World Rowing joins the global conversation on advancing gender equality in and through sport.
The International Working Group (IWG) Global Summit on Women & Sport is the world’s largest gathering dedicated to advancing gender equality in and through sport. Held every four years, the Summit brings together leaders, researchers, coaches, athletes, administrators, policymakers and advocates from around the globe to share experiences, challenge thinking and develop practical solutions that create lasting change.
Hosted in Birmingham, United Kingdom from 9 – 11 July, the 2026 Summit was built around the theme “Beyond the Breakthrough” – encouraging the global sporting community to move beyond isolated successes and embed sustainable progress within sport systems worldwide.
Over three inspiring days, delegates explored a wide range of topics through keynote presentations, plenary discussions and more than twenty-five breakout and specialist sessions. Themes ranged from leadership, governance and investment to participation, coaching, safeguarding, health, innovation, media representation and research. While the diversity of subjects reflected the complexity of gender equality in sport, one message remained constant: meaningful progress depends on collaboration, evidence-based action and courageous leadership.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) played a prominent role throughout the Summit. One of the highlights was the keynote address by Kirsty Coventry OLY, President of the IOC, who reinforced the importance of creating environments where women and girls can participate, lead and thrive across every aspect of sport.
The Summit also celebrated individuals making a tangible difference. Abhijit Bhattacharya of India received the 2025 IOC Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion World Champion Award, recognising his organisation’s outstanding work in expanding opportunities for women and girls through grassroots sport initiatives in India.
Alongside the main Summit programme, the IOC also supported several leadership initiatives, including the Knowledge Exchange Programme, which encouraged participants from National Olympic Committees to develop practical action plans that can strengthen gender equality within their respective national sport systems.
For the rowing community, the Summit demonstrated that our sport is both contributing to and learning from the wider global conversation around gender equality. Rowing was exceptionally well represented throughout the week. Annamarie Phelps CBE OLY, World Rowing Vice President, concluded her four-year tenure as Chair of the IWG UK Secretariat, successfully leading preparations for the Birmingham Summit before officially handing responsibility for the Secretariat to Brazil, hosts of the next IWG cycle 2026 – 2030.
The handover ceremony marked both the conclusion of four successful years under the UK Secretariat and the beginning of an exciting new chapter as preparations commence for the next Global Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
The World Rowing community was visible across many aspects of the programme.
Jacomine Ravensbergen, Chair of World Rowing’s Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commission, participated in discussions throughout the Summit. Rosie Mayglothling contributed as a panellist during one of the IOC side sessions, while many familiar faces from rowing -including Coastal Commission Chair Guin Batten, WISH alumnae, coaches, technical experts and National Federation leaders -were actively engaged throughout the week.
Their participation highlighted World Rowing’s ongoing commitment to creating more inclusive opportunities and ensuring that the sport continues to contribute meaningfully to the global gender equality agenda.
Beyond the formal programme, one of the greatest strengths of the Summit was the opportunity to connect with colleagues from every continent.
Conversations between sessions, shared experiences and new professional relationships reinforced the value of learning from different sporting systems and cultural contexts. The diversity of perspectives challenged participants to think differently about leadership, coaching, participation and inclusion while recognising that many of the challenges faced by women in sport are shared across countries and regions.
For rowing, these exchanges provide valuable perspectives that can inform future work in leadership development, coaching education, gender equality initiatives and athlete support.
As the conversations continue beyond Birmingham, the challenge is no longer simply to celebrate progress, but to translate ideas into meaningful action.
For rowing, the Summit reaffirmed the importance of remaining connected to the wider sporting community, learning from global best practice, and adapting those lessons in ways that strengthen our own sport. The ideas, partnerships and collaborations established throughout the week will continue to influence future work in leadership, coaching, education and gender equality.
The conversations may have concluded in Birmingham, but the work continues. By remaining connected, learning from one another and sharing experiences across sports and cultures, rowing is well placed to continue building opportunities where women can lead, coach, innovate and inspire—both within our sport and across the wider sporting community.
PHOTO CREDITS: GETTY IMAGES; J RAVENSBERGEN; R MAYGLOTHLING
