Workshop for Policymakers in ASEAN Member States

A three-day workshop was held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from 13 to 15 January 2026, under the theme “Integrating Gender Mainstreaming into Sport Policy.”
The workshop aimed to examine and organize key elements necessary for ASEAN Member States to concretely develop and institutionalize gender-responsive mid- to long-term sport policies. Participants strengthened their capacity in areas such as budget planning and institutional design, while also engaging in in-depth discussions toward the development of common regional gender indicators.
A total of 37 participants attended the workshop, including government and National Olympic Committee (NOC) representatives from the 11 ASEAN Member States. Resource persons included Dr. Lombe Mwambwa, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Observatory for Gender Equality & Sport (GO), and Game Mothibi, Senior Manager at TAFISA.

Group photo at the opening of the workshop

During the knowledge-sharing sessions, Dr. Lombe Mwambwa presented the Global Observatory for Gender Equality & Sport (GO)’s strategies and insights on measuring progress in gender equality, as well as on policy and legislative tracking and mapping.
Game Mothibi provided practical perspectives on designing initiatives and interventions to expand women’s participation in sport at the grassroots level, highlighting field-based approaches and implementation considerations.
In addition, presentations were delivered by participating countries, during which progress over the past two years in promoting gender equality was shared, including improvements achieved, ongoing challenges, and newly emerging issues. Relevant policy documents serving as the basis for implementation were also introduced, together with reports on monitoring and evaluation and budget allocations, followed by the presentation of proposed future outcomes.
In addition, a panel discussion was conducted featuring the project leader, Noguchi, together with the two resource persons. The session focused on effective stakeholder collaboration, offering insights into institutional mechanisms and cooperative approaches for advancing gender mainstreaming in sport policy.

Panel discussion by the speakers (Dr. Lombe Ms. Game, and Ms. Noguchi)

As a regional good practice within ASEAN, Dr. Nazira Binti Abdul Rahman of Malaysia introduced the country’s women’s sport policy, the “Women in Sports Action Plan 2021–2025.” The initiative attracted strong interest from participants as a systematically structured approach spanning the full policy cycle, from policy formulation to monitoring and evaluation.

Information sharing on Malaysia’s women’s sport policy by Dr. Nazira

During the group work, participants examined realistic and feasible policy recommendations for the development of gender-responsive mid- to long-term sport policies in their respective countries.

The workshop also included discussions on the development of common indicators to advance gender equality across ASEAN. Through mixed-country group discussions, participants exchanged diverse perspectives and reflected on their respective national contexts, leading to constructive dialogue on the design and feasibility of shared regional indicators applicable across ASEAN Member States.

Host City:	Siem Reap, Cambodia
Co-organizer:	Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia
Dates:	13–15 January 2026
Theme:	Development and institutionalization of gender-responsive mid- to long-term sport policies
Participants:	Government officials and National Olympic Committee (NOC) representatives from the 11 ASEAN Member States, as well as officials from the ASEAN Secretariat (The workshop was conducted in a hybrid format, with some participants joining online.)

Programme:
Day 1 (13 January)

■	Opening Ceremony (Opening Remarks)
?	Phon Bophateavy, Secretary-General, General Department of Sport, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia
?	Aya Noguchi, Deputy Director, International Research Center for Sport and Gender Equality (SGE), Seijo University
?	H.E. Vath Chamroeun, Secretary of State, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia
■	Global Trends in Gender Equality within Sport Policy
?	Aya Noguchi, Deputy Director, SGE
■	Knowledge Session: GO Activities and Policy Mapping
?	Dr. Lombe Mwambwa
■	Country Presentations
?	All participants
■	Panel Discussion: Stakeholder Collaboration
?	Dr. Lombe Mwambwa, Game Mothibi, Aya Noguchi

Day 2 (14 January)

■	Sharing Good Practices on Women’s Sport Promotion Plans (Malaysia)
?	Dr. Nazira Binti Abdul Rahman
■	Promoting Sport Participation among Girls and Women at the Grassroots Level
?	Game Mothibi
■	Group Work: Developing Medium- to Long-term Gender-Responsive Sport Policies
?	All participants

Day 3 (15 January)

■	Presentation of Draft Sport Policy Proposals
?	All participants
■	Designing Common Indicators to Measure Gender Equality Progress among ASEAN Member States
?	All participants
■	Closing Ceremony (Closing Remarks)
?	Nasya Nabila Nursabrina, Education, Youth and Sport Division, ASEAN Secretariat
?	Christina Yoke Yee Tham, Member, Women in Sport Commission, Singapore National Olympic Council
?	Aya Noguchi, Deputy Director, SGE
?	? H.E. Vath Chamroeun, Secretary of State, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia

Follow-up on Country Progress

Based on the post-workshop sheets submitted after the previous year’s workshop, a series of regular online meetings were conducted to review country progress and identify emerging challenges. Two rounds of bilateral meetings with each country, along with two joint meetings, were organized to support continuous engagement and strengthen trust and collaboration with national stakeholders.

