Sport Takes Her Places: From the field of play to the boardroom
Several female leaders at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games are shaping the future of winter sport through key roles within International Federations (IFs). They include FIS Council member Fiona Stevens (NZL), ISMF President Regula Meier (SUI), FIL Executive Board member Elena Sorina Ticu (ROU) and World Curling Vice-President Kim Forge (AUS) – each of whom has drawn on lessons learned from the field of play to inform their leadership across the Olympic Movement.
Key facts
- Women’s representation in sports leadership continues to grow, with women making up 43.4 per cent of the IOC membership.
- 60 per cent of IFs (Summer and Winter) have reached or surpassed the 30 per cent target in terms of female representation within their highest decision-making bodies.
- Sport provides a pathway for women from competition to leadership roles across the Olympic Movement.
- Former athletes increasingly hold senior decision-making roles in IFs and other sports organisations.
Stevens, Meier, Ticu and Forge highlight how sport can take women far beyond competition, equipping them with the resilience, confidence and skills needed for leadership roles. For them, sport was more than a passion; it was also a training ground that shaped them for leadership beyond the field of play.
Fiona Stevens: Skills beyond the slopes
Fiona Stevens’ Alpine skiing career took her around the globe on the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) World Cup circuit and to the Lake Placid 1980 Olympic Winter Games, before she later pursued a career in business and co-founded the Snowvision Foundation, a charitable trust that supports snow sports athletes in New Zealand.
Today, she continues to shape the future of snow sports as a member of the FIS Council and leader of the organisation’s Women Committee. For Stevens, the lessons she learned as an athlete have influenced her leadership approach.
“Sport teaches you what I call the hard-to-come-by skills in life,” she says. “Things like attention to detail, organisation, resilience, commitment and how to deal with pressure.
If you can do a sport to a high level, it sets you apart, and it gives you a unique skill set. To compete at the Olympics and perform your sport to the highest level makes you pretty exceptional.
Having that sporting background was a key factor in opening doors professionally.
“When I went for my second job interview after leaving sport, they were almost arguing over who was going to have me. And a lot of that came down to the fact that ‘Olympian’ was on my CV,” she explains.
Stevens’ experiences have convinced her that sport can play an important role in helping women develop confidence and leadership skills.
“In terms of a platform for women, I think it’s extremely powerful. It’s empowering and enabling,” she says. “Through sport, I learned so many different skills that people look for when they are hiring for challenging roles.”
Regula Meier: Encouraging women to step forward
For Regula Meier, President of the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF), the journey into sports governance began when she discovered ski mountaineering and became part of Switzerland’s growing community of athletes. What started as a passion in the mountains gradually transformed into leadership – first through officiating roles in Switzerland, then on the ISMF Council, and ultimately, in 2021, as President of the Federation. At Milano Cortina 2026, she oversaw the sport’s historic and successful Olympic debut.
Throughout that journey, the lessons she learned through sport helped shape the way she approaches leadership.
It is our responsibility, when we are in the boardroom making decisions, to ensure that we remain open and create a wider path for the next generation in sport, Leadership, to me, is about lifting others as you climb.
Yet she believes one of the biggest barriers for women in leadership is not ability, but confidence.
“For me, it’s not important if it’s a woman or a man. It’s important that the person is doing a good job,” she explains. “But what I think is that often women underestimate their skills.”
That is why Meier believes that visible leaders, such as International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry, can play such a vital role in encouraging others to step forward.
“It's important that we have more role models like Kirsty so that women can stand up and say, ‘For sure, I can also do it’,” she says. “When women say, ‘But how can I?’, I tell them: don’t underestimate your skills. Stand up. You are strong.”
Elena Sorina Ticu: From athlete to advocate for change
Elena Sorina Ticu’s journey in winter sport began on the luge track, representing Romania at the Lillehammer 1994 Olympic Winter Games.
After retiring from competition, she remained closely involved in the sport, first as a coach and later as President of the Romanian Bobsleigh and Luge Federation. Today, she is a member of the Executive Board of the International Luge Federation (FIL) and recently completed a doctorate in sports science.
For Ticu, the transition from athlete to administrator felt like a natural progression.
“I'm here because of sport. My entire life in sport prepared me for these moments,” she says. “Now, I try to support other former athletes in becoming leaders at national and international level.”
She also believes greater opportunities and education are essential to helping more women reach leadership positions in sport.
“There are parts of life that are still dominated by men, but women can do anything,” she says. “We are dedicated and motivated, so we should have the same opportunities and education to reach the highest levels in sports leadership.”
That is why promoting women in sport remains one of Ticu’s priorities.
I will continue to promote other women in sport because I really believe that we can create change and help make our sports more visible and more interesting to the world.
Kim Forge: Leadership built through sport
For Kim Forge, Vice-President of World Curling, the journey from athlete to international sports leader developed over decades of involvement in the sport she loves.
The Australian represented her country in curling 135 times on the international stage, competing in eight world championships before moving into sports governance. She served as President of the Australian Curling Federation and was elected Vice-President of World Curling in 2024.
Forge says the lessons she learned as an athlete continue to influence her approach to leadership.
“Sport has shaped my life far beyond competition,” she explains. “It taught me resilience, discipline and how to perform under pressure, but more importantly it taught me how to lead with integrity. Winter sport has been my leadership classroom.”
Now, Forge’s focus is on creating opportunities for others to follow in her footsteps.
It is our responsibility, when we are in the boardroom making decisions, to ensure that we remain open and create a wider path for the next generation in sport, Leadership, to me, is about lifting others as you climb.
Sport Takes Her Places
The IOC has been celebrating the transformative power of sport throughout the month of March, highlighting its role in the journeys of women who were competing, coaching or in leadership roles at Milano Cortina 2026. Follow the conversation during the month and discover more inspiring stories on the Olympic platforms.