Delegates from the 2018 conference host country Botswana took over the stage on the final day
channel (
youtube.com/user/ IWGWomenSportNetwork). Johanna Adriaanse, IWC
co-chair, said the event was a success not only in terms of the number, but also the quality of high profile delegates it attracted. For the first time ever, the presidents of both the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee – Thomas Bach and Sir Philip Craven – were present in person, while FIFA president Sepp Blatter made an appearance via a video feed. “The number of people attending the
The conference attracted nearly 900 delegates – an all-time record IWG Conferences
conference was the highest we’ve ever had,” Adriaanse commments. “We were also very happy with the partnerships that we established and the vibe of the conference was great. There was a real inspirational atmosphere throughout the week. What we wanted to provide was an uplifting experience for the delegates and I think we were successful in doing that.”
CONTINUED WORK The next IWG World Conference is to be held in Botswana in 2018. Marking the
1994: Brighton, UK 1998: Windhoek, Namibia 2002: Montreal, Canada 2006: Kumamoto, Japan 2010: Sydney, Australia 2014: Helsinki, Finland 2018: Gaborone, Botswana
second time that the event will be held in Africa and is a sign of how the international movement for women in sport is continuing to grow. According to Adriaanse, IWG has a crucial role in the process of bringing
sportsmanagement.co.uk issue 3 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
equality to sport. “Globally, women’s sport can be a very important tool for developing nations. It can empower women not only in physical activity and sport but it can be also used as a vehicle for other sectors in life,” she says. “IWG aims to activate women and empower them to get involved at every level of sport – from taking part at grassroots level to encouraging more women leaders of sport.”
She adds that great progress has been made in recent years – and mentions the London 2012 Olympics as a major step in the right direction. The London Games were the most gender-equal in history, with every single participating nation having female competitors for the very first time. Furthermore, 40 per cent of all athletes were women – a record for the Games. For Raija Mattila the progress is
encouraging, but still remains as progress. “A significant amount of valuable work has been done,” she says. “But more work is required before we can say that we have created a sporting world that treats women and men, girls and boys as equals.” l
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