Time for Equality

The European Commission is organising the first EU Conference on Gender Equality in Sport on 3 and 4 December 2013 in Vilnius.

The event will gather 120 representatives of European, international and national sport organisations such as the International Olympic Committee, national Olympic committees, the International Paralympic Committee, UEFA.

Participants to the Conference, to be opened by Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou, will include the Lithuanian Olympic Committee president and golden Olympic medallist Daina Gudzinevičiūtė, the International Paralympic Committee President Sir Philip Craven, the International Olympic Committee Member Marisol Casado and Novella Calligaris, former world champion swimmer and Olympic medallist from Italy.

The experts will be asked to identify concrete actions to promote gender equality in sport, e.g. equal representation in sport governing bodies, gender balance in boardrooms and on the playing field, more and better media coverage of women’s sport, fight against sexual violence and harassment in sport.

The conclusions of the conference will be addressed to the EU institutions, the sport movement and the Member States so as to contribute to define political priorities and concrete measures in the framework of Erasmus+, as well as the next EU Work Plan for Sport.

The sport chapter of Erasmus+ will allocate around €265 million over the next seven years to organisations in grassroots sport. Support will focus on gender equality, good governance, social inclusion as well as on cross-border initiatives to tackle racism, match-fixing and doping in sport.

More information on the European Commission’s website.

• Agenda  [142 KB]
• Background Information  [443 KB]
• Speakers & Group of Experts, short CVs  [923 KB]