World Athletics has launched a new project exploring pregnancy, childbirth and the return to sport for elite female athletes.
The Childbirth And Return in Elite Sport (CARES) project combines scientific research and policy development grounded in the athletes’ perspective. Its overarching aim is to generate evidence that can inform future policies and support systems, to protect female athletes and reduce inequities within elite athletics.
As part of the project, World Athletics is calling for female athletes – both those who have experienced pregnancy and those who have not – to complete one of two surveys. The surveys are being conducted as a collaboration between the Health and Science and Competition departments of World Athletics with direct input from the World Athletics Athletes’ Commission.
The first survey is intended for female athletes who experienced pregnancy on or after 1 January 2019 during their elite athletics career, regardless of whether the pregnancy resulted in childbirth. This survey collects information on pregnancy and, where applicable, childbirth and return to sport, including perceived barriers and facilitators, professional and organisational support, contractual and financial considerations, and possible ways to support world rankings during maternity leave. This part of the project is integrated by a retrospective analysis of the World Athletics database, including performance metrics, providing new data and novel scientific insights.
The second survey is intended for elite female athletes who have not experienced pregnancy. It focuses on perceptions of organisational support, maternity-related governance, and possible ranking-policy mechanisms.
“We are continually looking for ways to make our sport even more equitable, and the CARES project is the next step in ensuring athletes who experience pregnancy are protected, receive support, and do not face barriers when it comes to being able to make a return to elite athletics,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.
“It is important that our athletes are the driving force behind this. The responses generated by these surveys and the associated analysis of performance metrics is vital to this project, to inform future action.”
World Athletics Athletes’ Commission Chair Valerie Adams said: “I am really proud to see World Athletics taking a leading role in encouraging research and more open dialogue about what it means to be a mother and an athlete.
“When I started my career, you didn’t want to tell your sponsors if you got pregnant because you might get dropped. By the time I retired – as a mother of two – we’re seeing more female athletes coming back from having kids and performing at an elite level. I hope that the work being done in this space will further inspire female athletes to not only plan their sporting career, but also plan their life.”
The surveys are open to all elite female athletes included in the World Athletics competition performance ranking. The deadline for submitting survey responses is 30 September.
