13%). Similarly, IOC commissions and working groups have included more women than before, enabling their direct contribution to all issues and policies which the IOC is working on. Moreover, for the first time in the history of the Olympic Movement, a woman, Anita DeFrantz, became IOC Vice-President in 1997. Gunilla Lindberg was elected subsequently to the same position in 2004. Also the same year, Nawal El Moutawakel was the first woman to chair the IOC Evaluation Commission (for the 2012 Olympic Games candidature procedure).
