The Global Observatory for Gender Equality & Sport brought together members of its Expert Contributors Network on 15 April 2026 for an online exchange meeting focused on knowledge-sharing, current research, and ongoing initiatives across the international sport ecosystem. During the meeting, participants were introduced to developments within the GO Knowledge Hub, an evolving resource bringing together global monitoring data, policy frameworks, research outputs, directories of organisations and experts, as well as collections of national policies, legislation, and a timeline of developments relating to women and girls in sport. The preliminary programme of the GO Annual Conference, Measure to Matter, was also presented.

The meeting also featured expert presentations addressing pressing issues at the intersection of gender, media, race, technology, and sport. Dr Swarali Patil presented research on the gendered nature of women’s experiences in sport media, highlighting structural barriers, precarity, gatekeeping, and sexism affecting career progression. Ms Rosebell Kagumire shared ongoing research on the digital surveillance of African sportswomen’s bodies, examining how online platforms amplify racialised and gendered narratives around eligibility, identity, and visibility in sport.

Within this wider exchange of ideas and initiatives, Rufat Efendiyev presented the International Platform for Sport Ethics & Integrity (IPSEI) as a platform designed to connect individuals and organisations working on sport ethics, integrity, and clean sport, while supporting greater visibility, coordination, and collaboration worldwide. The presentation introduced IPSEI as a practical digital space capable of strengthening responsible connections across the global sport integrity landscape, including in areas that increasingly intersect with questions of inclusion, rights, governance, and gender equality.

The exchange also provided a valuable opportunity to place IPSEI in dialogue with a broader international network engaged in advancing gender equality in and through sport. In this context, the meeting pointed to the potential value of closer cooperation between communities working on sport integrity and those focused on gender equality, particularly through platforms that can amplify relevant initiatives, news, events, and expert contributions in a visible and accessible way.

The next Global Observatory Expert Contributors Network meetings are scheduled for 1 July and 4 November 2026.

Further information: https://genderequalitysport.org/