IOC to Close 12 Permanent Committees and Use Ad Hoc Expert Panels

Colorado Springs Pueblo, CO, October 16, 2026 —

The International Olympic Committee is closing down 12 permanent committees as it shifts to smaller, ad hoc expert panels. The committees being closed include those focused on human rights and gender issues, according to the information provided.

The IOC, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, says the change is intended to support more targeted engagement on its strategic priorities. Under the new approach, expert panels would be formed on an ad hoc basis rather than continuing through the existing permanent committee structure.

The information provided does not identify all 12 committees or specify how many panels will be created, which experts will take part, or how panel membership will be determined. It also does not give a timetable for the closures or the transition, or explain how the panels will operate.

The change includes committees addressing human rights and gender issues, but no further details were provided about how those subjects will be handled under the new arrangement. The available information does not state whether the panels will take on the same responsibilities as the committees, or whether their scope will differ.

The IOC has described the purpose of the restructuring as more targeted engagement around strategic priorities. No additional explanation of those priorities, or of the reasons for moving away from permanent committees, was provided.

As the transition proceeds, the composition and remit of the expert panels remain unspecified in the information available. The announcement marks a shift in the IOC’s committee structure, but the details needed to assess how the change will affect work on particular issues have not been provided.

Story summarized from the original created by The Associated Press on gazette.com, see more information here.

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