Gasol underlines IOC "neutral, not apolitical"

The basketball icon and newly-appointed chair of the International Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission addressed Milano Cortina's Ukrainian tribute helmet controversy and gender eligibility among other topics during a recent Forbes interview.  

Pau Gasol needs no introduction in the world of sports. He rarely fails to make a name for himself, at least when basketball comes up in conversation. And if there's one thing that sets him apart, it's that he's navigated his career exceptionally well since retiring from his home team, FC Barcelona, in the post-pandemic era of 2021. 

A legend on the court, he has begun to cement a promising career off it as well: on 3 August 2021, he was elected to the International Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission and was named its president this February, the first Spaniard to lead one of the key bodies of the Olympic Movement since its creation in 1981 under the leadership of the late Juan Antonio Samaranch, also from Spain.

"The priority is not so much to categorise the issues, but to ensure that, in all of them, the athlete's voice and interests are truly taken into account in the decision-making process", Gasol told Forbes magazine as he looked back on his first months in office. Upon assuming his new position, Gasol automatically became a voting member of the IOC Executive Board, the organisation's highest decision-making body, led by President Kirsty Coventry.

The two-time NBA champion and three-time basketball medalist revealed that one of the cornerstones of his work is understanding athletes "in all their dimensions: as a competitor, of course, but also as a person".

In late March, the International Olympic Committee introduced a new policy aimed at protecting the women's category, restricting participation in women's events to biological females and requiring genetic testing.

On gender eligibility, one of the hot topics on IOC's agenda, Gasol stressed that the recent policy shifts reflect evolving science and extensive consultation with athletes and international federations. Even so, he argued that rules on paper are not enough. "Decisions taken in sport don't only affect competition or performance", he explained. "They also affect the wellbeing, dignity and future of those who compete".

Another subject of conversation was Los Angeles 2028. After nearly seven seasons playing for the hometown Lakers and with his number 16 hanging in the rafters of the currently named Crypto.com Arena, Gasol offered a deep, practical feel for the next Summer Games host and warned that for athletes "details matter: distances, transport, rest, and travel time" while underlining that "LA has a unique energy, a strong sporting culture, and a proven ability to host global events."

Gasol did not dodge controversial topics such as the much-discussed Vladyslav Herskevych case at Milano Cortina 2026. As someone who sits squarely between athletes and administrators, he did not miss the chance to weigh in on how the disqualification of the Ukrainian skeleton racer was handled at the recently concluded Winter Games. The athlete was removed from competition after refusing to take off his helmet displaying the faces of more than 20 Ukrainian athletes and coaches who had died as a result of Russia's war with its neighbouring country.

Gasol did not take sides, instead, assessing the use of Rule 50.2 of the Olympic Charter. "We're not talking about an apolitical movement," he claimed, "but a neutral one, capable of guaranteeing coexistence, respect and dialogue between very different realities".

The Barcelona-born star also argued for deploying artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies to strengthen anti-doping programmes, prevent equipment tampering, and support wider improvements that modern sport can, and should, put to work.