LAUSANNE, Switzerland (CHATNEWSTV) — Professor Elizabeth Pike, a leading expert on sport and gender from the University of Hertfordshire, has been named the Global Winner of the 2024 International Olympic Committee (IOC) Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI) Champions Award.
The announcement, made ahead of International Women’s Day, honors Pike’s efforts in breaking barriers for women in coaching, particularly through the Women in Sport High-Performance (WISH) program.
“I feel very honored the IOC has recognized the part I have played in helping to unlock the full potential of really talented individuals,” Pike said. “What we do is try to work with women to identify the tools, resources, and support they need to succeed at the high-performance level—as a coach, but also as a leader.”
IOC President Thomas Bach praised Pike’s contributions. “Her work has made a significant impact on the lives of many female coaches, and we celebrate her remarkable achievements today,” he said.
While gender parity was achieved among athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympics, only 13% of coaches were women. As director of the WISH program, Pike has helped address this gap, training 120 female coaches from 22 sports across 59 countries. Ten WISH graduates served in coaching roles at the Games.
“The WISH program is about not fixing the woman, but fixing the system,” Pike said. “We talk to them about how we can dismantle these obstacles to create a more inclusive and equitable system.”
Pike has also been instrumental in grassroots initiatives, co-founding the Anita White Foundation and the Women’s Sport Leadership Academy. She emphasized that increasing female representation in coaching at all levels is key to sustaining progress.
“Girls who play sports develop confidence, learn teamwork, stay in school longer, and often get better jobs,” she said. “We need to showcase successful women coaches, challenge stereotypes, and ensure sustained investment in gender-equality action plans.”
Alongside Pike, the IOC honored five regional GEDI Award winners:
• Africa: Syra Sylla (Senegal)
• Americas: Patricia María Malik de Tchara (Argentina)
• Asia: Dunya Abutaleb OLY (Saudi Arabia)
• Europe: Lubomira Kozanova (Slovakia)
• Oceania: Annett Edmondson (Australia)
The GEDI Champions Awards, formerly known as the IOC Women and Sport Awards, recognize individuals and organizations that promote gender equality in sports worldwide.
