Breaking Down Barriers: The Gender Diversity Journey in the Sports Industry

Despite the progress made by women in the sports world, there are still barriers and gender bias that persist within the industry. A survey conducted by the Sport Integrity Global Alliance in 2023 found that only 26.9 percent of executive positions in international sport federations are held by women, and only three out of 31 International Sports Federations have women in top leadership positions.

Despite this, the gender diversity of the International Olympic Committee has been improving, with 41 percent of members being female and more diversity in terms of age and regional representation. The IOC has also achieved gender-equal representation on its commissions, marking a historic high and a 100 percent increase since 2013.

While specific sports organizations like World Athletics have made strides towards gender equality, there is still a significant gap when it comes to coaching and leadership roles within athletes’ entourages. Despite advancements, the representation of women in leadership roles such as Chef de Mission, Technical Official, and coach remains low. For example, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, only 13 percent of coaches were women. Moving forward, efforts must continue to be made to increase gender diversity and opportunities for women in leadership roles within the sports industry.