sportswomen reinforced by the media. All women are subjected to standards in the field of sports,

regarding their body, their behavior and their performance.

Serena Williams, after an extraordinary career in tennis, has announced that she is leaving the sport to

focus on her family. She said, "Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and family.

It's not fair. If I were a man, I wouldn't be writing this, because I would be playing and making money,

while my wife would be doing the physical work of growing our family."

This statement says a lot about inequality in sport. If Serena were a man, it would be easier to balance

work and family. The reconciliation of family and professional life is particularly complicated for top

athletes. On the other hand, the world of sport is not immune to violence or discrimination and is known

to be a more male-friendly environment. Attributes recognized as masculine, such as physical strength,

are valued.

A "Me Too" movement has also emerged in this area. It is disturbing to note that the testimonies of the

victims implicate a large number of associations and sports federations, which would have failed to

prevent violence or to react quickly enough when facts were denounced. Sarah Abitbol, a former figure

skater, called on all survivors of gender-based violence to break the silence, as she has done.

LBTI women face invisible and multiple discrimination in sport. Their families may oppose or not support

their participation in sport. They may be rejected when they join a team. Their performance is constantly

questioned. The media portrays negative stereotypes about LBTI athletes, who may be the target of hate

speech, harassment and violence.

An Icelandic athlete told ILGA-Europe: "Being a woman in sport means being less than a man, having less

experienced coaches, less money, less respect and interest from clubs. Being a queer woman was

something that was not talked about." Anti-gender movements in Europe and the United States have

seized on the topic of sport, calling for the exclusion and non-recognition of LBTI athletes.

My report does not claim to be exhaustive. I have chosen to focus on the urgent need to prevent and

combat gender-based violence, discrimination against LBTI women, disparities in status and income, and

the still limited participation of women in decision-making bodies in sport.

I have tried to prepare relatively concrete recommendations with a call to action. The recommendations

include the fight against gender stereotypes through awareness-raising, violence prevention, training of

sports personnel and gender equality education in general. Sports federations and clubs can, for example,

develop codes of conduct and be vigilant with regard to equality issues. Making the adoption and

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