Women4Sport, dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women in sports, was recently held in Podgorica.
This event is part of the broader Erasmus+ project, funded by the European Union, and coordinated by the Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The partners in this project are the Montenegrin Olympic Committee, the Olympic Committees of Albania, Croatia and Slovenia, as well as the non-governmental organization BRAVO.
Although significant progress has been made, gender equality in sport remains a challenge. Montenegro is seeing improvements in the representation of women in sports, but there are still gaps, especially in leadership roles of sports organizations and media representation of female athletes. Despite their exceptional results on the international stage, Montenegrin female athletes still face inequalities.
The conference included two main panels:
- Women in leadership: Panelists, such as Jelena Dubljević, Zorica Kostić Vučićević and Ksenija Božović, shared their experiences about challenges and successes in management positions in Montenegrin sports organizations. They emphasized the importance of breaking stereotypes and creating strategic opportunities for women.
- Career transition: Former sportswomen, now coaches and sports administrators, including Sonja Barjaktarović, Anđela Bulatović, Danijela Franeta and Ana Milačić, spoke about the challenges of transitioning from sports to professional careers. They emphasized the importance of education, dual careers and support for sportsmen and women after their careers end.
The Women4Sport initiative is a key step towards improving gender equality in sports in the Western Balkans. By sharing experiences, strategies and visions, this conference laid the foundations for systemic change. As the participants pointed out, empowering women in sports is not only a matter of equality—but also unleashing the full potential of sports as a transformative force in society.
