Women’s Leadership in Canadian Sport Reaches Record Highs But Executive Roles Decline

Canada’s sport system is seeing historic progress in women’s leadership representation, but a new national report shows that major barriers still exist at the executive level.

A new 2025-26 Women in Sport Leadership Snapshot released by Canadian Women and Sport revealed that women now hold a record 45 per cent of board seats and 48 per cent of board chair positions in national sport organizations across Canada.

The findings demonstrate significant progress in governance and decision-making roles within sport. However, the report also revealed a concerning decline in the number of women serving as chief executive officers and executive directors.

Women currently make up 48 per cent of senior staff positions across the national sport system, but only 34 per cent of CEO or executive director positions — an eight-point drop since 2023 and the lowest level recorded since data collection began in 2018.

“This is a really dramatic drop,” said Allison Sandmeyer-Graves, CEO of Canadian Women and Sport.

According to the report, inclusive leadership plays a critical role in shaping opportunities for children and youth, especially girls, to participate and succeed in sport.

“What we know is that too many kids are being left on the sidelines of those opportunities and, in this case, we’re specifically talking about girls,” Sandmeyer-Graves explained.

The report studied leadership roles across national, provincial, and territorial sport organizations, including major bodies such as the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee.

At the provincial and territorial level, women currently hold:

45% of board positions
47% of senior staff roles
40% of board chair positions
46% of CEO or executive director positions

Researchers say these leadership pathways are important because many national sport leaders begin their careers at the provincial level.

Representation Gaps Still Exist

While overall numbers for women have improved, the report identified significant gaps affecting Indigenous women, Black women, women of colour, women with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ women.

One anonymous sport board member shared her experience in the report “I’m always the only Black woman. I’m not always the only woman but I am always and have still to this day been the only Black woman.”

The report argues that true progress in sport leadership must include broader diversity and representation that reflects Canadian communities.

“The progress has reflected existing privileges in our society and within the sports system,” Sandmeyer-Graves said. “Greater intention is going to be required to ensure that the representation we see in sport leadership reflects Canada.”

A Critical Moment for Canadian Sport

The findings arrive shortly after recommendations from the Future of Sport in Canada Commission called for mandatory diversity measures in board recruitment and leadership selection.

The federal government also recently announced $775 million in new sport funding over the next five years, creating what advocates describe as a major opportunity for systemic change.

Sport leaders say organizations must now focus on long-term policies that reduce bias and create equitable pathways into leadership.

“When we look at the CEOs, it doesn’t mean every organization must have a woman CEO,” Sandmeyer-Graves said. “But organizations must examine recruitment policies, nomination processes, and how they reduce bias in leadership spaces.”

The Bigger Picture

Experts believe leadership diversity directly impacts participation, athlete development, community engagement, and the future growth of women’s sport in Canada.

As women’s sport continues to gain national and international attention, advocates say the next step is ensuring leadership opportunities grow alongside participation and investment.

The report concludes that while progress is visible, sustainable change will require long-term structural reform to ensure women especially those from underrepresented communities are fully included at every level of Canadian sport leadership.