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World Triathlon President and IOC Member, Marisol Casado, has been appointed by the International Olympic Committee President to six Commissions. Mrs Casado is now a member of the Future Host Commission; Gender Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Commission; Olympic Solidarity; Education Commission; Coordination Commission of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris 2024 and Coordination Commission of the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad in Los Angeles 2028.

IOC President Thomas Bach has announced the IOC Commissions for 2023, maintaining gender equality across the commission positions following the historic milestone first reached in 2022. For the first time in history, the IOC is also looking ahead to the future of esports with the creation of a new Esports Commission.

Mrs Casado, an IOC member since 2010, is a very active member of the International Olympic Committee, where she also chairs the Gender Equality Review Project Working Group. She is one of the only two female Presidents of International Federations. In addition, she is the Treasurer of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF).

Marking the latest step in supporting the development of virtual sports within the Olympic Movement, the establishment of the Esports Commission, chaired by IOC Member David Lappartient, who led the IOC Esports Liaison Group until the creation of the new Commission, underlines the IOC’s recognition of the tremendous potential that esports have to engage new audiences and provide new opportunities for athletes and fans alike.

Virtual and simulated sports have become an increasingly important part of the sporting landscape in recent years. The IOC has already been exploring this potential through initiatives such as the Olympic Esports Week, which was held for the first time in Singapore from 23 to 25 June, and where World Triathlon had an event, and the Olympic Esports Series, which invited both professional and amateur players from across the world to compete in virtual sports competitions.

“The IOC believes that virtual sports have the potential to complement and enhance the traditional Olympic sports, and that they can provide new opportunities for athletes and fans to participate in the Olympic Movement,” said President Bach. “We believe that virtual sports can help to promote the values of excellence, friendship and respect that are at the heart of the Olympic Games, and that they can inspire young people around the world to get involved in sports and to lead active and healthy lifestyles.”

Gender equality across IOC commissions

The IOC commissions play a vital role in the organisation’s work, focusing on specific subject areas and making recommendations to the IOC President, the Executive Board and the IOC Session. The composition of each commission includes IOC Members and a range of external experts.

President Bach once again maintained gender equality across the commission positions for 2023, highlighting the organisation’s efforts to foster gender equality and inclusion throughout the sports movement. The IOC continues to lead by example in regard to corporate citizenship, which was one of the key recommendations of its strategic roadmap, Olympic Agenda 2020+5.

Of the 583 positions on the IOC commissions, 287 are occupied by men and 296 by women. This represents a substantial increase in female representation since 2013, when only 20 per cent of commission positions were held by women.

Almost all of the already existing IOC commissions will retain the same chairperson as last year, ensuring a consistent approach in fulfilling their mandates. 14 chairs of the 33 commissions are female, which makes it 42.42 per cent.

“It is a great honour for me to continue to have a role on so many Commissions at the IOC. Not only because what that represents in terms of advancing towards gender balance, but also for the importance that it has to have the vision of our International Federation in these bodies”, explained Mrs Casado. “I commit myself to serve with dedication, transparency and loyalty to help develop not only our sport, triathlon, but also the whole world of sports within the Olympic movement”, she said.

Double triathlon Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee is currently a member of the Athlete’s Commission.