The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and UN Women have joined forces in a groundbreaking partnership, emphasising their shared dedication to leveraging sports as a vehicle for advancing gender equality and empowering women and girls worldwide.
The signing of the Sports For Generation Equality Framework marks a significant milestone in this collaboration. ITTF President and IOC Member, Petra Sörling, and Director of the UN Women Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality, Jeongshim Lee, formalised this commitment during a meeting held in Korea Republic. This framework lays the foundation for collaborative efforts between the two organisations, aimed at harnessing the transformative power of sports to challenge societal norms and achieve sustainable development outcomes that positively impact the lives of women and girls on a daily basis.
UN Women extends an invitation to stakeholders across the sports ecosystem to join the Sports for Generation Equality initiative. Together, they will work towards a common set of principles and objectives, leveraging the influence of sports to realise gender equality both within and beyond sporting arenas.
By embracing the principles outlined in the Framework, ITTF is poised to lead the charge in advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls across diverse backgrounds within the realm of sports. The federation commits to supporting the implementation of the Sports for Generation Equality Principles and pledges to collaborate with stakeholders to further the gender equality agenda within the sporting community.
Commenting on the significance of this partnership, President Sörling remarked, “Signing this framework is a pivotal moment for us. It provides a framework for measuring our progress as we strive for greater gender equality. While we take pride in our achievement of equal prize money since 2008, there is still much ground to cover and areas where improvement is needed. Our investment in women extends beyond just players to encompass all facets of our organisation, including coaches, match officials, elected officials and staff. This commitment serves as our driving force to continuously do better.”
Jeongshim Lee echoed this sentiment, stating, “I am pleased to share that ITTF Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan is fully aligned with the UN Women guidelines for gender-responsive sport organisations; I think this is great inspiration for other federations.”
To ensure broad accessibility and support for all member associations, and in commemoration of International Women’s Day 2024, ITTF has made its GEDI Action Plan 2025 available in all official languages. This action plan underscores the federation’s dedication to embracing diversity and ensuring that table tennis remains a sport of inclusivity and equality for generations to come.