IOF Gender Equality project update

The IOF FootO Commission thanks everyone who responded to the IOF Gender Equality survey, we had responses from more than 1,300 people from 76 different countries.

There was strong support for equal winning times at IOF elite competitions, with 68% of people either selecting “Agree” or “Strongly agree” that winning times should be equal. These figures were consistent between male and female responders, and between current/recent international competitors and those who have not competed at high level. The response from junior women was even more strongly in favour of equal winning times. There was less agreement about what the winning times should be, with a split between people voting for the current men’s winning time, and those thinking it should shorter than that. It was clear that male voters didn’t want to see a reduction in men’s winning times.

There was also support for equal winning times at the World Masters Orienteering Championships (WMOC), with 57% of people either selecting “Agree” or “Strongly agree”. This was even higher among current WMOC participants, with 65% either selecting “Agree” or “Strongly agree”. Again, the responses were very similar between men and women, and again, there was no consensus about what the winning times should be – but the male voters didn’t want to see a reduction in men’s winning times.

The Gender Equality Working Group (made up of members of the FootO Commission) will now discuss the results with a reference group, and make a proposal to the IOF Council in time for their June meeting, in time to make any necessary changes for the 2023 season.