Application process 2025-2028

Your journey to becoming an IOC Young Leader

The process for selecting the IOC Young Leaders for 2025-2028 consists of two phases: the 4-Week Learning Sprint and the IOC Young Leaders Programme application process.

PHASE 1

Completion of the 4-Week Learning Sprint is the first prerequisite for a candidate to be eligible to apply for the IOC Young Leaders Programme.
Registration for the 4-Week Learning sprint opened on 25 September and will close on 21 October 2024.
The four sessions of the 4-Week Learning Sprint will take place from 22 October to 12 November: every Tuesday starting on 22 October.
Learning material of the 4-Week Learning Sprint, including session recordings can be found on the Learning Hub, available on 15 October 2024..

PHASE 2

After successfully completing the 4-Week Learning Sprint (Certificate of Participation earned), a candidate becomes eligible to apply for the IOC Young Leaders Programme.
The application process opens on 18 November and closes on 16 December 2024.

Full description of the application process and criteria 4-Week Learning Sprint Application Form Learning Hub

Is this programme for you?

We are looking to invest in and work with an exceptional group of young leaders who have the passion to solve local problems through grassroots sport-based initiatives and sustainable social business models.

We aren’t looking for one type of profile but rather a diverse group of young leaders with different backgrounds, perspectives, skillsets, motivations and experiences.

The IOC Young Leader profile:

20-28 years old
Proficiency in English
Passion for sport as a tool for social and economic change
Interest in community action
Knowledge of the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Strong communicator and team player willing to learn and grow
Comfortable in managing social media, and new technologies and platforms

This programme is for you if you want to:

Turn ideation and research into real action and development of solutions
Become a more effective and stronger leader in sport and social business (or a sport and social business entrepreneur)
Drive local transformative change in and through sport
Represent and embody the Olympic values in action
Commit to a four-year entrepreneurial journey
Be both a mentee and a mentor through a comprehensive mentorship programme
Collaborate with fellow young leaders, experts, researchers, sports leaders and social business entrepreneurs

We recommend carefully reading the "Full description of the process and the criteria" before starting this procees.

About the IOC Young Leaders programme

The IOC Young Leaders programme is delivered over four years to give participants sufficient time to go through the phases of developing a programme / project / social business using sport as a tool for sustainable development that provides a localised sport-based solution to a pressing challenge in their respective communities.

Each year of the programme is designed around the development of the young leader and their sport-based programme / project / social business.

Overall, the learning journey encompasses a wide range of subjects and experts, in areas such as human centred-design, prototyping, ecosystem mapping, leadership skills, customer segmentation, public relations, fundraising, impact measurement, user research, user testing, digital communications and finance.

The four-year programme has a blended approach, combining virtual sessions and discussions, community spaces and learning through in-person and networking experiences.

Most of the monthly learning will be online, and will include expert sessions, sharing of practical resources, connect group sessions and self-directed learning activities.

What each IOC Young Leader receives:

CHF 10,000 seed-funding delivered over the four years
Monthly expert-led workshops and guidance
Access to thought-leaders and inspirational figures
Exclusive invitation to attend the bi-annual IOC Youth Summit
Invitations to attend and speak at global gatherings
Networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities
Leadership coaching
A dedicated team on hand to provide support

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