The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced a transformation of its stakeholder engagement model, aiming to strengthen collaboration and respond more specifically to the strategic priorities of the Olympic Movement. The organisation will move away from its approach based on non-statutory commissions and adopt working groups as its main collaboration mechanism. This decision is part of the “Fit for the Future” process, which seeks to adapt its structures and working methods to the current challenges facing international sport.
The change follows more than a year of consultations and analysis, including discussions with members of the commissions themselves. According to the IOC, working groups with clearly defined mandates offer greater flexibility to bring together specialists, develop policies and support decision-making. Over the past 15 months, the organisation had already established several of these groups to address priority issues, providing experience that helped shape the new engagement model.
The IOC reorganises its commissions to address the Olympic Movement’s priorities
As part of this review process, the IOC suspended its non-statutory commissions in February 2026 while assessing alternatives to maintain collaboration with experts and representatives from different areas of sport. After completing that analysis, it decided to dissolve these structures and use working groups as its main tool for addressing specific issues. The aim is to establish teams with specific objectives and clearly defined mandates, allowing them to focus on strategic areas without relying on permanent structures for every topic.
The non-statutory commissions being discontinued include those dedicated to athlete entourage, Olympic culture and heritage, digital engagement and marketing communications, gender equality, diversity and inclusion, human rights, Olympic education and the Olympic programme. The commissions related to Olympism365, public affairs and corporate communications, revenue and commercial partnerships, sustainability and legacy, and technology and technical innovation will also be dissolved. These areas may be addressed through working groups designed around the organisation’s identified needs and priorities.
Which IOC commissions will continue operating under the current model?
The reorganisation does not mean that all the organisation’s commissions and committees will disappear. The IOC will retain the statutory structures responsible for essential governance and operational functions, including the Athletes’ Commission, the Audit Committee, the Ethics Commission, the Finance Commission and the Legal Affairs Commission. The coordination commissions for the Olympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games will also continue, alongside the bodies responsible for evaluating future Olympic hosts for both the Summer and Winter Games.
The arrangements also extend to bodies dealing with health, medicine and science, human resources, IOC member elections and Olympic Solidarity. In addition, the governing boards of Television and Marketing Services (TMS), Olympic Broadcasting Services, Olympic Channel Services and the Olympic Refuge Foundation will remain in operation. The distinction between the structures being retained and those being dissolved reflects the intention to preserve permanent institutional functions while introducing more adaptable mechanisms for bringing experts together to address specific challenges and opportunities within the Olympic Movement.
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