The Council of Europe and the European Union launched the “Active and Equal: Women’s health in sport across generations” joint project dedicated to placing women’s health at the heart of sport.
The launch event took place on 5 March from 2.00 PM to 5.00 PM at the Council of Europe headquarters (Palais de l’Europe) in Strasbourg and online.
This Europe-wide project is bringing together policy makers, medical experts and elite athletes to address long-neglected barriers to female participation in sport. “Active and Equal” aims at ensuring that women’s health specificities are taken into account and mapped in the context of sport to create safe, stigma-free environments where women can thrive at every stage of life.
The project is structured around three mutually reinforcing pillars designed to move the sector from awareness to implementation:
- The project will conduct the first cross-European analysis of physiological, psychological, and social barriers affecting women across life stages, producing national reports and a consolidated European Mapping Report.
- A modular “Women’s Health in Sport Toolkit” will be developed to equip coaches, Physical Education teachers and health professionals with practical, science-based tools for supporting female athletes from adolescence through to older age.
- Through role-model video clips, the project will raise visibility Europe-wide to break the silence and stigma surrounding topics such as menstruation and menopause in sport.
The event preceded a high-level Breakfast Roundtable on 6 March to mark International Women’s Day, highlighting the project's strategic alignment with European human rights and equality standards.
Both events were open to the public upon registration.
Concept note and programme of the "Active and Equal" launch event
Concept note and programme of the Breakfast Roundtable on women and girls’ participation in sport
Presentations from the speakers of the "Active and Equal" launch event 05/03/2026:
- Baz Moffat: Transforming the system for girls and women in sport, fitness & wellness
- Evert Verhagen: Current healthcare issues: menstrual cycle and health tracking
- Flaminia Ronca: Exercise neuroscience: Female life transitions and brain health
- Jane Dennehy: Knowledge: Research and Gaps Women and Girls in Sport and Physical Activity
- Cyprien Peronet: Les architectes silencieuses du sport santé
- Annamarie Phelps: The growing visibility of female athletes at the Milano-Cortina Olympic Games 2026
Presentations from the speakers of the Breakfast Roundtable on women and girls' participation in sport 06/03/2026
- Sarah Bellew: Black girls and sport: a breakup story
- Marie Denitton: Women and girls participation in sport
- Evert Verhagen: Programmes to increase women physical activity level
- Nadia Bonjour: Best practices on promoting women and girls' participation in sport
- Caroline Henry: Le sport: L'ADN de Canal +
- Päivi Tolppanen: Inclusive environments in sports- Retaining girls and women with disablities
