The SheLovesTri programme in Sanxenxo and Pontevedra brought together National Federations, coaches, administrators, researchers, and members of the wider triathlon community to examine women's current position in triathlon and consider actions to support further progress.
Held alongside the World Triathlon Congress and Membership Services and Development meetings from 22–27 September, the programme included five initiatives covering female participation, women in coaching, federation development, networking and the sharing of best practice. The programme was built around the findings of the World Triathlon Women in Triathlon Status Study, with the objective of moving beyond awareness of the data and encouraging National Federations to consider how the findings relate to their own environments.
Understanding the barriers to women in coaching
The discussion on Status and Perceptions of Female Coaches provided different perspectives on the experiences of women progressing through coaching.
Dan Atkins, Triathlon Coach Advisor at AusTriathlon, said that he had not identified specific barriers preventing women from becoming successful coaches. He highlighted the level of commitment required at the highest level of the sport, including the personal demands placed on coaches who can spend extended periods away from their families. He encouraged women considering coaching to approach the profession with curiosity and to understand what is required to be successful.
Other contributions highlighted the importance of ensuring that barriers are recognised and understood. Dr Tarryn Godfrey, Sport for Development Researcher and Department Director at Brunel University London, noted that triathlon has made considerable progress and compares favourably with many other sports, while also emphasising that there is still work to be done. A key message from the discussion was that barriers cannot be addressed if they are not identified. Understanding the experiences of women within the sport is therefore an important part of creating change.
Learning from National Federation experience
The Female Coaching Best Practices Workshop moved the discussion towards practical examples of how change can be implemented. Triathlon Ireland shared its experience of increasing the representation of women at an administrative level to more than 50%. The federation's experience demonstrated that targeted measures can influence representation. While quotas can be debated, they have been used successfully in Ireland to increase female representation in administration. Quotas have not been used in the coaching space within Triathlon Ireland, raising the question of whether similar approaches could have a role in increasing the number of women progressing through coaching.
The workshop also highlighted that sustainable change involves more than targets. Creating an environment where everyone is welcome to contribute, where discussion is encouraged and where the voices of relevant groups are heard was identified as an important part of the process.
Building capacity across National Federations
The discussion also moved beyond individual programmes and considered the organisational capacity required to create change. During the Membership Services and Development Meeting, Dr Tarryn Godfrey highlighted the role of capacity building in supporting progress. She outlined five areas for federations to consider: act, deliver, relate, adapt and cohere.
For National Federations, this means having the capacity to move from identifying an issue to implementing action, delivering programmes effectively, understanding and responding to the people within the sport, adapting approaches when required and ensuring that different areas of the organisation are working together.
This approach is particularly relevant to female participation. Increasing the number of women entering triathlon cannot be considered separately from the structures that support participation, coaching, competition, administration and leadership.
From data to action
The Women in Triathlon Status Study provides World Triathlon and its National Federations with evidence about the current position of women in the sport. The SheLovesTri programme provided an opportunity to discuss what that evidence means in practice.
The message across the programme was not that every National Federation should take the same approach. Federations operate in different environments and face different challenges. Instead, the study provides a starting point for each federation to examine its own situation.
This includes asking where women are participating, where they are leaving the sport and what opportunities are available to them as they progress. It also means looking beyond participation to consider representation in coaching, technical officiating, administration and leadership.
The discussions in Sanxenxo and Pontevedra reinforced the importance of listening to the people involved, understanding the barriers that exist within each environment and developing practical actions that can be implemented and sustained.
Continuing the conversation
SheLovesTri brought together research, lived experience and examples of practice from National Federations and the wider sporting community. The programme demonstrated that progress requires both awareness and action. Data can identify where further work is required, but change depends on organisations having the capacity and willingness to respond.
For NFs, the next step is to consider their own data, structures and experiences and identify where practical changes can be made. The objective is to create more opportunities for women to enter, remain and progress through triathlon, including in participation, coaching, technical officiating, administration and leadership.
Stay tuned: SheLovesTri | World Triathlon
