Women4Sport: Women in Sports Determined to Achieve Their Goals!
The Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina brought together future leaders in sports.
The Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina hosted a conference as part of the Erasmus+ project Women4Sport, which focuses on achieving gender equality in leadership and decision-making within the national Olympic committees of the Western Balkans. This initiative is dedicated to strengthening women’s leadership in sports. The event gathered prominent experts, academics, and female athletes to enhance the position of women in sports organizations.
The conference was opened by the President of the Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Academician Prof. Dr. Izet Rađo, with introductory remarks from Academician Asim Kurjak, President of the International Academy of Sciences and Arts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who emphasized that only 25% of leadership positions globally are held by women.
During an interactive lecture, Academician Prof. Dr. Izet Rađo discussed the evolution of leadership over time, inviting the audience to share their experiences. Meanwhile, Nazif Hasanbegović, a strategic communication expert, presented the challenges of human resource management in the context of women’s leadership.
Panel discussions covered key topics, including the role of digital technologies in developing women’s leadership. Speakers included Academician Prof. Dr. Velimir Srića, Dr. Sci. Lejla Gurbeta Pokvić, Director of the Verlab Institute, Azra Ademović, Director of International Business Solutions, and the inspiring Selma Purić, architect, web designer, and coach of para-swimming education in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Another panel focused on the challenges of women’s leadership in the 21st century. It featured experienced sports leaders, such as MTB cyclist Lejla Njemčević, Nevena Šavora, Head of the Office for National Sports Federations Programs and Development Programs of the Croatian Olympic Committee, Prof. Dr. Kada Delić Selimović, President of the Special Olympics in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jelena Dojčinović, Manager of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, Olympian Sanja Kusmuk, and Technical Secretary of the Ski Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They shared the challenges they faced throughout their careers.
At the end of the conference, a draft strategy for strengthening the position of women in decision-making processes in sports was presented, with a special emphasis on regional cooperation among the Western Balkan countries.
We were honored to host participants from across the Western Balkans and beyond, including distinguished experts, policymakers, and representatives of sports federations in Bosnia and Herzegovina – members of the Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 41 sports federations, notable athletes, and civil society organizations.
The Women4Sport initiative is a two-year Erasmus+ capacity-building project in sports aimed at promoting gender equality in leadership and decision-making within national Olympic committees and sports federations of the Western Balkans.
This event marks a significant step towards empowering women in sports and advancing gender equality in sports organizations.