International Women's Day: IAAF decides to elect its first female vice president

Bengaluru, March 8: With March 8 celebrated as International Women's Day, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will elect its first female vice president this year as it continues its efforts to ensure that women are represented at the highest levels of the sport.

As part of the widespread reforms adopted by the IAAF Congress at the end of 2016, the IAAF has added minimum gender targets into its constitution to establish parity at all levels in the sport's governance.

Currently, there are six women on the IAAF Council. That number will increase to seven at this year's elections in September, and to 10 in 2023, before reaching parity with male Council members in 2027.

Continuing its efforts to ensure that women are represented at the highest levels of the sport, the IAAF will elect its first female vice president in 2019.
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— IAAF (@iaaforg) March 7, 2019

Following the election of the first female vice president at this year's IAAF Congress, two of the four vice president positions will be filled by women in 2027.

The IAAF Council established a Gender Leadership Taskforce in 2017 to work alongside the IAAF Women's Committee to develop and organise global and regionally specific programmes to ensure a robust pipeline of eligible female candidates is available for this year's elections and beyond.

Over the past 12 months, women's leadership and administration seminars and symposiums have been held in five of the IAAF's six Areas: Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) seminars in Cairo, Dakar and Nairobi; a European Athletics (EA) seminar in Brussels; an Oceania Athletics Association (OAA) seminar in Auckland; a South American Athletics Confederation (CONSUDATLE) symposium in Caracas; and a North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC) event in Santo Domingo. Jakarta will host an Asian Athletics Association (AAA) seminar later this year.

"On International Women's Day, I'm absolutely delighted to reinforce our commitment to gender balance in the governance structures of our sport," said IAAF President Sebastian Coe.

"I formed our Gender Leadership Taskforce because I want to encourage more women into our sport and to provide the pathway and programmes to allow them to do that.

"We have equal opportunities for women in competition, and we are committed to having equal opportunities for women in all our governance structures. I have always believed that any organisation is stronger and more effective when women are properly represented at every level."

(Source: IAAF Media)