Holmes was named as the award winner at the 139th IOC Session held on the eve of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing in recognition of her work in creating the Women in Sport programme ran by her employer, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

AOC President John Coates, who is also a vice-president of the IOC, said Holmes fully merited becoming the first journalist to pick up the award.

"Tracey has been committed to the reporting of Olympic issues, sports and athletes for many, many years," Coates said.

"She has always focused on the biggest issues and the people who make the Olympic movement tick.

"That has certainly included a firm focus on gender equality.

"Tracey has also mentored many young female reporters.

"The award honours role models and change-makers and Tracey is certainly that.

"She has championed women in sport.

"Appropriately, our Olympic teams have routinely featured more women than men - and of course so many of our iconic Australian Olympic heroes have been women."

Coates also paid tribute to Seiko Hashimoto, President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, who earned the IOC's world prize at the Women and Sport Awards for her efforts against conservative attitudes towards women.

"Her efforts in guiding the Tokyo 2020 to its successful conclusion were outstanding," the AOC President argued.

"She has been a powerful advocate for development and support programmes for female athletes and coaches."

The other continental awards were won by Zimbabwe’s Natsiraishe Maritsa for Africa, Zhang Xia of China for Asia, Norway’s Kari Fasting for Europe and the Figure Skating in Harlem organisation for the Americas.