International Organisations

The Global Alliance for Female Athletes, opens in a new tab is a partnership between national sports institutes (including the Australian Institute of Sport) with the mission of implementing a global approach to trustworthy knowledge dissemination and accelerating the generation of impactful research and innovation. The Alliance is underpinned by shared values and a collective desire to raise global standards in female athlete health and performance. The long-term intention is to increase the breadth and type of resources available and to remove impairment and language barriers, so that everyone has access to the information they need.

GAFA is an open resource to all people with an interest in female sport. The educational material and supporting resources provided within are of primary relevance to the scientific and clinical support of biologically female athletes. However, all athletes, coaches, and support staff, regardless of sex or gender identity, are welcome.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), opens in a new tab has identified closing the gender gap on and off the field of play as a top priority for the Olympic Movement. This commitment is reflected in two key areas: consolidating the Olympic Games as a powerful global platform for promoting and accelerating gender equality, and advancing women’s meaningful representation in governance, leadership and decision-making bodies.

• The Gender Equality Diversity and Inclusion Commission, opens in a new tab advises the IOC Session, the IOC Executive Board and the IOC President on the implementation of the gender equality and inclusion strategy to enable them to make informed and balanced decisions to advance gender equality in sport on and off the field of play across the three spheres of responsibility of the IOC.
• Gender equality through time, opens in a new tab, (accessed 5 August 2025). The Olympic Games have grown to be the largest gender-equal sporting event in the world. This historic evolution reached a major milestone at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which were the first in history with full gender parity on the field of play.
• Factsheet: Women in the Olympic Movement, opens in a new tab, (27 June 2025). At Paris 2024:
  • Female athletes in Paris accounted for more than 49% of the participants (5,300 women out of 10,813 athletes).
  • 28 out of 32 sports reached full gender equality, with a more gender-balanced number of medal events, with the competition schedule comprising 152 women’s events, 157 men’s events and 20 mixed-gender events. This means that more than half of all medal events at Paris 2024 were open to female athletes.
  • 23% of National Olympic Committee team management positions were held by women.
  • 37% of accredited International Technical Officials were women.
  • 13% of accredited coaches were women.

The Women in Sport platform, opens in a new tab (accessed 5 August 2025) was created by the International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA) as part of the Alice Milliat Foundation’s Erasmus+ supported project ‘European Network for Promotion of Women’s Sports’. It provides 60 examples from more than 12 countries that demonstrate tried-and-tested ways of promoting women’s participation at all levels of sport, particularly at the community level.

The International Working Group on Women and Sport, opens in a new tab (IWG) is the world’s largest network dedicated to advancing equity and equality in sport and physical activity for women and girls around the world. The vision of the IWG is to realise a sustainable sporting culture that enables and values the full involvement of women in every aspect of sport. The IWG acts as a catalyst for change and the advancement and empowerment of women and sport globally.

• Brighton plus Helsinki 2014 Declaration on Women and Sport, opens in a new tab, (2014). Today, nearly 600 global organisations are signatories to this treaty – with more organisations joining every day. To become a signatory to the Declaration is to show a belief in, and commitment to developing a culture that enables and values the full involvement of women in every aspect of sport and physical activity. Oceania signatories include, the Australian Sports Commission, Australian and New Zealand Olympic Committees, some national sports, and state and territory governments.
• IWG Insight Hub, opens in a new tab, (accessed 5 August 2025). This collection of research, case studies and toolkits - contributed by the International Working Group (IWG) on Women & Sport network - is designed to empower and advance gender equity and equality for women and girls in and through sport and physical activity worldwide.

Sport Integrity Global Alliance, opens in a new tab is an independent and neutral coalition of international multi-industry members. SIGA has created a draft set of universal integrity standards for sport.

• SIGA Women, opens in a new tab, (accessed 5 August 2025). Provides links to information, resources, and programs to support women in leadership roles in sport.
• SIGA Global Mentorship Programme, opens in a new tab, (accessed 5 August 2025). Open to women aged 21 or over, the programme is designed to promote future leaders in sport and foster greater diversity within the sporting industry. Teaching vital leadership skills and creating invaluable experiences, the eight-month programme will offer prospective mentees the opportunity to forge relationships with women who have trodden the leadership path, with a combination of group and bilateral digital sessions.
• 2024 Survey: Female representation in the highest executive organs of international sports federations, opens in a new tab, (2024). the survey analyzed the leadership composition of 31 International Federations (IFs) that are members of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). These results shed light on the progress of women’s representation in executive positions across various sports organizations.
• Declaration of core principles on sport integrity, opens in a new tab, Sport Integrity Global Alliance, (2016). In the case of good governance, SIGA supports the highest governance standards, including, but not limited to: democratic and transparent electoral processes; term limits; separation of powers between their regulatory and commercial functions; monitoring of potential conflicts of interest; risk management procedures; gender equality at board level; independent directors; meaningful stakeholder representation in the decision-making bodies; transparent and accountable financial management and proper oversight.

Women Sport International, opens in a new tab (WSI) was formed in 1994 to meet the challenge of ensuring that sport and physical activity receive the attention and priority they deserve in the lives of women and girls. The main purpose of WSI is to serve as an umbrella organization that can bring about positive change for girls and women through research-based advocacy.

Women Win, opens in a new tab (WW) supports a global network of organisations through three main initiatives focused on girls’ rights through sport, women’s economic resilience, and democratisation of philanthropy.

• GRLS, opens in a new tab, (accessed 5 August 2025). Program leverages the power of sports and play to strengthen leadership skills of adolescent girls and young women so they can become better equipped to exercise their rights.
• Gender Equity Through Sports, opens in a new tab, (accessed 5 August 2025). Provides access to information and reports on topics including menstrual care, gender inclusion, gender informed coaching, guidelines for designing sports programmes for girls, safeguarding, leadership, and mental wellbeing.
• Girls in Motion Playbook: A Practical Guide for Girls' Sport Programming in Humanitarian Settings, opens in a new tab, (July 2020). The Girls in Motion playbook seeks to support organisations and practitioners to design, develop and deliver adolescent girl-centred sport programmes in humanitarian settings everywhere.