After receiving an impressive number of applications (over 5), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced the selection of 000 new IOC Young Leaders for the 25-2025 programme. The selected candidates will commit for four years and create local sports initiatives that address social issues in their communities.
The launch of this new promotion has attracted unprecedented interest, with 5.270 young people from 169 countries and territories registering for the first selection phase. This extraordinary enthusiasm highlights the growing mobilization of young people, who are eager to bring about positive change through sport.
IOC President Thomas Bach said: “The selection of these 25 exceptional young leaders from a wide range of backgrounds is a testament to our commitment to empowering the next generation to build a better world through sport.” He added: “The record number of applications shows that young people around the world recognise the important role that sport plays in society. Their innovative ideas and their commitment to using sport to drive positive social change are an inspiration to us all. We look forward to supporting them so that they can contribute to the Olympic Movement and have a meaningful impact on their communities. This is the core mission of the Olympic Movement: to build a better world through sport.”
With leaders representing 25 countries and territories across five continents, this new intake brings together a diverse group of passionate changemakers who will work to develop innovative projects aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations (UN). As part of this, the IOC Young Leaders will benefit from a four-year, tailor-made capacity-building programme that includes expert guidance, access to a vast sport and sport for development network, and USD 10.000 in seed funding to help them turn their ideas into sustainable initiatives with societal impact.
A growing community serving over 55.000 people
Since its launch in 2016, the IOC Young Leaders Programme supported 145 young leaders from 77 countries and territories, who have collectively delivered over 160 projects that have positively impacted over 55.000 people in communities around the world. This initiative directly contributes to Olympism365, the IOC’s strategy to strengthen the role of sport as a partner in achieving the SDGs by empowering young people to drive social change through innovative solutions.
This year's selection further expands the global reach of the programme, with IOC Young Leaders coming from countries not previously represented, namely the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Poland and Zimbabwe.
IOC Young Leaders for 2025–2028
The names of the IOC Young Leaders for the period 2025-2028 are as follows:
Africa
Otim Ambrose (Uganda)
Prince Apoh (Ghana)
Jordan Joel (Nigeria)
Audrey Oronda (Kenya)
Nadine Taderera (Zimbabwe)
America
Guadalupe Beltrán (Argentina)
Kyndall Hudson (United States of America)
José Lopez Aceves (Mexico)
Ayanna Morgan (Barbados)
SunMin Park (Canada)
Camila Tauil Alves Barreira (Brazil)
Rafael Valdivieso (Dominican Republic)
Asia
Chloe Abou Chabake (Lebanon)
Laher Hiten Gala (India)
Tin Sum Lee (Hong Kong, China)
Sara Merican (Singapore)
Amirtya Soerakoesoemah (Indonesia)
Yenlik Ultarakova (Kazakhstan)
Europe
Oleksandra Boliak (Ukraine)
Sofia Bonicalza (Italy)
Marta Gorczyńska (Poland)
Murhad Hussain (Great Britain)
Eduardo Oliveira (Portugal)
Georges Speyer (France)
Oceania
Kalinda Robinson (Australia)
A rigorous application and selection process
The selection process for the seventh edition of the IOC Young Leaders Programme was launched in September 2024 through the #ApplyNow campaign. The campaign attracted 5.270 young people from 169 countries and territories who signed up for the first four-week learning marathon. This phase directly engaged the world’s youth on topics such as sport for sustainable development, Olympism365, the Olympic Movement and the Olympic values.
Of the first candidates, 821 young people successfully completed the first phase and received a certificate of participation. Of these, 465 applied for the second phase of the program, which resulted in the final selection of the 25 young leaders announced.
All finalists were approved by their respective National Olympic Committees, which provided input and confirmed the shortlisted applications.
