Advancing Gender Equality in Sport: Highlights from the SUPPORTER Final Conference

Jul 31, 2025

Advancing Gender Equality in Sport: Highlights from the SUPPORTER Final Conference

31 July 2025

As coordinator of the EU-funded SUPPORTER project, the European Science Foundation (ESF) has been proud to lead efforts to advance gender equality in sports higher education institutions across Central and Eastern Europe. Drawing on its extensive expertise, ESF also led the communication work package and successfully organised the final conference, which brought together 160 participants to share achievements, lessons learned, and commitments for the future.

The project aims to support 8 partners developing their own Intersectional, Innovative, Inclusive and Impactful Gender Equality Plans (4I-GEPs), explicitly addressing gender-based violence and sexual harassment.

Conference highlights

On 4–5 June 2025, the SUPPORTER community gathered in Prague for its Final Conference, hosted by Charles University. The participants included students, researchers, university staff, policymakers, and gender equality practitioners. The event offered two days of insightful exchange and learning.

4 June – Creating safe and inclusive ecosystems in sports and higher education: How students can make a difference

This session explored how students are shaping change within their institutions and communities. From student-led initiatives to peer-to-peer interventions, participants shared practical strategies and personal experiences demonstrating the power of youth-led advocacy in preventing gender-based violence and promoting inclusive practices.

Watch the recording

5 June – Advancing Gender Equality Plans in widening higher education institutions: challenges, insights, and strategies

The second day brought together diverse voices from the SUPPORTER consortium and sister projects to reflect on GEP implementation in sports, agriculture, and research-focused institutions. The sessions provided valuable insights into overcoming structural and cultural barriers and highlighted adaptable models for institutional transformation.

Building Gender Equality in Sports Higher Education

The reflections and shared experiences from the Final Conference reinforced the need for ongoing, practical support in transforming institutions. To this end, SUPPORTER has developed a series of capacity-building and mentoring videos designed to help sports higher education institutions create or strengthen their Gender Equality Plans (GEPs).

Watch the videos and learn more on the SUPPORTER website

To make its work widely accessible , SUPPORTER has produced a set of resources to support institutional transformation:

Training materials and tools for institutional transformation– A comprehensive overview of existing approaches and gaps in gender equality within sports higher education.
Training materials and tools for institutional transformation – Practical tools for building institutional capacity and fostering inclusive change.
Capacity Building Scheme – A structured approach to strengthen skills and knowledge among project partners and stakeholders.
Report on the design of the institutional roadmaps – Insights and strategies for co-designing (4I-GEPs).
Policy Brief 1 – Key recommendations and policy messages to support gender equality in sports education.