The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday announced the composition of its commissions, showing that more women and youngsters have participated in the work of the world's Olympic governing body.

According to the IOC, its 27 commissions saw 45.4 percent of their positions go to women and that's a historic high. Thanks to the Olympic Agenda 2020, female members in the IOC commissions more than doubled since 2013. Three of the six lately appointed commission chairpersons were women.

"Gender equality, both on and off the field of play, is one of the key focus areas of the Olympic Agenda 2020. With the number of female athletes participating at the Olympic Games, we are practically there for Tokyo 2020. Off the field of play, we will continue our efforts, but we are very proud of having reached such strong female and youth participation in a very short time," said Thomas Bach, president of the IOC.

The organization also focused on increasing youth attendance in its work. Bach promised to "significantly increase" Young Change-Makers (YCMs) in the IOC's commissions for 2019 at the Youth Summit in Tokyo, Japan in December 2018 and he is fulfilling his promise as commission positions occupied by youngsters grew from seven in 2018 to 16 in 2019.

"It is crucial to give a voice to young people if we want to stay relevant. Last October, over 100 Young Change-Makers took part in the Olympism in Action Forum and brought a youthful perspective on how to make a better world through sport. Their level of commitment in their respective communities across the world is an inspiration for all of us. By empowering tomorrow's leaders, we give them the opportunity to shape their future," said Bach.

The IOC also announced Nicole Hoevertsz, the former synchronized swimmer from Aruba, as the chairwoman of the IOC Coordination Commission for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, U.S. Hoevertsz had already been appointed as the Vice-Chair of the Coordination Commission for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. The IOC hoped that the two Coordination Commissions could learn from each other in preparing for and hosting the top sports event of the world.