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BIRMINGHAM, UK / RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL  – The International Working Group (IWG) on Women & Sport is delighted to announce that the Brazil Olympic Committee (COB) has been selected as the next host of the IWG Secretariat for the quadrennial period 2026-2030, marking a historic move to South America for the first time.  Following a competitive international bid process, COB was chosen to lead the global network’s strategic operations for the four-year term. This prestigious t

Wednesday 3 December saw the IWG Secretariat and Global Executive meet at Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor in Dakar, Senegal, for the Annual General Meeting 2025 and Strategic Planning Session. Generously hosted by La Conférence des Ministres de la Jeunesse et des Sports de la Francophonie (CONFEJES) and its Secretary General Louisetter-Renée Thobi OLY (IWG Global Executive Member), the meeting was an opportunity to not only review progress in 2024-2025 but also plans for the IW

International Olympic Committee Joins 9th IWG Global Summit to Accelerate Gender Equity in Sport. The International Working Group (IWG) on Women & Sport is proud to announce the renewal of its long-standing collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) . The IOC has signed on as a Supporting Partner for the upcoming 9th IWG Global Summit on Women & Sport   , taking place 9-11 July 2026 at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham, UK. This announ

The IWG Global Summit 2026 tickets are officially live!   Be part of this unmissable event, bringing together leaders, changemakers and organisations from around the world committed to advancing gender equity in sport and physical activity.  The IWG Global Summit promises to be the world’s foremost gathering of leaders in sport, providing a platform for sharing best practices and the latest insights affecting women and girls in sport and physical activity. Set against a mome

On Wednesday 12 November 2025, IWG Secretary General Lisa O’Keefe MBE represented the International Working Group (IWG) on Women & Sport at the Sport and Recreation Alliance  90th Anniversary Celebration and Annual General Meeting, held at the historic St James’s Palace in London.   Chaired by the Alliance’s President, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh , the event brought together leaders from across the UK’s sport and recreation sector to reflect on nine decades of progress since t

We are proud to announce UN Women has signed a landmark agreement with IWG to accelerate gender equality across the global sports arena. The partnership will harness sport’s power to empower women and girls, strengthen movements, and drive systemic change worldwide. Through the new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the two partners will work with governments, federations and civil society to build coalitions and press for shifts in policy, practice and social norms that adva

The International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport is delighted to be teaming up with Aston Villa Women Football Club (AVWFC), with the IWG Global Summit 2026 logo displayed on the team’s match shirts during the opening month of the 2025/26 season.

IWG’s Secretary General Lisa O’Keefe MBE and Global Executive member Etsuko Ogasawara were in attendance at the ASEAN conference on gender equity in sports in Penang, Malaysia, at the end of last month, where Lisa also delivered a keynote presentation.

Call for Presentations: Share Your Expertise at the IWG Global Summit 2026 Do you have findings, insights, learnings or best practice examples that can help level the playing field for women and girls in sport? Do you want to share your expertise with global leaders, policymakers and change makers? We want to hear from you.

This week marks the ‘one year to go’ countdown until the IWG Global Summit 2026, hosted by the International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport. The Summit is set to be the foremost gathering of thought leaders in the sport industry, providing a platform for sharing best practices and the latest insights affecting women and sport.

Dear the IWG community, I was delighted to be asked to provide a monthly update for the network. The trouble was knowing where to start, there is plenty happening so here’s a few highlights and a brief look forward – you can read my full update on the IWG website. In April I represented IWG at the Olympic Council of Asia’s (OCA) Gender Equity Seminar in Brunei, a tiny nation with a big, welcoming heart. Centred around the theme of ‘Watch Her Shine’, the seminar brought togeth

The International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport is proud to announce its formal commitment to England Golf’s Respect in Golf movement — a powerful initiative designed to foster a culture of fairness, safety and belonging across all levels of the game. IWG is proud to join a growing list of signatories, including GolfMagic and the Golf Club Managers’ Association (GCMA), in pledging to uphold and promote the core values of respect, inclusivity, and accessibility in

IWG Women and Sport and TAFISA (The Association for International Sport for All) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise their commitment to closer collaboration. The MoU follows a productive meeting held at TAFISA’s headquarters in Frankfurt last year, where a robust discussion around re-starting the collaboration between the two organisations was held. The agreement will see a stronger alliance between IWG and TAFISA, helping to create a stronger voice

IWG has today published the Year Two Annual Report, which details the work of the IWG Secretariat during its second year in the UK.  Key highlights from the report   Connections   During the 2023-2024 period, we maintained and built upon our strong relationships with key stakeholders from around the world to enhance IWG’s global reach.  As part of IWG’s 30th Anniversary celebrations, we launched the monthly IWG Newsletter and IWG Webinar Series while we continued to grow our

Last month, Secretary General Lisa O’Keefe MBE and Chair Annamarie Phelps CBE OLY embarked on a significant visit to the Middle East, strengthening ties and learning from initiatives aimed at advancing opportunities for women and girls in sport. Their journey took them across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, where they engaged with key stakeholders, shared best practices, and explored opportunities to expand IWG’s ‘network of networks.’ Reflecting

Professor Elizabeth Pike PhD, a leading expert in sport and gender from t he University of Hertfordshire (Great Britain), is the Global Winner of the 2024 International Olympic Committee (IOC) Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Champions Award. On the eve of International Women’s Day, the IOC is celebrating Pike, alongside five continental winners who are all breaking barriers in #SportForAllWomenAndGirls.    A Professor in Sport, Health and Exercise, Pike has de

Luxembourg played host to two high-profile events focussed on advancing gender equality in sport across Europe last week, with the European Summit on Gender Equality and Diversity in Sport taking place on 12 February, ahead of the closing event of the ‘All In Plus’ EU-CoE joint project on 13 February. Organised by the European Sports NGO Equality Within Sport (ENGSO EWS) Committee, the second edition of the European Summit on Gender Equality and Diversity once again brought

Dr Anita White, founder of the IWG, has today been recognised in the 2025 New Year Honours List.Anita will be honoured with a CBE in recognition of her services to women and to sport throughout her career, which has spanned over 40 years. Beginning her career as an athlete, Anita won 42 caps representing England at hockey, leading the team to world cup victory in 1975. A lack of recognition for the women’s team’s achievements encouraged Anita to be amongst a group of women wh

Photo Credit: Kate Green for Getty Images The International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport last night commemorated its Pearl Anniversary with a celebration at the Guildhall in London, UK, generously hosted by the City of London Corporation. Themed on ‘Visibility and Portrayal of Women and Girls in Sport’, Jacqueline Bourke, Senior Director of Creative from Getty Images, a preeminent global visual content creator and marketplace, delivered the keynote Photo Credit: Kat

Sunday 3 November saw the IWG Secretariat and Global Executive meet at the prestigious Juntendo University in Tokyo, Japan, for the Annual General Meeting 2024 and Strategic Planning Session. Generously hosted by Dr Etsuko Ogasawara , IWG’s regional representative for Asia, the AGM was an opportunity for the IWG Secretariat to give a review of the 2023-24 period to the General Executive, while also hearing back from them about the activities from their regions or networks o