Spotlight on: International Working Group (IWG) on Women & Sport

To mark International Women’s Day, today we’re putting the spotlight on the International Working Group (IWG) on Women & Sport, the world’s largest network dedicated to advancing gender equity and equality in sport, physical education and physical activity. Founded in Brighton in 1994, IWG Women & Sport has been championing change for women in sport for 30 years.

Our International Relations Advisor, Jen Browning, took the time to speak with IWG Secretary General, Lisa O’Keefe, to find out about their work and ambitions.

About IWG

The IWG was founded in the UK as a global network of networks, the intention being to bring together individuals and organisations from around the world focused on tackling gender equality in sport and physical activity.

The IWG secretariat has a different host nation every four years, and will be hosted in the UK until the end of September 2026, with their work focused on three priorities; connections, insights and advocacy.

Hear what Lisa had to say about these priorities and the work IWG will be delivering.

IWG and UK Sport

Back in 2022 our Chair, Dame Katherine Grainger, attended the 8th IWG World Conference in New Zealand in advance of the secretariat moving to the UK.

In her reflections from that event, she spoke about creating high-performance environments where women can flourish. This means ensuring the environment in high performance sport is fully inclusive for women, including being fairly represented in the room where decisions on the future of sport are made.

That’s why we’re proud to continue to support the work of the IWG, as it provides us a chance to learn from our international colleagues as we take the action required to ensure high performance sport can play its part in advancing gender equity across the globe.

Looking forward to 2026

Over the last 30 years the IWG has left a lasting legacy across the globe. Jen spoke to Lisa about her hopes for the impact IWG will have made when it moves on from the UK in 2026.

To find out more about the IWG, their work and to be part of the 9th IWG World Conference in Birmingham visit: iwgwomenandsport.org