On 12 June 2026, the Council of Europe’s Active and Equal EU-CoE joint project was prominently featured at the International Federation for Sports Officials (IFSO) international event, “Building the Future of Officiating,” held in Orléans, France. The conference brought together international experts, sports leaders, academics, and representatives of the officiating community to address key thematic paradigms shaping the future of refereeing and umpiring across sports and borders.
Gabriela Matei, Senior Project Officer of the project, participated as a key speaker in the opening round table dedicated to “Gender Equality in Officiating”. She presented the core objectives of Active and Equal , which focuses on improving women's participation in sport by addressing long-standing gaps in research, policy development, and institutional support systems. Drawing on strategic lessons learned from previous Council of Europe initiatives, such as the All In Plus joint project and the Balance S4 safety and service e-learning framework, discussions centered on how referees and umpires can act as powerful ambassadors of confidence, leadership, and decision-making to drive systemic gender equality efforts.
The session also highlighted grassroots initiatives, including AFCAM’s “Give a Whistle to a Little Girl” campaign presented by Savice Fabre, which promotes officiating as a pathway for girls to build self-confidence and autonomy. A central focus of the joint project’s intervention is the introduction of a comprehensive “Life-Course Model” framework. This model maps out tailored support systems for female athletes and sports officials across four distinct biological generations: addressing puberty and menstruation in adolescence to mitigate drop-out rates, ensuring physiological safety during maternity, managing symptom variability throughout menopause, and leveraging active ageing in senior age for broader public health gains. To translate these physiological needs into measurable national strategies and policy uptake, the Active and Equal project is utilising six pilot countries (Austria, France, Iceland, Italy, Slovenia, and Spain) as operational testing environments. This data-centric approach aims to directly bridge a stark research gap in sports science, where an estimated 85% of performance studies focus exclusively on males, compared to just 15% dedicated to female-specific data.
The conference further aligned with the Council of Europe's core values of inclusion, diversity, and integrity through two subsequent thematic panels. The round table on “Inclusion & Diversity in Officiating” featured contributions from Asunción Loriente (European Rowing), Robin Barbier (French Tennis Federation), and Geert Bailleul (FIDE), illustrating how inclusive policies must move beyond good intentions to become embedded within organisational frameworks, showcasing practical pathways like wheelchair tennis referees officiating at Roland-Garros. A final panel on “Psychology & Performance in Officiating,” featuring Professor Paul Wylleman, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Patrick Vajda, Member of the IOC Athletes’ Entourage Commission, President of Honour of AFCAM and IFSO and Fernando Parente, Deputy Secretary General, FISU, explored the multidimensional human and mental challenges of officiating, emphasising the role of mentoring and education through initiatives like the Erasmus+ YouREF project. The event concluded with a clear consensus that the long-term sustainability and quality of global sport depend intrinsically on attracting, supporting, and retaining a diverse officiating workforce at every level.
Moving forward, the Active and Equal project will continue to deliver operational resources for policymakers, coaches, and sports officials, including a forthcoming European Mapping Report, dedicated Health in Sport and Media Toolkits, and targeted awareness campaigns.
