The UAB Hosts a Conference on Equality in Sports Promoted by the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE)

“As journalists, we have the duty and the power to change the narrative in women’s sports.”
Iliana Ferrer

The event brought together professionals from sports, communication, and research with a common goal: to promote gender equality in the sports field.

The day began with institutional speeches by Ricardo Carniel, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Communication Sciences at UAB; Manuel Parga, Director of Marketing, Sustainability, and Human Resources at the COE; and Bernardo Cuenca, spokesperson for Iberdrola. During this segment, Parga officially presented the COE’s initiative “Promoting Equality in Sports.” This was followed by the screening of the short documentary Empowerment of Women in Sports.

The main roundtable discussion was moderated by journalist and UAB alumni Jon García, and featured water polo player Laura Ester, recently retired after winning Olympic gold in Paris 2024; taekwondo athlete Joan Jorquera, an international medalist; and IRE-UAB researcher Marta Borrueco, an expert in dual careers and gender. The debate included active participation from students through questions and reflections, highlighting their interest in the topics discussed.

Laura Ester emphasized the lack of media visibility for minority sports compared to the dominance of others: “We’ve just become European champions for the second year in a row—what more do we need to do to get recognition?” While acknowledging progress in the visibility of women’s sports, she believes there is still a long way to go.

Joan Jorquera shared his experience as an elite athlete and his goal of becoming an international coach in the future. Jorquera, who prefers to speak of equity rather than equality in sports, stressed the need to give visibility to less-publicized disciplines, especially in women’s sports.

Marta Borrueco delved into the inequalities that still persist in the sector, such as motherhood and the gender pay gap, and highlighted the importance of psychological support throughout an athlete’s career—a topic that sparked great interest among attendees.

The event concluded with remarks from Iliana Ferrer, professor in the Department of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising and Deputy Director of the Olympic Studies Centre at IRE-UAB. Ferrer encouraged students to become agents of change through communication, using inclusive language and more equitable journalistic coverage.

With initiatives like this, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona reinforces its commitment to equality in sports, demonstrating that change begins with education, critical reflection, and collaboration between institutions.

This conference is part of the research and knowledge transfer lines of the CEO-UAB at the Sport Research Institute, which actively analyzes gender inequalities in sports, in collaboration with the COE and UAB’s commitment to advancing toward a fairer, more diverse, and inclusive sports environment.