Programme and topics announced for 2023 International Athletes’ Forum

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission (AC) has announced the full programme, discussion topics and some of the speakers for the 2023 International Athletes’ Forum (IAF), which will welcome more than 400 athlete representatives to Lausanne, Switzerland, on 1 and 2 October.

Before the main action gets underway, a preliminary day on 30 September will see the IOC AC hold meetings with the athletes’ commissions of Paris 2024, LA28 and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Day 1: athlete support programmes and focus on giving back

The opening day of the Forum, moderated by British Olympian and broadcaster Jeanette Kwakye, will commence at 9 a.m. CET on Sunday 1 October. An overview of the Commission’s recent work and its updated strategy will be the first topic discussed. In the morning, attendees will also take part in a breakout session, exchanging ideas on how to run an effective AC, which will also be the topic of a panel discussion in the afternoon, where some case studies will be presented by several ACs.

The recommendations for International Federations and international sports event organisers on the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport in international competitions as individual neutral athletes will be presented by the IOC AC and discussed by the participants of the Forum in the afternoon. Two other panels will cover athlete support and the topic of athletes giving back to their communities.

The Olympic Movement funding model and the programmes available to support them through the IOC, including those delivered by Olympic Solidarity, Athlete365 and the Worldwide Olympic Partners, will also be on the agenda. A final discussion about how athletes can give back to causes that they care about during and after their career will close the first day.

Day 2: upcoming Olympic Games and a Q&A with President Bach

The second day of the Forum will start with a fireside chat between IOC AC member Pau Gasol, Olympic champion skier Lindsey Vonn and track and field Olympic champion Allyson Felix, with the three legends exploring what it means to be an Olympian.

The first panel will then cover upcoming editions of the Olympic Games, where the athlete experience will be discussed. It will be followed by a second panel which will examine the importance of clean sport, with representatives from WADA and the International Testing Agency, and the prevention of competition manipulation. The International Partnership Against Corruption in Sport (IPACS) will also be part of the conversation: this is a multi-stakeholder initiative that brings together sports organisations, governments and intergovernmental organisations to combine efforts in the fight against corruption in sport.

There will also be a keynote speech on the topic of safeguarding, followed by breakout workshops aiming to build understanding of safe sport and empower ACs with practical information on how to protect every athlete’s right to compete in a safe environment. The 2023 IAF will conclude with a Q&A with IOC President Thomas Bach.

For more information about the IAF agenda, go to the dedicated 2023 IAF page on Athlete365.

How to follow the Forum online

The plenary sessions will be live-streamed on the IOC Media YouTube channel in five languages, allowing athlete representatives unable to attend the event and other stakeholders to follow remotely. Links for each day and in each language are available as follows:

Day 1

English: https://youtube.com/live/JW5X_3DUA8g

French: https://youtube.com/live/1XAM0VnPia0

Spanish: https://youtube.com/live/SodxMtjhp90

Arabic: https://youtube.com/live/HR4lN1-TsAw

Russian: https://youtube.com/live/CnKqSUyLMkg

Day 2

English: https://youtube.com/live/7y2ArJd1h-U

French: https://youtube.com/live/BFEy2iCT0KM

Spanish: https://youtube.com/live/1GhsX9gLW-A

Arabic: https://youtube.com/live/xjh0ivdFYl0

Russian: https://youtube.com/live/yzO1QEE6wE0