Marking a significant step in advancing gender equality in the world of sport, the New Leaders Forum will be held in Helsinki, Finland from 18 to 20 November 2019.

The event aims at inspiring, activating and equipping game-changers and leaders of sport to act for a gender-balanced sport environment. Within the framework of the IOC Gender Equality Recommendations, over 200 world’s top leaders will address a series of current issues, including leadership, equality, good governance and responsibility.

IOC President Thomas Bach and EOC President Janez Kocijancic will be among key speakers from Europe and across the world attending the event.

“The modern world demands a new understanding of democracy, and the leaders of the future have to be highly qualified, of both genders, very well educated and prepared for the challenges of the new times. And they have to be elected,” Kocijančič said. “There is no democracy without leaders and there shouldn’t be leaders without democracy”.

Panel discussions will draw the picture of the actual status quo and offer guidance on what should be done to secure the best possible future for sports.

The Forum is the culmination of the New Leaders Programme, the educational project that was launched by the NOC of Finland last year. The initiative involved 30 European game-changers (19 women and 11 men) who were selected from 25 countries. Through a number of workshops, each game-changer develop a concrete action plan on a personal and organisational level, creating a culture of change in Europe.

More information can be found at www.newleaders.fi and on Instagram @newleaderseurope.