IOC's Kristy Coventry Reveals Esports Pause Amid Gender Policy Review

Talking to Xinhua during her visit to China, Coventry said her administration, which began in June, has entered what she termed a "Pause and Reflect" phase. "On June 24, I started my presidency saying, let's pause and let's reflect, let's analyse whether we're fit for the future," she said.

Coventry said this approach is focused on listening and collaboration. "The way you build a successful team is that everyone has to feel they're individually succeeding," she said. "A lot of this process is about listening, then getting collective input from everybody."

Under her "Fit for the Future" initiative, launched in September, the IOC has formed four working groups focused on the Youth Olympic Games, the Olympic program, commercial partnerships, and the protection of the female category.

Coventry also addressed the IOC's decision to end its partnership with Saudi Arabia's Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the Esports World Cup Foundation, which had aimed to launch the Olympic Esports Games.

"We jointly agreed that we needed to re-evaluate a number of things," she said. "There is a huge opportunity, but there were question marks on how we would implement it and what that would look like," she said.

The Zimbabwean said a smaller internal group is now reviewing how the IOC might enter the Esports space responsibly. "We have to be very clear because that's new territory for us," she said, noting ongoing debate about whether to include only sports-themed games.

On reports suggesting an imminent ban on transgender women in international competitions, Coventry said the matter remains under expert review. "We have set a working group to look at the protection of the female category," she said. "It's a medically driven, scientific discussion."

She stressed that the process is ongoing. "Some people may be jumping the gun. We need to allow the experts to finish their work and come back to us with their recommendations."

- IANS