Athletes
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The athletes are at the heart of the Olympic Movement.
The IOC’s priority is the protection of the clean athletes and to support them on and off the field of play.
This means that any investment in the fight against doping and against match-fixing, manipulation of competition and related corruption, whether it be for education, testing, research, logistics or staffing, cannot be considered as a cost but as an investment in the clean athletes.
On the field athletes are the central actors in the sport competition on which the Olympic Games are built. They are the role models who inspire millions of children around the world to participate in sport and reflect the Olympic ideals.
Off the field the IOC has built on the formation of the IOC Athletes’ Commission in 1981 and addition of an Olympic athlete as a member of the IOC Executive Board in 1999. It has also increasingly supported athletes through career and education programmes, helping athletes develop off the field during and after their careers.
On March 26, 2026, the IOC has announced a "Policy on the Protection of the Female (Women’s) Category in Olympic Sport and Guiding Considerations for International Federations and Sports Governing Bodies". The policy explains that, for all disciplines on the sports programme of an IOC event, including the Olympic Games and for both individual and team sports, eligibility for any female category is limited to biological females. It will apply for the LA28 Olympic Games onwards, and is not retroactive.