20 Years of Gender in Sport – Progresses and Backlashes

Call for Papers: 15th Meeting of the Transnational Working Group for the Study of Gender and Sport “20 Years of Gender in Sport – Progresses and Backlashes”

Since the inception of the Transnational Working Group for the Study of Gender and Sport in 2005, much has changed in the field of gender and sports, both in research and in practice. On the one hand, there has been an increase in research focusing on gender discrimination in sport, including research on the situation of trans and non-binary athletes. And while discriminatory and misogynistic debates about strong women in sport persist, as seen in discussions surrounding the boxer Imane Khelif at the 2024 Olympics, we are also witnessing a growing wave of international solidarity among female athletes like her in addition to critical public discourse around restrictions on femininity in sport. Even in traditionally androcentric fields, such as sports medicine and exercise science, there are encouraging signs of change. Research and public debates are increasingly addressing issues such as menstruation and pregnancy in sport, challenging long-standing gender biases. At the same time, global political trends, reflect a resurgence of a strong movement towards a new cultivation of hegemonic masculinity and queerphobia, which inevitably affect the field of gender and sport.

Twenty years after the founding of the Transnational Working Group for the Study of Gender and Sport, we invite reflection and discussion around the following questions:

• What his(or her-)stories of gender in sport can be observed?
• What historical breakthroughs and victories for gender equality in sport have occurred, and what continuities or backlashes remain?
• What insights can an intersectional perspective offer on gender within sport practices and sports policies?
• What are the future directions for research and practice concerning gender equality in sports?

Abstract Submission Guidelines

• Authors should submit their abstracts in English.
• Authors are required to submit their abstract via mail to: genderandsport2026@uni-goettingen.de.
• The deadline for submission is 01.03.2026.
• Abstracts should not exceed 250 words.
• Contributions can be conceptual/theoretical, empirical, or methodological in nature or they can present projects or policies that engage with gendered issues in sport.
• Apart from empirically oriented presentations, we encourage the submission of conceptual and theoretical works.
• Abstracts will be reviewed by the members of the conference’s local organizing committee.
• Presenting authors need to register for and attend the congress.
• All authors agree that their abstracts will be published in the book of abstracts online.