04 March 2025 – Sport has the power to transform lives and inspire change, but many women and girls around the world still face obstacles which prevent them from participating in sport. For International Women’s Day 2025, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) highlights the elite and grassroots level programmes of the Olympic Movement and its partners, aiming to provide every woman and girl with the opportunity to engage in and benefit from sport, striving to ensure #SportForAllWomenAndGirls.
According to UN Women, by the age of 14, girls drop out of sport at twice the rate of boys due to several factors, such as social expectations, lack of investment in quality programmes, and more. Sport plays a pivotal role in empowering girls with the skills they need to thrive. For those able to participate in sport, the benefits are life-changing. Girls involved in sport develop higher self-esteem, confidence, resilience and teamwork skills.
Gender equality at the Olympic Games
One of the most significant gender equality milestones within the Olympic Movement was achieved at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The Games became the first in history to achieve full gender parity on the field of play, thanks to the IOC’s distribution of an equal number of quota places to male and female athletes.
In addition to achieving gender parity on the field of play, Paris 2024 featured a balanced schedule that showcased male and female events equally, inspiring the next generation of female athletes to pursue their sports dreams in spite of the barriers. Consequently, this allowed media rights-holders to balance their coverage of men’s and women’s sport during the Games.
Further progress will be made at Milano Cortina 2026, which will be the most gender-balanced Olympic Winter Games in history, with women accounting for a record 47 per cent of the athletes.
Additionally, there will be four new events for women at Milano Cortina 2026 – ski mountaineering sprint, luge doubles, freestyle skiing dual moguls and ski jumping large hill individual – bringing the total to a record number of 50 women’s events.
Creating opportunities through grassroots sport
Through collaboration with the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), International Sports Federations (IFs) and external organisations, the IOC is committed to creating more opportunities for women and girls to access sport 365 days a year via a wide range of grassroots programmes.
One such project is the Play for Equity Fund, which helps women, girls and communities safely access the benefits of sport, promoting gender equality and contributing to the prevention of gender-based violence through sport.
Currently, the fund supports 21 projects across 13 countries in Oceania. This includes the Cook Islands Rugby Union’s “She’s a Ruck Star” programme, which teaches rugby and leadership skills to girls aged 6 to 18 as they navigate crucial stages of their development.
Launched as part of the IOC’s Olympism365 strategy, the Play for Equity Fund is a collaborative initiative led by the Oceania Impact Network (OIN). This comprises the IOC, Oceania National Olympic Committee, UN Women and the Australian Government’s sport for development programme, Team Up.
#SportForAllWomenAndGirls
With the continued efforts of the IOC, NOCs, IFs and Olympism365-driven programmes, more opportunities are being created every day for women and girls to engage in and benefit from sport.
Follow the conversation and discover more inspiring stories with #SportForAllWomenAndGirls.
