Kioiloglou's commitment to promoting social inclusion began in her childhood. Growing up in a refugee family in Greece, she witnessed the challenges her aunt faced due to her disability. Now, Kioiloglou is dedicated to creating job opportunities for women with disabilities through her initiative, "The Cycle of Femmability."

“I saw how my family had to adapt to support my aunt,” Kioiloglou explains. “Society was unprepared to welcome her, so my family stepped in. This experience inspired me to drive lasting social change. The Cycle of Femmability is a tribute to my grandmother and family, who were my aunt’s sole support system.”

As a freelance soft skills trainer, Kioiloglou developed her project in two phases. The first phase uses goalball, a team sport designed for athletes with visual impairments, to teach soft skills to employees through specialised workshops. In the second phase, these workshops are led by women with disabilities who have been trained by Kioiloglou, providing them with valuable job opportunities and promoting their inclusion in society.

In Greece, one in five women has a disability, but the employment rate for this group is only 31.1 percent, one of the lowest in the European Union. This highlights the need for the Cycle of Femmability in Kioiloglou’s home country. Kioiloglou was chosen for the IOC Young Leaders Programme as part of the 2023-2026 cohort, which allows her to further develop the Cycle of Femmability.

“The IOC Young Leaders Programme was ideal for me. The training provided is so helpful. They are helping us slowly but surely secure a sustainable social business, as we have access to experienced mentors, lecturers, and people who are there to support us, including the programme’s head managers. The whole experience wouldn’t be the same without them. Besides that, a very important part is seeing how people do it in other countries. We share the experience of being entrepreneurs in different cultures. It’s really amazing.”

Kioiloglou has a long-standing connection with the Olympic Movement, having had a transformative experience at a sport-for-development camp at the International Olympic Truce Centre as a teenager. At 19, she participated in the United Nations’ Youth Leadership Camp on Sport for Development and Peace and was selected for six consecutive years as a Young Delegate for the European Organisation for Grassroots Sport (ENGSO) Youth, which advocates for the rights of young people in grassroots sports. Last year, she was elected to the Youth Committee.

She is excited to continue this work as an IOC Young Leader. “I feel that everything that I have done in my past, regarding my work experiences, led me to this moment,” she says. Goalball, one of the 22 sports at the Paralympic Games Paris 2024, presents a unique opportunity to change perceptions of athletes with disabilities.

“Goalball is one of the two Paralympic sports that does not have an Olympic counterpart, so this sport can really attract its own kind of audience,” she explains.

“Sports fans are often drawn to new and different experiences, and this curiosity can translate into increased viewership. People tune in to understand and appreciate the game for what it truly is, without distinguishing between people based on disability. This is something that is really important and valuable. We hope the goalball tournament will create its own atmosphere, its own precedent, its own culture, and fans won't really see disability, but true sport.”

Kioiloglou volunteered in Paris for the Olympic Games, witnessing history and celebrating Greece’s medals with the Hellenic Olympic Committee. She learned a valuable lesson that she aims to apply to the Cycle of Femmability. “The most valuable thing I learned is seeing up close the common language of Olympism. We all understand what it is, regardless of culture, background or belief. We all strive for it, and we can all develop ourselves through it.

"In the pursuit of this shared mission, we all stand as equals. This is exactly how we want to inspire women with disabilities in Greek society through my project. We all have differences. But if we truly believe in a shared and common vision, and see the differences as something that unites us, then we can all be equal. What is the vision of the Cycle of Femmability? A world where everyone is valued based on their skills, regardless of gender or disability.”

Launched in 2016, the IOC Young Leaders Programme empowers youth to harness the power of sport to create positive change in their communities. The programme contributes to Olympism365, the IOC’s initiative for utilising sport to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly through innovative sports-based approaches that deliver tangible impacts.

With support from the IOC, Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner Panasonic, and a network of mentors, these inspiring young leaders have executed over 160 sport-led projects promoting education, livelihoods, equality, health, peace building, and sustainability, directly benefiting more than 37,000 people.