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Report shows uneven progress for women in Canadian sport leadership

Canadian Women and Sport released its 2025-26 Women in Sport Leadership Snapshot report on Tuesday, showing women now hold a record 45 per cent of board seats and 48 per cent of board chair positions in national sport organizations.
Federal investment of $775 million over five years, coupled with the Future of Sport in Canada Commission's March recommendations mandating diversity in board selection criteria, created conditions accelerating women's representation in unpaid leadership roles.
Provincial and territorial sport bodies show women comprise 45 per cent of boards and 47 per cent of senior staff, yet the report revealed a void in Indigenous women, women of colour, women with disabilities and LGBTQ+ women representation.
CWS chief executive officer Allison Sandmeyer-Graves acknowledged that progress has reflected existing societal privileges, emphasizing organizational recruitment and nomination policies must reduce bias through systemic change, not individual preference.
Sandmeyer-Graves stated that more inclusive leadership produces a more inclusive sports system, positioning women's decision-making as a lever for systemic change; the $775 million federal commitment aims to embed women and girls throughout sport.

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