As part of the Erasmus+ project Women4Sport, focused on achieving gender equality in leadership and decision-making within the National Olympic Committees of the Western Balkans, a conference was held on November 15, 2024, in Podgorica, Montenegro. The event was organized by the Montenegrin Olympic Committee, with support from the European Union through the Erasmus+ program Women4Sport (W4S).
The conference was opened by Dušan Simonović, president of the Montenegrin Olympic Committee, and Maja Peković, deputy secretary general. They emphasized the importance of integrating women into all levels of sports organizations. The event featured two panels addressing key topics related to gender equality in sports.

The first panel, titled The role of women in the leadership structures of sports organizations, brought together prominent speakers: Jelena Dubljević, president of the Basketball Federation of Montenegro; Zorica Kostić Vučićević, president of the Rugby Federation of Montenegro; and Ksenija Božović, director of women’s national teams at the Volleyball Federation of Montenegro. Discussions focused on the challenges women face in leadership roles within sports, as well as proposals for improving institutional support to ensure their equal participation.
The second panel, The status of female athletes and transition to professional life after a sports career, provided insights into the specific challenges faced by female athletes during and after their careers. The panelists were Sonja Barjaktarović and Anđela Bulatović, former handball players now working as coaches, Ana Milačić, an advisor at the Ministry of Sports and Youth, and Danijela Franeta, head coach of Montenegro’s national swimming team. They highlighted the need for greater support during the transition from professional sports to other careers. They emphasized the importance of developing programs that help athletes integrate into different professional spheres.
The event gathered 76 participants from sports organizations, institutions, and the civil sector, who actively contributed to the discussions and enriched the conference’s conclusions. The conference made a significant contribution to the goals of the Women4Sport project by facilitating the exchange of experiences, raising awareness of the importance of gender equality, and defining concrete steps for the further implementation of project activities. This gathering marked another important step towards empowering women in sports and promoting equal opportunities for all.

Leave a Reply