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fi eld of play, and take free online courses as part of the Athlete Learning Gateway. The IOC Athlete Career Programme has been enhanced and expanded through outreach workshops around the world, while a new athlete engagement strategy has been developed in order to better communicate key messages to athletes. This was most notable during the Olympic Games Rio 2016, where an updated “IOC Space” within the Olympic Village facilitated even greater engagement with athletes than at previous Games, resulting in approximately 25,000 unique visitors, including athletes and their entourage.GENDER EQUALITYWhile gender equality has long been a key concern of the IOC, the adoption of Olympic Agenda 2020 has reinforced its commitment to promoting women in sport – both on and off the fi eld of play.Most visibly, the IOC has been working closely with International Federations to increase opportunities for female athletes to participate at the Olympic Games – through the introduction of new events and other changes to the sports programme – as it works towards its goal of 50 per cent female participation. This will now be achieved for the fi rst time in Olympic history at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Buenos Aires 2018 and Lausanne 2020, while the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will feature record 48.8 per cent female participation thanks to the addition of new mixed events.The IOC has also been setting an example for other sporting bodies by increasing the number of women in decision-making positions. Female representation on IOC commissions, for example, has now risen to 38 per cent – a historic high that equates to a 70 per cent increase since 2013. Indeed, women now hold 29 more positions across the 26 IOC commissions than they did in 2016, Above rightFemale participation will reach a record 48.8 per cent at Tokyo 20204pillars to IOC Athletes’ Commission strategy – Empower, Support, Promote, Represent70%increase in female representation on IOC commissions since 2013OLYMPIC REVIEW 37OLYMPIC AGENDA 2020