ISF Attend the First meeting of the High-Level Group on Gender Equality in Sport

Tuesday 16 February 2021 saw the first meeting of the High-Level Group on Gender Equality in Sport, online, hosted by the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission, with ISF in attendance.

The meeting was begun with the opening remarks from European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, during which the ISF She Runs – Active Girls’ Lead event was mentioned as one of three examples of projects supporting women’s sport, by encouraging girls to engage in physical activity and acquire new competences through school sport.

The purpose of this High-Level Group, composed of 15 members, is to produce a structured report of recommendations for improving gender equality in sport to the Commission, the Member States, and the sport movement. This follows the ‘Gender Equality in Sport, Proposals for Strategic Actions 2014 – 2020’ document, which has now come to an end, paving the way for renewed discussions and opportunities.

In order to structure and mediate the upcoming meetings the High-Level Group will have throughout the next twelve months, the decision to elect a chairperson was taken, with the appointment of Emine Bozkurt. The group will meet every two months for a total of six meetings to address the main topics of:

• Girls and Women’s participation in sport.
• Gender Equality in coaching/female coaches.
• Women’s representation in decision-making processes.
• Branding, sponsorship, media coverage and gender stereotypes.
• Gender based violence in and through sport.
• Mainstreaming of sport into Gender Equality policies.
• Impact of COVID-19 on Gender Equality in sport.

Several guest speakers had also been invited, with ENGSO Honorary President, Birgitta Kervinen and French Ambassador for Sport, Laurence Fischer taking the floor, both of whom had taken part in the inaugural ISF She Runs event in Paris back in 2019, as ambassadors. Also present at the meeting, as one of the 15 selected members of the High-Level Group, was Mayor of the city of Kielce, Poland, Bogdan Wenta.

The theme of gender equality is positioned at the centre of all concepts and sport policies developed by the ISF, through the promotion, orientation and strengthening of gender equality. To do this, the ISF made the decision at the 2020 General Assembly in Belgrade, Serbia, to appoint Ms Valérie Lebondo as coordinator of this theme. This year the ISF will have a dedicated campaign to initiatives focused on Gender Equality highlighted on each week of the month of March, in the context of International Women’s Day on 8 March.

From 27 September to 2 October 2021, the International School Sport Federation (ISF) and the City of Brussels will organise the second edition of the She Runs - Active Girls’ Lead event, taking place in the framework of the European Week of Sport, with the first edition having taken place in Paris in 2019.

Read more about She Runs 2021

European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, and Youth, Mariya Gabriel: Opening remarks