IOC launches Olympism365 Innovation Hub

Ahead of today's International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has launched the Olympism365 Innovation Hub, an innovative use of sport to contribute to sustainable development.

The Innovation Hub is a bespoke program and fund that will support 50 sport for development grantees (athletes, coaches, innovators, sport and social organisations) around the world, through a multimillion-dollar investment that will benefit thousands of people and communities by 2026.

Introducing the initiative, IOC Olympism365 Associate Director, Ollie Dudfield stated “in the face of the growing and complex challenges many communities are facing, it is increasingly important to evolve and innovate how sport and Olympism can be mobilised to contribute to healthier, safer and more inclusive societies.

“The Olympism365 Innovation Hub will ensure that new ideas and new technologies are used to maximise the social impact of sport. It will help generate and implement innovative approaches that use sport and Olympism to contribute to sustainable development, in particular through providing more opportunities for people to benefit from safe, inclusive and sustainable community sport,”

The new two-and-a-half-year program will be delivered in partnership with Beyond Sport and Women Win, two leading social impact organisations.

Beyond Sport is a global foundation that invests in organisations, programs and networks that use sport to positively impact communities; and Women Win is a women's fund that leverages the power of sport to advance girls' and women's rights.

Fred Turner, Executive Director of Beyond Sport, explained “Beyond Sport has always believed that bringing people of varied backgrounds and experiences together, united by a specific cause, can trigger transformative change.

“We are therefore thrilled by the opportunity that our collaboration with the IOC and Women Win presents to create a hub at the intersection of sport, technology and social impact.”

Nicole Matuska, GRLS Director at Women Win, noted “Women Win is at the forefront of empowering adolescent girls and young women, along with the organisations that support them, especially those overlooked by mainstream funding or historically marginalised. Embracing innovation and taking bold risks are at the heart of our mission to reach these underserved communities.”

Olympism365: a catalyst for collective action and innovation

The goals of the Innovation Hub align with the IOC’s Olympism365 strategy, through which the IOC collaborates with a range of partners from both within and beyond the Olympic Movement to strengthen the role of sport as an important enabler for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The overarching goal of Olympism365 is to catalyse collective action and innovation, helping to realise the potential of sport as a force for good.

Impact is already being delivered through programs working with a number of collaborators - including UN agencies, international development organisations and the sport movement - contributing to safer, healthier, more equitable and inclusive communities across more than 70 countries.

Working with four global and 37 local organisations, the IOC is using sport-based approaches to increase access to education, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for thousands of young people across 19 countries in Latin America and Africa.

Through a new digital application with easy-to-access teaching resources for coaches, sports clubs, government and education authorities, the IOC’s Olympic Values Education Program (OVEP) is set to scale its reach across China and India. Similarly, launched in April 2023, Athletes Giving Back, a collaboration between Athlete365 and Olympism365 provides athletes with an online course and suite of resources to help them make a positive contribution to sustainable development and social change using sport.

Among the other innovative partnerships that have already been established is the IOC Young Leaders program, supported by Worldwide Olympic Partner Panasonic, which has so far empowered and equipped more than 140 youth leaders to develop, implement and measure sports for social change projects, thanks to a comprehensive four-year education and coaching curriculum and individual seed funding.