Katrina Adams Named Global Winner of IOC Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champions Award

Katrina Adams, the former United States Tennis Association chief executive officer and first African American to hold that position, is the global winner of the 2023 IOC Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champions Award

The award was announced on International Women’s Day to celebrate Adams. Known as the IOC Women and Sport Awards from 2000 to 2021, the newly named IOC GEDI Champions Awards honor six winners each year, one at world level and one each for Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

“To be recognized by the IOC as the Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Global Winner really sums up what I do,” said Adams. “I’ve tried to use my platform to not only represent my sport but to stand up for others in the world. I’m truly humbled by this honor.”

A former WTA Tour player, Adams was the first African American and former professional tennis player to become chief executive officer, chairperson and president of the United States Tennis Association. As Chair of the U.S. Open from 2015 to 2018, she launched the Hispanic initiative, which led to 15% growth in the number of Latino tennis players in America.

“Sport has the power to go above and beyond the sporting arena,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “It needs individuals such as Katrina to make this happen. She has done outstanding work to improve opportunities through sport for girls, women, ethnic minorities and disadvantaged youth. She continues to raise standards and truly deserves to be celebrated.”

And as vice president of the International Tennis Federation from 2015 to 2023, Adams was the architect behind the Advantage All initiative, which creates gender-balanced programs based on five key pillars: Empower, Balance, Culture, Value and Voice. The program introduced the Women’s Leadership Program, balanced men’s and women’s events on the World Tennis Tour, equal prize money and gender parity on the Board of Directors.

“I was very fortunate to have IOC Member and ITF President David Haggerty as a huge supporter of the Advantage All program,” Adams said. “He is a true example of what male allyship is all about, being a mentor and supporting the initiative, engaging other men to mentor female leaders. Under his leadership, I was able to gain much support from my peers to support our gender equality efforts across all nations.”

In 2027 at the next ITF election, at least five women and five men will be elected to the Board. The IOC and the ITF will be sending an equal number of women and men to officiate as International Technical Officials for the 2024 Olympic Summer Games tennis and Paralympic wheelchair tennis events.

“Unless there’s diversity of thought in the room, we’re going to go around in circles,” said Adams. “We’ll never reach a different conclusion. We need women to be making decisions for other women; only then will we really start to move the needle.”

For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, an equal number of female and male athletes will compete at Paris 2024.

“We’ve come a long way from where the girls were once just on the sidelines, aspiring to be out there competing,” said Adams. “It starts at the amateur level. If we can make competition at the junior, youth and collegiate levels that much stronger, we can provide more opportunities for girls at a younger age to work towards becoming future Olympians.”