Beating health barriers in sport – insights from the Women & Equalities Committee report
It is clear that interest in women’s sport continues to grow, with the industry estimated to reach £1 billion in 2024[1]. Nevertheless, many women still face significant barriers to participation in sport.
On 5 March 2024, the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) of the UK Parliament published a report[2] on the health and physiological barriers to sport faced by women throughout their life (the Report). The Report was based in part on oral evidence that the WEC collected from a panel of witnesses between June to November 2023, consisting of retired sportswomen (with backgrounds in cycling, netball, rowing, and rugby), national governing bodies such as England Netball and England Hockey, key organisations including UK Sport and Sport England, and experts in women’s health and fitness[3].
This article explores the WEC’s findings and recommendations set out in the Report. Ultimately, the Report encourages a more streamlined approach to women’s sport through improved initiatives and collaboration of key organisations with the aim of increasing women’s participation in sport.
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- Tags: Athlete Welfare | Participation | Safety | UK | Women’s Sport
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Written by
Lereesa Easterbrook
Lereesa is a Senior Associate in Bird & Bird's Sports Group in London and Co-Lead of their Women's Sport practice. She acts primarily for national and international sports governing bodies, federations and sporting organisations in contentious and regulatory matters across a range of sports including motorsport, tennis, equestrianism, cricket, rugby and football. She is also a Board Member of England Korfball.
Josie Price
Josie is a Trainee Solicitor at Bird & Bird. She is currently sitting in the Sports Regulation department. She has experience working in Fnatic's in-house legal team. She graduated (1st) from the University of Bristol.
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