This week's cuts come as part of a restructuring that will replace 12 permanent advisory bodies with smaller working groups assembled to address specific issues.Friday’s announcement comes months after the IOC adopted new eligibility rules reserving women’s Olympic events for biological females beginning with the 2028 Los Angeles Games, a policy addressing a central issue in the debate over fairness and safety in women’s sports.KAILLIE HUMPHRIES: IDENTITY IS NOT THE SAME AS BIOLOGY.THE SUPREME COURT AGREESA general view of the Olympic rings in front of the Olympia delle Tofane ski run during Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games - 1 Year To Go event on February 06, 2025 in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
(Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images)The IOC’s Advisory Committee on Human Rights is also being discontinued, alongside commissions covering sustainability, technology, education and commercial partnerships.The organization said the changes followed more than a year of consultation and review.According to The Associated Press, the overhaul is a streamlining and cost-cutting measure that leaves 19 committees in place.
The outgoing groups typically included between 10 and 30 members who gathered annually in Lausanne, Switzerland.The IOC said in an official announcement that the new arrangement would enable "more targeted engagement on key strategic priorities and policy development." Its Athletes’ Commission, Ethics Commission, Audit Committee and other institutional bodies will continue operating.Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry meets the media in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb.1, 2026.
(Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP)Under President Kirsty Coventry, the IOC has already used a smaller expert group to examine eligibility for women’s competition.According to AP, the panel’s membership was kept confidential, and the review proceeded outside the gender equality and inclusion commission now being eliminated.The resulting policy, announced March 26, req...