A new model for female leadership in sport

The Finnish pioneer set up a legacy project to change the face of international sports leadership. “One can create a change, but many people can generate a movement and set standards for the new normal.” These were the ambitious words of Birgitta Kervinen in 2017, and since then she has helped to prove that they are true.

Kervinen, from Finland, is a former sports coach who won the award thanks to her tireless work to increase the number of female coaches. She has since set up her legacy project: The New Leaders Programme – a scheme aiming to establish a ‘new normal’ of gender equality in sport.

“I understood that I would like to change international leadership because it does not give the right picture of the real sportswoman,” Kervinen said after winning the trophy. “It’s still men-dominated, old-fashioned, and still grey in many ways.

“I didn’t get much support for my sports leadership career – there was not much mentoring available – so I have learned the hard way, or by mistakes.”

The programme, a joint effort between the IOC and the European Olympic Committees (EOC), and run by the Finnish Olympic Committee, selected 30 European ‘game changers’ – 19 women and 11 men, from 26 countries. The group were mentored by current sports leaders. Partners included the National Olympic Committees of Lithuania, Ireland and Azerbaijan.

Through educational projects, three workshops and a closing conference, they were encouraged to ‘Lead the change – Be the change’. The programme aimed to equip them with strong tools to act and help transform the world of sport. By exchanging ideas, practising their skills and inspiring each other, they can learn how to enact change.

Topics including strategic leadership, communications, lobbying and conflict management were covered, viewed through the lenses of equality, sustainability, human rights and ethics. A key element is the incorporation of the IOC’s Gender Equality Review Project Recommendations.

Each game-changer will develop a concrete action plan, on a personal and organisational level, to help create a culture of change in Europe. It is hoped that this can be the first step towards a global network.

At the 2019 New Leaders Forum, held in Helsinki, Finland, IOC President Thomas Bach described the programme as “best practice in action”. He attended the two-day event, which included around 200 participants. “Here we have 30 young leaders who are committed to leading the charge towards gender equality,” President Bach said. “This is exactly the kind of action we need.”

The New Leaders Programme fits well with the principles of the Sports for Generation Equality Initiative. The coalition has identified the need to undertake systematic efforts to promote women’s leadership and gender equality in governance models.

The Sports for Generation Equality Initiative is born from the Global Generation Equality movement driven by UN Women, which is attempting to revitalise the historic Beijing Platform for Action (agreed 25 years ago) and make gender equality a lived reality by encouraging new partners and a new generation. Sport’s stakeholders, such as governments, federations, leagues and teams, have a strong role to play.

Kervinen herself explains it best. “A dream of a more equal world of sport has been our driving force,” she said. “Now, the culture of sport offers more opportunities to girls and women than ever before. However, promoting equality has not reached the end of the road. In fact, the work has only begun.

“Every single NOC, every single continental Olympic association, and every single international organisation must place the issue of gender equality on their agenda. This is not a women’s issue, this is our issue, and this issue can be solved by us.”