Landmarks in the Recent Development of the International Women and Sport Movement

The following account highlights some of the landmarks in the development of the women and sport movement since the first world conference in Brighton, UK in 1994.

The struggle for women's equality in sport has of course a much longer history, both at the international level in events like the Olympic Games, and at the national level in most countries. There have also been organisations concerned specifically with promoting physical education and sport for girls and women in existence for some time, most notably the International Association of Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women (IAPESGW), which is just over fifty years old. National organisations dedicated to women's equality in sport, such as the Women's Sports Foundation in the USA, have likewise been in existence for some time. We have taken the 1994 Brighton Conference as a starting point, however, because it marks the beginning of a strategic and co-ordinated international effort, and the establishment of the International Working Group.

This chapter is divided into 4 parts:
A) The first world conference in Brighton, UK in 1994.
B) The work started between 1994 and 1998 as women and sport issues gained recognition, regional groups were established and conferences were held.
C) The second world conference in Windhoek, Namibia in 1998.
D) The work of the IWG and progress made between 1998 and 2002.