U.S. Embassy & Consulate
in New Zealand, Cook Islands and Niue

US Embassy NZ supports the 8th International Working Group on Women & Sport (IWG) World Conference in Auckland

The U.S. Embassy and Consulate in New Zealand supported the participation of three U.S. speakers at the IWG world conference from November 14-17, 2022.

Four-time Olympic Ice hockey U.S. medalist Angela Ruggiero delivered the keynote address about the potential of unlocking women’s sport. She spoke about the value of the women’s sports market, citing research and data that shows that although there is a smaller market there is more fan engagement and fans are digital savvy and loyal.

Stephanie Hightower, a U.S. former hurdler and former president of USA Track & Field encouraged women to share their lived experiences of discrimination to acknowledge their journey and then move on. She talked about the effect of the Black Lives Matter movement on sport and how important social change is being led by the new generation.

Chris Mosier is the first transgender athlete to represent the U.S. in international competition and was the first transgender athlete to compete in the Olympic Trials in any sport in a category different than their sex assigned at birth. Chris presented a Trans 101 session to clarify terminology and advocate for the use of inclusive language in sport for rainbow athletes.

IWG is the biggest gathering in the world to advance gender equity and equality in sport. This is also the biggest sports conference ever staged in Aotearoa New Zealand with 1,200 attending in person and 500 virtually. The IWG on Women and Sport is the world’s largest network dedicated to advancing sport by empowering women and girls. Other themes discussed during the event were indigeneity, sports management in a post-pandemic world, leadership, wellbeing and advancing opportunities for women’s sports in the Pacific.