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• Turn ideation and research into real action and development of solutions
• Become a more effective and stronger leader in sport and social business (or a sport and social business entrepreneur)
• Drive local transformative change in and through sport
• Represent and embody the Olympic values in action
• Commit to a four-year entrepreneurial journey
• Be both a mentee and a mentor through a comprehensive mentorship programme
• Collaborate with fellow young leaders, experts, researchers, sports leaders and social business entrepreneurs

The IOC Young Leaders Programme follows a comprehensive and structured approach to nurturing youth leadership. It spans over four years, during which selected participants receive mentorship, training, and funding to help them create and sustain their projects. Below is the benefit each IOC Young Leader receives:

• Each of them will receive a total amount of CHF 10,000 seed-funding delivered over the four years, as well as access to monthly expert-led workshops, global gatherings, coaching, networking opportunities and dedicated support.
• The selected participants will be supported by the IOC and a network of mentors in the development of their grassroots projects
• Monthly expert-led workshops and guidance
• Access to thought-leaders and inspirational figures
• Exclusive invitation to attend the bi-annual IOC Youth Summit
• Invitations to attend and speak at global gatherings
• Networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities
• Leadership coaching
• A dedicated team on hand to provide support

Eligibility

• Applicants must be between the age of 20 and 28 years old at the time of the application. Age limit principle: you turned or will turn 20 or 28 in 2024.
• After successfully completing the Learning Sprint, a candidate becomes eligible to apply for the IOC Young Leaders Programme. Applications will be open from 18 November to 16 December 2024.
• You will need to have successfully completed the 4-Week Learning Sprint (Certificate of Participation earned)
• Through the application process, you will need to submit a plan for a programme / project / social business using sport as a tool for sustainable development, which you will work on if selected as an IOC Young Leader. The proposed plan will need to be based on an existing issue in your community through the lens of the UN SDGs, and strongly linked to sport-based solutions and the Olympic values.
• The minimum required education level is high school diploma or equivalent.
• You need to have at least one year of work experience (internships and part-time jobs count).