10 March 2026
Women in Sports Leadership Workshop Held in Istanbul
Organized in cooperation with the Turkish Tennis Federation (TTF) and UN Women Türkiye’s HeForShe initiative, the "Women in Sports Leadership Workshop" was held in Istanbul on March 10, 2026.
Hosted at Bahçeşehir University, the workshop addressed increasing women's access to leadership roles in sports institutions, supporting their equal and meaningful participation in decision-making processes, and strengthening the understanding of inclusive governance.
During the press launch held within the scope of the program, speeches were delivered by Turkish Tennis Federation President Ms. Şafak Müderrisgil, UN Women Türkiye Deputy Country Representative Duygu Arığ, and Bahçeşehir University Rector and Turkish Tennis Federation Board Member Prof. Dr. Esra Hatipoğlu.
Following the press launch, the program began with the opening session titled "Defining Women's Leadership." Throughout the day-long workshop, representatives from sports, academia, the private sector, and civil society shared their experiences in thematic sessions titled "Women Leaders Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Sports," "Women's Leadership in the Global Context," and "Women's Leadership in Turkish Tennis." At the end of the day, a workshop titled "Crossing the Threshold for Women's Leadership in Sports" was held with the participation of all attendees.
The workshop served as an important platform where policy recommendations, good practice examples, and cooperation models aimed at strengthening women's leadership by utilizing the transformative power of sports were discussed.
Ms. Şafak Müderrisgil: “As women's leadership and equal opportunities in sports increase, the power of sports to transform society grows”
In her evaluation during the workshop, Turkish Tennis Federation President Ms. Şafak Müderrisgil drew attention to the importance of strengthening women's leadership in sports for social transformation, stating:
"We believe that as women's leadership and equal opportunities in sports increase, the power of sports to transform society also grows. As the Turkish Tennis Federation, we see sports not only as a field of competition but also as a strong platform for equal representation, inclusive governance, and social transformation. It is among our corporate priorities for women to be more visible in leadership roles as athletes, coaches, referees, and administrators in the sports ecosystem, and to take a more active part in decision-making mechanisms.
The fact that the work we carry out in line with the International Tennis Federation's Advantage All approach, which supports gender equality, was recognized with the Gold Award at the 2025 ITF Advantage All Awards shows that our determination in this area is met at the international level.
In this direction, we are very happy to organize such a meaningful event together with UN Women Türkiye, which carries out pioneering work on an international scale in the field of women's leadership and gender equality. I believe the workshop will contribute to the development of concrete policies and practices aimed at strengthening women's leadership in sports institutions.
I would also like to thank the administration of Bahçeşehir University, which hosted this important event, for their support and contributions. We believe that this multi-stakeholder platform, formed by the coming together of academia, sports institutions, the public, and the private sector, will make significant contributions to strengthening the understanding of equality and inclusive governance in sports."
Duygu Arığ: “Sports is a strong strategic area for social transformation”
UN Women Türkiye Deputy Country Representative Duygu Arığ included the following statements in her speech at the opening of the workshop:
"As UN Women, we see sports as a strong strategic area for social transformation. We consider women's leadership and their participation in decision-making processes as a transformative lever encompassing politics, the economy, sports, and all areas of social life. Gender equality is not the subject of a single institution or a single policy; it requires an ecosystem where public institutions, sports federations, academia, the private sector, and civil society act together. Because not only advocating for equality but also implementing it within institutions is only possible through strong collaborations. The Women in Sports Leadership Workshop we are holding today is exactly a part of this transformation."
Prof. Dr. Esra Hatipoğlu: “Women's leadership makes the transformative power of sports more visible”
Bahçeşehir University Rector Prof. Dr. Esra Hatipoğlu stated the following in her speech:
"Our university sees sports as a strategic platform for social transformation, equal representation, and inclusive governance, and believes that one of the areas where the transformative power of sports is most visible is women's leadership. The stronger inclusion of women in decision-making mechanisms in the sports ecosystem will carry social development forward together with sports institutions. Our primary responsibility is to produce value beyond producing knowledge and to make a concrete contribution in line with sustainable development goals. Gender equality is at the center of our corporate priorities. We adopt a holistic approach from our academic structuring to our governance model, from our student support mechanisms to our sports policies."
Through the sessions and workshops held within the scope of the program, opinions and suggestions for strengthening women's leadership in sports were shared, while an important dialogue ground was created for the development of new areas of cooperation among representatives of public institutions, sports federations, academia, the private sector, and civil society.
10 March 2026
