Why Women Are (Still) Excluded From Key Roles in Sports

It is clear to everyone that Italy has a problem in sports with regard to women in leadership positions . Because if female athletes today enjoy greater visibility than in the past, the situation is very different behind the scenes : few women hold decision-making roles such as coaches, managers, federation presidents or members of the boards of directors of sports organizations. And the appointment of Luciano Buonfiglio , 74, as the new president of Coni does nothing but go in this direction. The entry into the Council of two great former athletes such as Diana Bianchedi (vice president) and Tania Cagnotto together with Laura Lunetta of Danza sportiva is of little use, seen more as a corrective than as a determined choice.

The future of sport is played off the pitch

It takes a joint effort by institutions, the media, civil society and sports organizations themselves to break down cultural barriers and create an environment where women can emerge , not because of "pink quotas", but because of recognized merit. Only when the presence of women in sports leadership is the norm, and not the exception, can we talk about true equality in sports. In short, the future of sport is also played out - and perhaps above all - off the field . And it cannot be truly successful as long as half of its talents remain outside of decision-making games.

Is there a way to rebalance gender representation?

And to talk about this but also about solutions to rebalance gender representation we interviewed the president of the association Assist Italy Luisa Garribba Rizzitelli who at Luce! She also sent a message to young women who want to enter the world of sport in top roles.

Sport has always been a forerunner of social change, but today it is one of the most tiredly conservative sectors. Why do you think there is still a male predominance in power roles in sports?

“Sport is a ground for innovation but in some areas it is a symbol of conservative and self-protective attitudes. And we see it in some things. The first, where we don't make a good impression, is the representation of women and young people in the organization of sports politics but also in management. Not only in the federal councils, in the Coni, but also trivially in the management of sports associations. Another point of resistance is in making progress in breaking down stereotypes and a certain culture linked to the sport of 70/80 years ago on which we as a civil society have worked more than sports politics itself. I would also add a third point that has marked the immobility. In the desire on the part of sport to valorize those female disciplines that had enormous potential. We are discovering them now but it took us 50 years to reach a worthy visibility. And you ask why? Because trivially it is a question of power. The power that has always managed sport in Italy has belonged to older men often coming from other areas of social influence. And this group of people has protected their own caste. There was no work that led to a renewal. And there was no work that, understanding the causes of the fact that women were not there, went in the direction of making the opposite happen”.

What are the consequences of this disparity for the world of sports, especially for female athletes? And how much does the lack of female role models at the top weigh?

“The disparity for 70 years has been very serious. We didn’t even have a female sport recognized as professional. The point is very practical. If I’m not a professional for Italian sport or for the law of the world of work, it’s as if I were working illegally, as if I didn’t exist. Many point out to us that several male sports have found themselves in this situation. Very true, but for these years we have had all the female sports without any exceptions. Instead for males we had football, basketball, cycling and boxing which were professional sports. For women and for people who made sport their job, we instead brought with us the lack of safeguards and protection. The damage was therefore practical. And then the fact of not having attention to all those discriminations and gender differences that are still evident”.

What solutions do you propose to rebalance gender representation?

“We asked the newly elected Buonfiglio, and we had done the same with Malagò and Abodi, to set up a technical table that discusses these issues with experts. Because the point is that to solve this problem, we need to change people's minds culturally. So we need to train technicians, coaches, federal presidents, but we also need to investigate what the problems are for which there are so few women and why the system doesn't want to renew us”.

The main difficulties (also due to the media)

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced as an activist or advocate for equality?

“I founded Assist 25 years ago with friends who are still on the board. We had so many difficulties. They made fun of us for years and mocked our battles. It is clear that the athletes, with very few exceptions, were very afraid to talk about this. And it is still like this today because it is a very closed world. We encountered enormous resistance and we struggled a lot. We were attacked a lot and considered people who wanted to destroy the sport. Now things have improved but they still see us as a terrible grain of sand in their face”.

Do the media contribute or hinder change? In this sense, are women leaders in sports, even if few, enough reported?

“I had, and Assist had, great allies in the media, especially in the first ten years of activity. Now it is much more difficult to talk about these issues because in fact the sponsorship industry and the sports politics industry do not want sport to be portrayed as a place that has these types of problems”.

Messages for young women

Do you have a message for young women who want to enter the world of sports, even in leadership roles?

“I have two messages. The first is to the athletes still active. Become standard-bearers and have the courage to speak up and join in this battle. To the girls who want to pursue a career in any position, make yourselves heard when some of their rights are trampled upon or when they are not adequately taken into consideration. The voice of a person who suffers an injustice then becomes an assist to go and find a problem. It is not easy because we cannot expect everyone to be strong and have the courage to do it. Do not give up and if someone wants to stop you, make yourselves heard”.

How do you imagine sport in 10 years? Will we be able to achieve true parity at the top?

"My dream is that, within twenty years, we will be able to achieve not only formal equality (the same numbers), but also the possibility of seeing men and women working together while respecting their differences. It is obvious that this can happen if you have adequate numbers. The road is not easy, but now we understand that we can be listened to much more."