On International Women’s Day 2025, the European Olympic Committees (EOC) is proud to celebrate progress made towards gender equality across all areas of operation, while reaffirming its commitment to increasing the representation and inclusion of women in sport.
The EOC was delighted that the Global Winner of the 2024 International Olympic Committee (IOC) Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Champions Award came from Europe, with Professor Elizabeth Pike PhD of the University of Hertfordshire in Great Britain recognised for her work in creating life-changing opportunities for women in sport and empowering female coaches.
Pike is the project director of the Women in Sport High-Performance (WISH) programme, a mentorship and training programme for female coaches supported by Olympic Solidarity which has had 120 graduates.
The IOC GEDI Champions Award also features winners from each continent, and Lubomira Kozanova of Slovakia was the European winner as a pioneer for women and girls in ice hockey.
Strengthening gender equality within the EOC, at EOC sports events and in the wider Olympic Movement of Europe is an important commitment within the EOC Strategic Agenda 2030.
The EOC elections held at the 54th EOC General Assembly in Frankfurt, Germany on 28 February cemented the strides taken towards increasing female representation in leadership positions during the previous mandate from 2021-2025.
Daina Gudzinevičiūtė was re-elected as the EOC Vice-President, and the elections to EOC Executive Committee (ExCom) positions saw an equal split of six females and six males.
The EOC Constitution now requires at least five of the 16 elected ExCom members to be of each gender, and this has proved highly successful in creating greater gender balance on the EOC’s primary decision-making body.
The EOC remains determined to increase leadership opportunities for women across the Olympic Movement in Europe, and the EOC EU Office supported eight National Olympic Committees (NOCs) with delivering structural changes from April 2022 to March 2024 through the GAMES Project.
Discussions with NOCs on promoting gender equality featured prominently at the 44th EOC Seminar in Budva, Montenegro, and the EOC GEDI Commission chaired by ExCom member Annamarie Phelps ensures the topic remains at the forefront of the EOC’s work.
During the EOC ExCom meeting in Bakuriani last month, the EOC’s new Safeguarding Policy was approved to cover all future EOC events and ensure safe and fair access to sport for all.
It is also determined to address ongoing challenges regarding gender equality in sport, including providing greater access to coaching roles for women and facilitating increased sports science and medical research on women’s sport.
EOC GEDI Commission Chair Annamarie Phelps said: “International Women’s Day provides an important opportunity for the EOC to reflect on the achievements we have made on promoting gender equality across the continent.
“I am proud that the EOC has a leadership team which is fully supportive of driving improvements and increased inclusion of women across all areas, and I believe the EOC Executive Committee has already felt the benefits of equal representation and the diverse perspectives of our female members.
“However, we recognise that progress needs to be accelerated to ensure women and girls consistently have equal and fair access to sport.”
