New nations join Australia in Global Alliance for Female Athletes

The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has strengthened its global leadership in female athlete health and performance, with five new nations joining the Global Alliance for Female Athletes (GAFA).

A landmark international partnership, GAFA brings together world-leading experts to close critical knowledge gaps and strengthen support for female athletes, their coaches and sport medicine providers, driving better outcomes on the world stage.

Now Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Switzerland have joined founding members Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand to create a global coalition advancing research, sharing expertise and improving access to trusted information for female athletes worldwide.

The Alliance has already delivered a growing library of athlete-centred resources including webinars, podcasts, videos, education modules and practical tools, while fostering international collaboration on emerging research priorities and opportunities to improve outcomes for women and girls in sport.

Dr Rachel Harris leads the AIS Female Performance Health Initiative, established to boost female athlete specific knowledge and systems of support across Australia, and served as the inaugural Chair of GAFA.

"GAFA was founded on a shared belief that female athletes everywhere deserve access to trusted, evidence-based information to support their health, wellbeing and performance," Dr Harris said.

"The growth of GAFA to nine nations shows there is enormous appetite around the world to work together, share knowledge and create lasting change for female athletes.

“By working together across borders, we're able to accelerate research, share lessons faster and ensure more female athletes benefit from the latest evidence and insights."

Dr Harris said one of GAFA's priorities was ensuring the benefits of female focused research can reach athletes, coaches and health professionals around the globe.

"We want athletes, coaches, practitioners and support staff everywhere to have access to trusted information, regardless of where they live, train or compete.

"Equally important is ensuring future research reflects the diversity of female athletes around the world. Expanding the Alliance means more perspectives, broader experiences and better outcomes for current and future generations of women and girls in sport."

GAFA members collaborated online and in person throughout their first year, including at the Women in Sport Congress in Brisbane in March, where representatives explored opportunities to strengthen research collaboration, improve knowledge translation and increase access to female athlete health resources internationally.

More information and resources from GAFA can be accessed here, opens in a new tab, and AIS Female Performance Health Initiative resources are available here.

With the latest additions, the GAFA members are now:

• The Australian Institute of Sport
• UK Sports Institute
• High Performance Sport New Zealand
• United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
• Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee
• French Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance (INSEP)
• German Institute for Applied Training Science (IAT)
• Japan High Performance Sport Centre/Japan Sport Council
• Swiss Olympic Association

Ireland and Belgium have also aligned with GAFA as supporting partners, committing to sharing resources and promoting GAFA as a global entity.