LAUSANNE, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Following the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board meeting, President Kirsty Coventry revealed in an online press conference on Thursday that the "Fit for the Future" (F4F) reform process has now entered a consolidation stage.

Since taking office in June 2025, Coventry has rapidly pushed forward the F4F initiative. After months of extensive discussions between the IOC and relevant stakeholders, her reform roadmap is gradually becoming clearer. The Extraordinary 146th IOC Session, scheduled for June 24 and 25 in Lausanne, will mark an important milestone, though the IOC stressed it will not be the finish line, but rather a moment to set the organization's direction.

The initiative initially comprised four working groups, launched in September 2025, focusing on the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), the Olympic program, protection of the female category, and commercial partnerships and marketing. Since then, the process has expanded significantly. The IOC now has nine working groups established under the F4F umbrella, covering a broad range of strategic priorities.

In addition, two commissions are engaged in the process: the Future Host Commission, tasked with reviewing the Olympic host selection process, and the Athletes' Commission, which has been charged with developing the athletes' strategic framework.

The nine working groups are as follows:

Olympic Program - Chaired by IOC Member Karl Stoss, this group focuses on the sports program, seeking to balance the size of the Games with the relevance of sports and disciplines, integrate new sports and disciplines, and potentially identify ways for sports to be added or removed through a clear and transparent process.

Protection of the female category - This working group examined how best to protect the female category. Based on its findings, the IOC adopted a new Policy on the Protection of the Female (Women's) Category in Olympic Sport on March 26 this year. The group consisted of experts and International Federation (IF) representatives.

Commercial Partnerships and Marketing - Chaired by IOC Member Luis Alberto Moreno, this group reviews the IOC's existing programs, platforms and systems, how it engages with partners, and how it can evolve to remain competitive. It will study other organizations' business models and explore how Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and Olympic Channel Services (OCS) can be further leveraged for future revenue generation.

Protection of the Fundamental Principles of Olympism - Chaired by IOC Member Sir Hugh Robertson, this working group aims to ensure that the IOC, the Olympic Games and sport remain politically neutral and can uphold their mission to unite the world in peaceful competition.

Olympic Games Delivery - Chaired by IOC Member Tony Estanguet, this group aims to maximize the value of the Olympic Games for athletes, stakeholders, hosts and the IOC. It will explore ways to enhance experience, improve sustainability, impact and legacy, and reduce cost and complexity.

Autonomy, Ethics and Good Governance - Chaired by IOC Member Nicole Hoevertsz, this group focuses on strengthening governance across the Olympic Movement by promoting alignment with the Basic Universal Principles of Good Governance, building a shared culture of ethics, transparency and accountability.

Youth Olympic Games - Chaired by IOC Member Danka Hrbekova, this group looks at the potential and relevance of the YOG. It has also taken over the process for selecting the host for the 2030 YOG, allowing for all recommendations to be fully integrated into the selection process.

Better World Through Sport - Chaired by IOC Member Auvita Rapilla, this group will assess how current Better World through Sport programs can evolve, further leveraging the IOC's global position to transform more lives through sport and mobilize new collaborations.

Olympic Q-Series (OQS) - Chaired by IOC Member Octavian Morariu, this group focuses on three objectives: shaping the future of the OQS, including its sports program and event format; developing a sustainable, scalable business model; and reviewing Olympic qualification events to maximize impact for IFs and organizers.

In a separate development, the Olympic Program Working Group has developed an official definition of disciplines to help make decisions more consistent, including establishing a clearer pathway for adding, removing or retaining disciplines in the Olympic Games program.

The definition states that a discipline is "one or more events within a sport that require either a dedicated field of play or a significant modification of a shared field of play with another Olympic discipline, generally involving a separate group of athletes."

The IOC Executive Board also decided that there should be no crossover of summer sport disciplines onto the sports program of the French Alps 2030 Olympic Winter Games. However, the question of adding summer sport disciplines to the Olympic Winter Games will be addressed in a second phase of the F4F process, with a view to editions after 2030. ■