Lausanne , 9th March On the occasion of International Womens Day, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the theme of next years IOC World Conference on Women and Sport, which is “Together Stronger: The Future of Sport”. The event will take place from 16 to 18 February 2012 in Los Angeles, USA.

Womens participation being the key for a healthy society in general, but also for the future of sport, the IOC has made womens participation in sporting activities and administration one of its major concerns.

However, whilst the clear rise in womens participation in Olympic events is an important success, additional efforts are needed to strengthen womens representation in sports leadership positions.

The IOC encourages more women to take up responsible positions in sports organisations and has different programmes in place to equip the candidates with the necessary skills and tools to fulfil their tasks. Customised seminars and training programmes help women move into sports administration and other leadership roles. Furthermore, the IOC offers financial support to National Olympic Committees in the developing world for projects that promote equality on the field of play and in sports administration.

The theme for the fifth Conference in Los Angeles stands for the positive evolution in the promotion of girls and women in sport, especially during the last two decades. The call that is linked to “Together Stronger: The Future of Sport” aims to streamline the discussions and efforts of all stakeholders involved to the next level, with women and men working together to remove some of the barriers to gender equality in sport that still exist. The theme also reflects the impact of the increasing cooperation across borders, but also across age groups, which leads to faster and sustainable successes.

The last Conference held in Jordan 2008 attracted more than 600 participants from 116 countries and concluded with a strong action plan, the success of which will also be assessed in Los Angeles.