IOC partnership with world conference on Women and Sport will advance gender equality and inclusivity

November 24, 2021

The International Working Group (IWG) on Women & Sport has announced an agreement signed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to invest into and support the delivery of the 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport in Aotearoa New Zealand, next May.

The announcement was made at the Smart Cities and Sport Summit 2021 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Secretary General of the International Working Group (IWG) on Women & Sport, Rachel Froggatt, spoke virtually to hundreds of delegates gathered in person and online and took questions.

Froggatt noted "the IWG is thrilled to welcome the IOC to our family of global and local partners supporting the delivery of the 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport. For many years, the IOC has been working to achieve gender equality on and off the field of play and we are convinced that sharing stories of change from within the Olympic Movement will inspire more change around the world."

For the first time in its 28-year history, the IWG World Conference on Women & Sport will take place as an in-person/virtual and a virtual-only format.

Held over four days from 5th-8th May 2022, the 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport will break new ground with its eighth edition. From humble beginnings in Brighton, UK, back in 1994, the event has now become the world’s largest gathering to advance gender equity and equality in sport and physical activity. Over 1,200 global leaders attended in-person in Gaborone, Botswana, in 2018, including the IOC. The move to a hybrid format - with a full physical experience in Auckland running simultaneously with a fully interactive virtual experience - is expected to draw many hundreds more.

Froggatt continued "now, more than ever, we need to draw together as a global community of action, to drive positive change for women and girls in sport and physical activity. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be felt in every corner of the globe, threatening momentum toward gender equity and equality. We are proud to have the IOC join us as a partner, as we drive onwards."

The announcement comes with the support and endorsement of Lydia Nsekera, Chair of the IOC Women in Sport Commission who advised "The IOC is very pleased to support the 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport. Such forums are instrumental to advancing gender equality and inclusion. They bring key actors together to reach this common goal we all have: building an equal and inclusive sporting world. In the challenging context we live in today, we must remember that diversity and equality are fundamental values that we can draw strength from - because we are all united in our diversity."

Hundreds of global change-makers from within the Olympic Movement will now be encouraged by the IOC to participate in the IWG World Conference virtually and wherever its possible, in-person.

The IOC itself will showcase its global leadership during the conference across its five focus areas of participation, leadership, safe sport, portrayal and resource allocation. In particular, the IOC will work with the IWG Programming Team and also the Equity Commission Oceania (ECO) to design sessions with an emphasis on ‘safeguarding athletes’ and ‘closing the gender gap in elite-level coaching’. These will add to a comprehensive event programme, to be announced shortly, designed by 150+ international experts within the IWG network, from 30+ countries on all five continents.

The IOC will also contribute to the IWG Insight Hub, a brand new online platform launched by the IWG recently, as home for the world’s best insights, case studies, toolkits and news to support positive change for women and girls worldwide. The IOC will encourage members of the Olympic Movement to become part of the IWG Insight Hub, to take inspiration from great work globally.

Raewyn Lovett ONZM, Co-Chair of the International Working Group on Women & Sport, added "The support of the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Movement worldwide is very welcome, as we prepare to bring the world together for this vital conversation and strategy session.

“With Aotearoa New Zealand now on a pathway toward reopening to the world post COVID-19, we are working with confidence toward our borders being open. We are very excited by the possibility of reaching hundreds of participants, both by staging the 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport in-person in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland in May, and by delivering a great virtual experience."

Two registration types are already available to buy:
The ‘Inspire Pass’ offers an outstanding virtual experience accessible from almost anywhere in the world via a world-class online conferencing system. This Pass offers live content, international speakers and storytellers, and interactivity to support collaboration and networking across borders.

The ‘InspirePLUS Pass’ is the best of both worlds. It will give participants access to a full hybrid experience, seamlessly weaving together content delivered in-person, with that delivered virtually. It will also connect in-person attendees in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, with online attendees globally.

The online conferencing system will be filled with rich interactive content to support the journey toward and beyond the event itself. Content from the event will be streamed live and recorded and re-posted immediately, for on-demand viewing via either pass type through to 30th September 2022.

Click here for more information on the 8th IWG World Conference in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.

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