Tokyo Hosts IWG AGM

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 over the course of the past year.

The AGM was followed by a Strategic Planning Session, in which the Global Executive discussed elements of the content for The Global Summit, happening in Birmingham from 9-11 July 2026, focussing specifically on how to remove barriers to attendance, the role the Global Executive will play in supporting this, and what a successful ‘Regional Meeting’ as part of the overall agenda should look like for each regional representative.

Annamarie Phelps CBE OLY, Co-Chair of the Global Executive and Chair of the UK IWG Secretariat, reflected afterwards:

“The AGM and Strategic Session went really well – we had a fantastically productive time. The Global Executive were really engaged with what we are trying to achieve, both individually for each of their regions and networks, but also collectively in identifying how we can implement our strategy and make a real impact in working towards The Global Summit in 2026.”

The following day, the IWG Secretariat visited the British Ambassador to Japan, Julia Longbottom CMG, at her Residence in Tokyo to explain about the work of the IWG and the activities the team had undertaken during their stay.

The IWG then took to the road on Tuesday, visiting five Japanese sports federations. The morning consisted of meetings with Japan Rugby, the Japanese Olympic Committee and the Japan Rowing Association. Each meeting gave the IWG an invaluable opportunity to hear first hand the action plans each federation was working towards and the challenges they were facing, allowing for the IWG to signpost to suggestions for solutions from across the network.

In the afternoon, the IWG met with Mr Satoshi Ashidate, President and CEO of the Japan Sport Council, before heading to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology to meet with Mr Koji Murofushi, the Commissioner for the Japan Sports Agency. Both organisations are existing signatories of the Brighton plus Helsinki Declaration, with the IWG team providing an update on the current strategy and sharing the latest information on the Global Summit with these senior leaders in sport and their teams.

Lisa O’Keefe MBE, Secretary General, summarised the day:

“With huge thanks to Dr Etsuko and her teams from Juntendo University and the Japanese Center for Research on Women and Sport (JCRWS), we had a very productive day visiting various sports organisations around Tokyo.”

“It was a great opportunity for us to hear their commitments to improving gender equality and to better understand the progress which is being made. We also learned about priorities for sport across Japan, along with a keen interest to be involved at The Global Summit in 2026.”

“Finally, we know how important male allyship is in making an impact when it comes to gender equality in sport, and so it was fantastic to have male representation, interest and genuine engagement throughout the day.”