Wednesday, February 19, 2025 Out of more than 5,000 applications: IOC Young Leaders Programme welcomes 25 new recruits for 2025 to 2028
After receiving an overwhelming number of more than 5,000 applications, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced the selection of 25 new IOC Young Leaders for 2025 to 2028. The selected candidates will embark on a four-year journey to create grassroots sport-based initiatives aimed at addressing social issues in their communities.
The launch of this new cohort saw an unprecedented level of interest, with a remarkable 5,270 young people from 169 countries and territories registering for the first phase of selection. This overwhelming response highlights the growing commitment of young people to drive positive change through sport.
"The selection of these 25 exceptional young leaders from diverse backgrounds underscores our commitment to empowering the next generation to build a better world through sport. The record number of applicants highlights how young people globally recognise the important role of sport in society,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “Their innovative ideas and dedication to leveraging sport for positive social change inspire us all. We look forward to supporting them as they contribute to the Olympic Movement and make a meaningful impact in their communities. This is what the Olympic Movement stands for: building a better world through sport."
Coming from 25 countries and territories across five continents, this new cohort of IOC Young Leaders brings together a diverse group of passionate changemakers who will work to develop innovative projects aligned with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through this programme, the IOC Young Leaders will receive a bespoke four-year capacity-building programme that includes expert guidance and coaching, access to an extensive sport and sport-for-development network, and seed funding of USD 10,000, which will help them turn their ideas into impactful and sustainable initiatives.
A growing community impacting over 55,000 lives
Since its launch in 2016, the IOC Young Leaders Programme has supported 145 Young Leaders from 77 countries and territories, who have collectively delivered over 160 projects, positively impacting over 55,000 lives in communities worldwide. This initiative directly contributes to Olympism365, the IOC’s strategy to strengthen the role of sport as an enabler for the SDGs, by empowering young people to drive social change through innovative solutions.
This year’s selection further expands the programme’s global reach, with IOC Young Leaders coming from countries that have not yet been represented in the programme: the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Poland and Zimbabwe.
The 2025–2028 IOC Young Leaders
The selected IOC Young Leaders 2025-2028 are:
Africa
Otim Ambrose (Uganda) Prince Apoh (Ghana) Jordan Joel (Nigeria) Audrey Oronda (Kenya) Nadine Taderera (Zimbabwe)
Americas
Guadalupe Beltrán (Argentina) Kyndall Hudson (USA) José López Aceves (Mexico) Ayanna Morgan (Barbados) SunMin Park (Canada) Camila Tauil Alves Barreira (Brazil) Rafael Valdivieso (Dominican Republic)
Asia
Chloé 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 thorough 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. This attracted 5,270 young people from 169 countries and territories who registered for the initial Four-Week Learning Sprint. This phase served as an opportunity to directly engage global youth on topics such as sport for sustainable development, Olympism365, the Olympic Movement and the Olympic values.
Of the initial applicants, 821 young people successfully completed the first phase and received a Certificate of Participation. From these, 465 then applied for the second phase of the programme, leading to the final selection of 25 Young Leaders.
All the finalists were validated by their respective National Olympic Committees, which provided input and confirmed the pre-selected candidatures.
### The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit, civil, non-governmental, international organisation made up of volunteers which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 4.2 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world. ### For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team: Tel: +41 21 621 6000, email: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at IOC.org Broadcast quality footage The IOC Newsroom: https://newsroom.olympics.com/ Videos YouTube: www.youtube.com/iocmedia Photos For an extensive selection of photos available shortly after each event, please follow us on Flickr. To request archive photos and footage, please contact our Content Licensing Unit at: images@olympic.org. Social media For up-to-the-minute information on the IOC and regular updates, please follow us on X and YouTube.
