The Hellenic Olympic Committee participated in the Final Conference and Transnational Project Meeting of the EU – funded project “Guidance to Achieve More Equal leadership in Sport – GAMES”, from the 6^th to the 8^th of March 2024, in Brussels. The project, which commenced in 2022 and will conclude on March 31^st, 2024, was funded by the European Union, and was supported by the IOC. Its aim was to promote integrity and good governance in sport by fostering structural and cultural changes regarding gender equality in leadership and decision-making positions.

Transnational Project Meeting – March 7^th

Representatives from the project consortium (8 Olympic Committees including HOC), experts on gender equality and sports governance, as well as representatives from the IOC and the European Olympic Committees gathered at the meeting. The primary objective of the meeting was to discuss the project’s legacy, through its deliverables and established networks, as well as the implementation of future activities, joint events, and initiatives, some of which could be done in cooperation with the Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commission of the EOC. The latter even organized a highly successful workshop on the protection of female athletes in sport on March 7^th.

Final Conference – 8^th March

During the Final Conference, the project’s deliverables were presented:

• The Baseline study on gender equality in sports leadership within the 8 partner Olympic Committees and the main National Sport Federations in the partner countries.
• The National Action Plans developed by each participating Olympic Committee, based on their state of readiness and the political, social and/or cultural obstacles they face.
• The Pool of Actions, a comprehensive handbook containing recommendations and best practices for promoting gender equality in leadership and decision – making positions in sports.

All project partners recognized the obstacles in their attempt to implement gender equality. Nevertheless, they highlighted that thanks to the GAMES project, they managed to promote structural changes within their National Olympic Committees.

The HOC representative and Head of the EU projects department, Ms. Georgia Papathanasiou, presented the most notable structural and cultural changes brought about by the three – year Actional Plan developed by the HOC’s Gender Equality Commission. The most important change is the adoption of a 50% quota for each gender for all Standing and Extraordinary HOC Commissions. The HOC’s Plenary Session approved this proposal, which will enter into force during the next HOC elections, during the first quarter of 2025, and will ensure a more equal distribution of the two genders in its governance.