A/69/340 Ethics of the International Olympic Committee, safeguarding the dignity of the individual is a fundamental requirement of Olympism; there should be no discrimination between the participants on the basis of race, gender, ethnic origin, religion, philosophical or political opinion, marital status or any other grounds; and all forms of harassment of participants, be it physical or psychological, are prohibited. 20 33. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) supports this ideal through several thematic commissions. The Sport for All Commission promotes sport as a human right for all individuals, regardless of race, social class and gender. 21 Each year, the Commission allocates IOC patronage and financial assistance to between 15 and 20 sport-for-all events in each of the five continents, the main selection criterion being that the event concerned must truly be open to all . Furthermore, the Commission supports International Olympic Day, which is celebrated throughout the world with inclusive sports activities that unite men, women and children of all ages. 22 The Sport for All Commission also encourages the promotion of the Worl d Conference on Sport for All, which is held every two years. Such events provide an ideal forum for exchanging ideas and experiences at an international level . At the most recent World Conference, held in Lima, the social benefits of sport, access to sport facilities and the role of civil society in sport were discussed . 23 34. The International Olympic Committee is also active with regard to women ’s rights in sport. The Women and Sport Commission is a consultative body that supports the development and implementation of policies of gender equality at IOC. 24 The Commission has undertaken several educational and training initiatives, such as seminars and workshops on women’s leadership in sports, and regional information seminars aimed at giving greater visibility to women and sport issues and to encourage National Olympic Committees to step up their work in this area . The Commission also undertook efforts to ensure that women benefit from equal opportunity in the scholarships offered by IOC. 25 Furthermore, IOC supports the World Conference on Women and Sports, which is held every four years . The purpose of the Conference is to assess the progress made within the Olympic movement and to define future priority actions to improve and increase the involvement of women and girls in sports. Discussed at the most recent Conference, held in Los Angeles, United States of America, in 2012, was the need for women and men to work together to break down barriers and overcome obstacles to further progress; it was stressed that gender equality in sport could only be achieved through collaboration and partnerships with all relevant stakeholders . 26 Other IOC bodies, such as the International Relations Commission, the Commission for Culture and Olympic Education, the International Olympic Truce Foundation and the Sport and Environment Commission, also support the ideals of Olympism through __________________ 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 14-59616 http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Commissions_PDFfiles/Ethics/code-ethique-interactif_ en_2013.pdf, p. 12 (accessed 21 July 2014). See http://www.olympic.org/sport-for-all-commission?tab=mission (accessed 25 July 2014). See http://www.olympic.org/sport-for-all-commission?tab=support (accessed 25 July 2014). See http://sportforall2013.org/sites/default/files/programme_eng.pdf (accessed 25 July 2014). See http://www.olympic.org/women-sport-commission?tab=mission (accessed 25 July 2014). See http://www.olympic.org/women-sport-commission?tab=support (accessed 25 July 2014). See http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Commissions_PDFfiles/women_and_sport/report_5th_ conference_women_and_sport_EN.pdf. 11/21