2nd IF Women in Leadership Forum Underway in Lausanne

All 28 member federations of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) have sent female talents to attend the second edition of the IF Women in Leadership Forum which kicked off in Lausanne, Switzerland, today. Jointly organised by ASOIF and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 6 to 8 March 2017, the event features an action packed programme with training and skill building opportunities for the more than 60 participants from International (IFs) and National Federations (NFs) as well as exciting panel discussions.

ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti opened the Forum together with Lydia Nsekera, IOC member and Chair of the IOC Women in Sport Commission and Christophe De Kepper, IOC Director General.

On this occasion, Ricci Bitti said: "Women can bring an important skill set and perspective to sport organisations which, in my view, counts much more than satisfying quota demands. In sport, we still have a huge lack of female leaders, that’s why we aim to use this Forum to help develop them. It is an action driven event and we have been encouraged by the positive outcomes we saw after the first edition last year."

Lydia Nsekera stressed to the participants: "We need to continue these good results and not weaken in our efforts to ensure that even more women are elected to positions of responsibility within IFs, national federations and clubs. This is another of this Forum’s objectives: to give you helpful advice on performing your role, but also to enable you in turn to become mentors for other women working or seeking to work in the world of sport."

The focus of this year’s training will be on how participants can run for a leadership position; how to lead others; and how to become politically savvy. Tomorrow’s panel discussions will kick off with an inspirational speech by Barbara Slater, Director of BBC Sport and a former gymnast who participated in the 1976 Olympic Games. The subsequent debates will then feature men and women leaders from IFs and National Olympic Committees (NOCs) who will discuss challenges and best practise regarding female leadership in IFs.

Click here to watch "Accelerating change: pressures on trailblazers" on 7 March 2017 from 14:00 CET.

Click here to watch "Translating policies into practice – a framework to inspire change" on 7 March 2017 from 16:00 CET.

On the final day of the Forum, participants will learn about strategies and tools for election campaigns and how to leverage social media. This will include a mentoring session during which women and men elected will share their experiences.

The event coincides with International Women’s Day which is celebrated each year on 8 March.

For more information, please contact:

Jessica Hellman

Email at jessica.hellman@asoif.com

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