International Olympic Committee Faces Fresh Human Rights Scrutiny, Critics Say New Policies Lack Transparency

20 October 2026

The International Olympic Committee is facing renewed criticism over its human rights governance and eligibility policies, with scrutiny spanning its broader obligations as host selections and leadership changes loom. Human rights groups argue that the IOC’s commitment to transparency, equality, and working within host country constraints remains unproven as major event and policy decisions approach.

Pressures on the IOC are twofold, with the body criticized both for its handling of gender eligibility for athletic competition and its long-running record on human rights in the countries that host the Olympics. A 2025 report from Human Rights Watch concluded that failings on implementing human rights commitments at past Games have not yet been adequately addressed.

Since 2013, scholarship has noted the IOC has faced questions over how it balances the Upheld Core Principles of Olympism with labor abuses, forced evictions, and political repression in countries vying to host events. Cases involving the 2014 and 2022 Games in Russia and China have added to concerns that business and bureaucratic considerations have at times compromised the IOC’s stated human rights objectives.

The organization has responded by bringing human rights language to the forefront of its governance. In 2017, language on human rights was added to the Olympic Charter and safeguards were included in competitions and athlete policies. More emphasis on international standards followed, including steps such as the creation of the Human Rights Advisory Committee in 2018.

For its part, the IOC said in the 2018 report that it had expected to complete its first review of host country compliance by the end of that year. However, rights groups have continued to say that too much discretion remains with each IOC administration and that the process lacks detail in how it ensures compliance.

The 2025 Human Rights Watch report took the new emphasis on the IOC’s core values to task, saying that none among the contenders to replace outgoing president Thomas Bach raised human rights in its manifesto. Beth Schmitt, an advocacy advisor at Human Rights Watch, singled out the importance of how the committee plans to approach the race for host status for the Paris-hosted 2028 Olympics as well as locations for the 2036 events.

Schmitt said this broader structuring could also change how gender and inclusion decisions are made. “The way the IOC processes its human rights obligations now affects a wide range of people, including marginalized groups,” Schmitt said. “The restructuring poses an important question for how the new president sustains progress.”

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In another report published in 2025, the Sport & Rights Alliance proposed that the secretive working group gather input from myriad stakeholders but did not receive its planned public consultation.

Most recently, the IOC announced a restructuring at the end of 2026 that dismantles a dozen committees, including the Human Rights Advisory panel. The IOC said it would now convene expert working groups as needed, but no timeline or membership was given.

The panel’s absence could also affect policy on the eligibility of transgender and intersex athletes to maintain the integrity of women’s competition. Creation of the working group had itself sparked concern from rights groups, who expressed alarm that it was named without stakeholders or open process for input. Leaked draft policies reported mandatory tests and exclusion of intersex athletes, which some observers warned were in contravention of the IOC’s stated inclusion policies and international standards.

An IOC spokesperson said no final decision on mandatory sex testing has yet been made, and some in the IOC hope for more meetings next year. “The working group was formed to identify sex characteristics that would require testing, but no decision has been made on which tests to use or how they would be carried out,” said the spokesperson. “Though the group has met, there is no expected action plan or timeline.”

Another pressure point is the Youth Olympics planned in Senegal for 2026, ahead of the main event in Los Angeles in 2028. Though the Senegalese government recently doubled penalties for “acts against nature” often interpreted to include LGBTQ people, the IOC said it would work to ensure the Olympics are upheld. “The IOC executive board has full confidence in the Senegalese authorities to organize these Games and to uphold the Olympic Charter in that regard,” it said.

Human rights group AFROATH too are now watching the IOC’s steps and silence on how LGBTQ rights would align with IOC safeguards. The recently created panel’s impact after Dakar may extend to other policies where commitment to human rights and due process intersect.