Good governance workshop series concludes with focus on gender equality and diversity
The third and final session of the IOC’s good governance workshop series this year took place successfully on 26 November 2025, addressing how to promote gender equality and diversity in and through sport. Despite steady progress, women remain significantly underrepresented in leadership roles across international sport, and ensuring diversity in decision-making bodies continues to require sustained commitment and concrete action.
More than 30 representatives from 26 organisations came together to deepen their understanding of relevant policy frameworks, share good practices, and explore practical ways to empower more women to enter leadership pathways and help organisations move towards gender-balanced boards.
Opening the workshop, IOC Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer Giuseppe Deleonardis set the tone for the session: “Gender equality and diversity are essential to good governance at every level of sport. At the international level, they help global institutions make fairer, more credible decisions; at the grassroots level, they ensure that sport grows in a way that reflects and empowers the communities it serves.”
The two earlier workshops in the series addressed leadership buy-in for good governance and effective management of conflicts of interest. Throughout the year, the series adopted a strong practice-oriented approach, aimed at equipping representatives from sports organisations with tools to implement governance reforms within their own internal structures. Small-group discussions allowed participants to reflect on real-world challenges and exchange strategies that have proven successful in their organisations. To maximise accessibility, sign language interpretation was available in all three sessions.
Participants welcomed the opportunity to move from theory to practical steps:
“This year’s workshops explored a diverse set of themes, and I especially appreciated the exchange with other IFs, both Olympic and non-Olympic. I so rarely get the chance to meet others working in IF environments, and the input has been genuinely useful for me. It was also great to see how different federations implement theory into their existing structures – the practical insights were incredibly valuable. And knowing that we can reach out to the IOC for support and real, actionable advice makes a big difference,” affirmed Nicole Grohar of the International Federation of American Football.
For his part, Erik Parthen, Chief Operating Officer at World Lacrosse, stated that: “World Lacrosse would like to sincerely thank the IOC for 2025’s three IPACS workshops. World Lacrosse was an active participant throughout, with both our volunteers and our staff. We not only appreciate the opportunity to learn from the IOC’s subject matter experts, but we also value spending time and exchanging best practices with our fellow IF colleagues. The topics covered were very timely and relevant to the growth and development of our international federation in the lead-up to LA28.”
Background information
This workshop series was designed specifically for the member federations of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF) to strengthen good governance across their organisations. Other sports organisations have also attended some workshop editions. Participants explored how to transition from principles to action and how to implement the Basic Universal Principles of Good Governance (BUPGG) within the Olympic Movement. The sessions also covered the specific recommendations of the IPACS Sport Governance Benchmark, offering practical tools to help organisations improve transparency, integrity and accountability.
The workshop series will continue in 2026. Covering election procedures, reports and investigations, and the procurement of sports-related infrastructure and services, they will continue to provide international sports organisations with a deeper understanding of the recommendations that underpin the IPACS Sport Governance Benchmark.