HC Türk on women in sports: “It’s time to level the playing field.”

Distinguished guests,

Friends,

Thank you for the invitation to address you today. 

The excitement around the UEFA Women’s Euro here in Geneva is palpable. Norway is playing Italy tonight - and I am sure many of us will be watching!

In recent years, women’s sport – from football, to tennis, to swimming, to cycling, to basketball and beyond - has reached record levels of visibility and global attention. 

Women’s sport can also help drive our economies. As two billion people watched the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, it contributed nearly $1.9 billion to the global GDP. 

The rising global attention is also prompting important discussions on power dynamics, stereotypes and inclusion in sport. 

Because the playing field is still far from level.

There is a stark gender pay gap in sport. According to FIFA, the average female player earns just $10,900 per year, with top-tier clubs paying an average of some $24,000. By contrast, male professional football players earn an average salary of around $1.8 million in the top-tier clubs. Without a stable income, women are forced to take other jobs, leaving them with less time and energy to focus on training and improving. 

Women are significantly underrepresented in leadership of clubs, sports federations and governing bodies. According to a 2023 survey, women chaired only three of the 31 largest international federations.

Maternity leave, which is essential to many women embarking on an athletic career, is frequently overlooked in women’s sports, holding women athletes back and forcing them to take alternative employment.  

Compared to their male counterparts, women athletes often receive fewer opportunities, and considerably less media attention. 

LGBTIQ+ women, women wearing headscarves, women from marginalised racial or ethnic groups, and women with disabilities face ongoing discrimination in sport, often with little place to turn for redress. 

Certain eligibility regulations force or pressure women athletes to go through invasive tests and take medically unnecessary treatment - or else be excluded from women’s sport. Women athletes from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have been disproportionately affected.

Women athletes of African descent – especially those in the public eye - are often targeted for discrimination, hate speech and abuse, online and offline, and even violence, rooted in sexist, racist and colonial narratives. Later this month, we will mark the first International Day of Women and Girls of African Descent, which I hope will be an opportunity to draw attention to these challenges. 

Distinguished participants,

Collectively, we need to dismantle the barriers and patriarchal attitudes that are limiting women’s progress in sport.

Instead, we need to build up a world of sport in which women and girls, in all their diversity, are equally valued, visible and paid.

States have the primary responsibility to make this a reality. This includes adopting comprehensive anti-discrimination laws and policies. Collecting data that is disaggregated by race or ethnic origin, sex, gender, age and other factors, can help capture intersecting forms of discrimination and inform responses. 

States need to adopt targeted measures to prevent violence and harassment in sport and ensure that cases are investigated, and perpetrators brought to justice.

They also need to invest in sports education for girls – a key tool for advancing gender equality.

Businesses in the sports world also have a crucial role to play. I welcome that some federations are improving conditions for women players, for example by adopting pay equity agreements, providing maternity and adoption leave, and ensuring revenue sharing for athletes.  

We need many more initiatives like these, as well as zero tolerance policies for racism and all forms of discrimination in sport.

Companies in sport – including those organizing mega sports events - should also strive to align their activities with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. This involves doing their due diligence to see how their operations – along the entire value chain - might affect women’s rights and find ways to reduce risks and prevent harm. 

Media can also be a force for good, by increasing coverage of women’s sports, delivering ethical, accurate reporting, and telling success stories. 

Sport can drive social change, which is much needed in today’s polarised world, and it can inspire and promote fairness, respect, and equal opportunities for all. 

Together, let's champion a sporting world where women and girls can thrive.