World Rugby and the International Working Group (IWG) on Women & Sport Form Strategic Alliance

World Rugby and the International Working Group (IWG) on Women & Sport have announced a strategic relationship through to 2026.

World Rugby has also announced it will send a delegation of up to 50 female leaders to the 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport this November (14-17 November 2022), with New Zealand Rugby committing a further local delegation of 20 leaders confirmed IWG. Hundreds of global sports leaders will be gathering in Auckland and online to design and launch real practical solutions.

World Rugby and the IWG will be working together for four years and launched a “call to action encouraging global sports leaders to get behind the gender equality in sport movement.”

The collaboration supports the objectives of World Rugby’s Women in Rugby Plan 2017-25, and “will create an impactful alliance by connecting the next two women’s Rugby World Cups in Aotearoa New Zealand and 2025 in England with the next two IWG World Conferences on Women & Sport in 2022 and 2026 in the UK.”

World Rugby Director of Women’s Rugby Sally Horrox said: “World Rugby is actively working to reset the dial for women and girls in rugby across the globe, across every rugby region. Guided by an impactful plan, we are creating a global movement – everyone is welcome, and everyone will have their part to play…. we are supporting our Executive Leadership Scholars and other female leaders across our unions to stay in New Zealand after Rugby World Cup this year to access the world’s best strategic thinking and practical solutions at the IWG World Conference.”

IWG Women and Sport added that “the pair launched a global call to action to encourage global sports leaders to get behind the gender equality in sport movement by identifying and championing female leaders.”

The Rugby World Cup 2021 takes place in New Zealand from 8 October-12 November just before the 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport.

What is the International Working Group (IWG)?

The International Working Group was established in 1994 and is the world’s largest network dedicated to advancing gender equity and equality in sport, physical education and physical activity.

• The IWG Secretariat moves nations every four years, with the new host supporting the network, continuing global advocacy work, and running its own initiatives. The IWG developed and remains guardian of the Brighton plus Helsinki 2014 Declaration, which now has the commitment of nearly 600 signatories worldwide.
• Every four years it stages the IWG World Conference on Women & Sport. In late 2021, it launched the IWG Insight Hub – an interactive collection of research, case studies and toolkits to help advance change.

What does the World Rugby & International Working Group (IWG) on Women & Sport Strategic Alliance Mean?

The strategic relationship will commence with the current IWG Aotearoa New Zealand Secretariat 2018-22, Women in Sport Aotearoa, Ngā Wāhine Hākinakina o Aotearoa, and will include:

• World Rugby to send up to 50 female leaders to the 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport, and a further commitment by New Zealand Rugby to send a local delegation of 20 persons.
• A call to action to other global sports leaders to do the same, by combining attendance at the Rugby World Cup 2021 final on 12 November with the 8th IWG World Conference, 14-17 November
• Both organisations to collaborate on guest speakers and panellists for Women in Rugby events being hosted during Rugby World Cup 2021 and at the 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport
• World Rugby to host the IWG Global Executives at the Rugby World Cup 2021 final on 12 November
• A commitment to work with the incoming IWG Secretariat in the United Kingdom as it develops its plans to promote gender equity and equality in sport over the next four years leading up to the IWG World Conference being hosted in Birmingham in 2026.

In late 2022, the strategic relationship will transition to the United Kingdom team, hosted by the Sport and Recreation Alliance, as the incoming host for the IWG Secretariat and World Conference 2022-2026 ahead of Rugby World Cup 2025 in England.

8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport Tickets

Tickets for the 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport are available with Group and Delegation Packages available now.

Confirmed delegations include World Rugby, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Oceania Hockey, the Japan Sports Council, and many more:

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