STUDY PROTOCOL article
Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Women in Sport
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1598593
This article is part of the Research TopicEnhancing Physical Activity in Women Across the Lifespan: Evidence-based Insights into Quantification, Intervention, Outcomes, and LimitationsView all 10 articles
Gender-Based Equality in Sport and Women's Presence in Sport and Sports Leadership Structures Matrix 1.0 Nation Reports: A Protocol for National and Global Annual Report
Provisionally accepted
Balsa Kascelan1
Borko Katanic2*
Dr. KARUPPASAMY GOVINDASAMY3
Vlad Adrian Geantă4*Alexandru Ioan Băltean4
Milena Mitrovic5
Bojan Masanovic5- 1University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro
- 2Montenegrin Sports Academy (MSA), Podgorica, Montenegro
- 3Telangana University, Nizamabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
- 4Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, Arad, Romania
- 5Faculty of Sports and Physical Education, University of Montenegro, Niksic, Montenegro
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This protocol was developed to facilitate the collection of up-to-date data and produce a comprehensive annual assessment of gender-based equality in sport and the representation of women in sports and leadership roles. Its goal is to provide evaluators with a standardized methodology for identifying and assessing key indicators related to gender equality and women's participation in sport at national, regional, and global levels. By focusing on a range of indicators, this protocol aims to highlight the current state of gender representation in sport and identify specific barriers to achieving equality. The protocol includes 19 sociodemographic indicators, accessible online, to characterize the demographic profile of participating countries. Additionally, it proposes 20 content indicators specifically focused on assessing women's presence in sport and leadership roles, as well as policies promoting gender equality. Each content indicator will be evaluated through separate analyses using a ten-point grading scale, allowing for a nuanced understanding of challenges and progress in this area. To ensure a dynamic connection between research and practice, the protocol encourages national evaluators to meet annually, producing national reports known as National Reports. These reports will offer detailed and ongoing assessments of gender equality in sport, with outcomes designed to inform policy development and advance gender equity in sports and leadership structures.
Keywords: Gender Equality, Women's Leadership, Country Factsheets, Monitoring, female, surveillance
Received: 19 Apr 2025; Accepted: 28 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kascelan, Katanic, GOVINDASAMY, Geantă, Ioan Băltean, Mitrovic and Masanovic. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Borko Katanic, Montenegrin Sports Academy (MSA), Podgorica, Montenegro
Vlad Adrian Geantă, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, Arad, 310130, Romania
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