World Athletics has unveiled a comprehensive three-year Gender Leadership Strategy, reinforcing its commitment to advancing gender equity. The initiative aims to position athletics as a global model for inclusion. The 2025-2027 plan sets clear objectives to expand the pipeline of female leaders. This aims to increase gender equity among administrators, referees, coaches and strengthen governance frameworks.
The strategy builds on notable progress since the Gender Leadership Taskforce launched in 2017. In 2023, World Athletics achieved gender parity on its Council, making it the first Olympic sport to reach a 50/50 gender split at this level.
However, the organisation acknowledges that this milestone has not yet translated across all leadership roles. For example, women made up only 11% of coaches at the 2023 World Athletics Championships and 27% of Gold-level referees, despite women comprising 40% of technical officials at the 2024 Olympics.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe emphasised the need for continued action.
“Athletics has gender parity in elite participation on the field of play, but we want this to be reflected off the field by empowering women and girls with equality of opportunity in leadership and decision-making roles across all facets of the sport,” Coe stated.
World Athletics Key targets include;
- Achieving at least 40% female representation on member federation executive boards by 2029.
- Achieving 40% female participation in referee certification exams by 2027, and 40% female representation among CECS Level 1 coaches by 2029.
- The plan also aims for a 50/50 gender balance among International Technical Officials at major events, such as the 2027 World Athletics Championships and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Stephanie Hightower, Chair of the Gender Leadership Taskforce, highlighted the collaborative approach: “We are proud of the progress we have made so far, but we know challenges remain in achieving equitable gender representation among administrators, coaches and referees. By joining forces with leaders and organisations with expertise in this area, we hope to change mindsets and make lasting change for women and girls in our sport”
The organisation will continue to promote gender equity through targeted education, advocacy, and policy reform, aiming to embed these values across every level of the sport.