■ First Round of Bilateral Meetings (Late May – Early June 2025)
Government representatives from each country shared updates on initiatives within their priority areas.

■ First Joint Meeting (Online Gathering) (7 August 2025)
An all-country online meeting was convened, during which government representatives presented progress on priority areas, facilitating multilateral knowledge exchange and peer learning. Brunei delivered a report on the 2nd OCA Gender Equality Seminar held in April and shared information on the Women in Sport Strategic Plan presented during the meeting.

■ Second Round of Bilateral Meetings (6–21 November 2025)
In addition to reviewing progress on national initiatives, discussions explored challenges, needs, and opportunities for collaboration, as well as considerations for medium- to long-term planning.

■ Second Joint Meeting (Online Gathering) (4 December 2025)
Information was shared regarding the workshop scheduled for January 2026, including guidance on pre-workshop activities and preparation.

Challenges and Needs in Sport Participation among Women and Girls

As part of the research component of this project, an analysis was conducted in reference to the ASEAN Work Plan on Sports 2021–2025 to examine barriers to women’s sport participation across four dimensions: (1) socio-cultural, (2) organizational, (3) relational, and (4) individual factors. The study aims to clarify both the significance of sport participation for women and the factors that hinder participation within each national context.
During the current fiscal year, field research was carried out in Thailand, Lao PDR, and Singapore.
Target Countries: Thailand, Lao PDR, Singapore
Survey Duration: Approximately three days per country
Participants: Government officials, National Olympic Committees (NOCs), sport federations, university students, and NGOs

Thailand
Research Period: 1–3 July 2025

With Thai government officials who supported the research

Lao PDR
Research Period: 2–4 September 2025

With Lao PDR government officials who supported the research

Singapore
Survey Period: 24–26 February 2026

With Singapore government officials who supported the research

International Sociology of Sport Association(ISSA) (8–11 July 2025)

The project findings were presented at the 2025 World Congress of Sociology of Sport, titled “60 Years of the Sociology of Sport: Past, Present, and Future Trajectories,” held at Seoul National University, Republic of Korea.
At the congress, the analysis results from three countries surveyed in the previous fiscal year — Indonesia, the Philippines, and Viet Nam — were presented.
The congress brought together more than 150 participants, including scholars and practitioners from across East Asia as well as from India, Australia, New Zealand, and other regions.

Postdoctoral Researcher Furuta presenting SGE research findings at the ISSA

Global Observatory for Gender Equality & Sport (GO) Advisory Council Meeting(29 September 2025)

The Advisory Council Meeting of the Global Observatory for Gender Equality & Sport (GO), an international organization promoting gender equality in sport, was held at the H?tel de Ville (City Hall) in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Mr. Noguchi, Deputy Director of the SGE, attended the meeting on behalf of the Centre. The meeting brought together representatives from international organizations, academia, and sport organizations from around the world, where discussions focused on global policy trends and future strategic directions.

With experts on sport and gender equality gathered from around the world

Japan–ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Sports(SOMS+Japan) (14 October 2025)

At the Japan–ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Sports, held in Hanoi, Viet Nam, the project team presented the outcomes of the initiative since FY2023 and shared updates on progress across participating countries.
The session also provided information on the project work plan for the current fiscal year, as well as on the planned development of common indicators for sport and gender across ASEAN.

Deputy Director Noguchi presenting the project report and future plans at SOMS+Japan

Sport × Gender × International Cooperation Study Session (22 January 2026)

The 2nd Sport × Gender × International Cooperation Study Session was held at Seijo University.
The session primarily targeted organizations in Japan engaged in sport-based international cooperation. It provided updates on the overall progress of the Japan–ASEAN project implemented by SGE, including research findings from participating countries and insights into regional trends in sport for development and international cooperation within ASEAN.
In the latter half of the session, participating organizations introduced their initiatives, followed by an interactive discussion aimed at strengthening networking and collaboration among stakeholders.

With participants and stakeholders after the study session