The GAMES Project has significantly contributed to fostering positive change within the Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) and the broader sports community.
Since its last interim report, the TOC has intensified its efforts toward achieving gender equality, particularly in decision-making processes. TOC has made concrete and measurable progress across all specified areas and timelines of the NAP, anchored in TOC’s Gender Equality Policy.
The TOC has taken proactive measures to improve gender representation across its management, commissions, and staff. For example, female representation on the Executive Board has increased to 36%, with expectations for further growth after the Elective General Assembly in March 2025. While the Athletes' Commission has maintained a balanced 50-50 gender ratio since its inception, other commissions, such as the Sports Culture & Olympic Education Commission and the Fair Play Commission have seen notable improvements in female participation, increasing from 25% to 31% and 21% to 27% respectively. Meanwhile, the Sports Law Commission and the Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race Committee have maintained their gender ratios. The proportion of female employees has risen from 38% to 58%, surpassing TOC's initial target of 40%.
However, recent data highlights a significant underrepresentation of women in leadership positions within the National Sports Federations (NFs). Only 4.7% of federation presidents are women and 26 federations lack any female representation on their executive boards. This imbalance not only restricts the development of women's roles in sports but also limits the overall growth of Turkish sports.
In response to these challenges, the TOC works closely with stakeholders, including NFs, to encourage greater female participation in leadership and technical roles. Through collaborations with other non-governmental organizations like KASFAD, TOC has urged NFs to prioritize female leadership roles, aiming to create a more inclusive and competitive sports culture on both a national and international level.
These efforts reflect TOC's strong commitment to advancing gender equality and promoting diversity throughout Turkish sports. While significant progress has been made, the TOC recognises the ongoing need to address challenges and ensure sustained progress in the future.
Stay tuned to find out more on the legacy of the project.
