Sport: Global initiative for female athletes expands to nine nations

The Global Alliance for Female Athletes (GAFA) has significantly expanded its reach, growing from four to nine member nations.

Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland are the latest countries to join the initiative, which was launched last year by organizations from Australia, the U.S., Britain, and New Zealand. Ireland and Belgium have also joined as supporting partners.

The alliance's primary objective is to enhance health and performance outcomes for women participating in sports. The Australian Sports Commission highlighted that the expansion will bolster international cooperation in addressing research gaps and improving support systems for female athletes, coaches, and sports medicine professionals.

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The growth of GAFA to nine nations shows there is enormous appetite around the world to work together, share knowledge and create lasting change for female athletes.

"The growth of GAFA to nine nations shows there is enormous appetite around the world to work together, share knowledge and create lasting change for female athletes," said Rachel Harris, lead of the AIS Female Performance Health Initiative. She emphasized that cross-border collaboration will accelerate research and ensure that more female athletes benefit from the latest evidence and insights.

A key focus for GAFA is ensuring that research specifically addressing female health issues in sports reaches athletes, coaches, and health professionals globally. This expansion comes at a time of increasing attention to issues such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, which studies indicate affect female athletes at rates two to six times higher than male athletes.

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By working together across borders, we're able to accelerate research, share lessons faster and ensure more female athletes benefit from the latest evidence and insights.