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Working towards gender equity in sport leadership has the potential to change our sport system for the better. Diverse boards, leadership teams, and staff mean sport organizations are more innovative, inclusive, accountable, and better able to manage risk including safe sport, financial sustainability, and effective governance.
Our next Leadership Snapshot will be released in early 2026.
The Women in Sport Leadership Snapshots highlight and celebrate recent successes in sport leadership diversity at the national and provincial and territorial levels.
They also challenge sport organizations to continue to embed gender equity in their organizations and bring diversity, beyond gender, to their boards and senior leadership teams so more women, girls, and gender-diverse people are represented in the sport system and can benefit from the power of sport.
In recent years, commitments from all levels of governments, dedicated funding sources and strong leadership from within sport organizations have continued to drive gender equity in sport leadership forward.
Over the past five years, the percentage of women holding board seats in the national sport system has increased by 9 points (from 34% in 2018 to 43% in 2023).
of National Board Members are Women (+2% from 2022)
of National Board Chairs are Women (+2% from 2022)
The 2021/2022 survey of nationally funded sport organizations in Canada shows that public attention, and dedicated funding from Sport Canada, continued to drive change for the national sport system. Compared to 2019, after the government commitment was announced, the percentage of women holding board seats jumped by 5 points.
In a year when women’s progress faced unprecedented setbacks, Canadian sport showed signs of resilience—and areas demanding urgent change. The Women in Sport Leadership 2021 Snapshot reveals where representation is rising, where the glass ceiling still holds, and how sport compares to corporate Canada in advancing gender equity.
The 2019-2020 report summarizes the composition of decision-making at National Sport Organizations (NSOs), Multisport Service Organizations (MSOs) and, new this year, Canadian Sport Institutes (CSIs). The good news: Sport in Canada is making steady progress in including perspectives from women. The challenge: We still have work to do. Let’s create conversation and spark action.
