Polish Canoe Federation Secretary General Jolanta Rzepka has underlined the need to put women on the path to achieving leadership roles.
Rzepka’s call to empower women in sport comes after attending a workshop organised by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF).
The ASOIF Women Leadership Workshop 2025 took place in Lausanne from October 25 to 27, bringing together more than 40 women engaged in Summer and Winter Olympic sports.
Among the participants was Rzepka after she was recommended by Cecilia Farias, Vice President of the International Canoe Federation.
Rzepka, who is also an Advisor to the ICF Canoe Sprint Committee, joined the workshop to further develop her leadership skills and to share experiences with other women committed to transforming sport governance.
“The opportunity to participate in the workshop came from Cecilia Farias,” said Rzepka.
“We both know the important roles that women play in leadership positions, and this year she chose to give this opportunity to me.”
Over three days, the programme strengthened participants’ leadership capacities through sessions led by professional trainers from EqualCareers.
Supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), this initiative built on the success of ASOIF’s five previous online leadership webinars for women and reaffirmed its commitment to advancing women’s representation in leadership and decision-making roles across international sport.
Participants engaged in interactive sessions on leading effective meetings and communicating confidently in the media.
For Rzepka, the workshop provided not only professional development but also personal insight.
“The main goal of this workshop is to empower women in their roles,” she said.
“It was great to see all these women leading sports federations, including as Presidents.”
Reflecting on her experience, Rzepka emphasised how the sessions enhanced her ability to communicate effectively across different contexts.
“The workshop taught me how to express my ideas within different communities and around people with different mindsets,” she said.
“It’s not the same to talk to my counterparts as it is with athletes’ coaches for example. For a leader, knowing how to speak according to your audience is key.”
When discussing the broader challenges that women face in leadership positions, Rzepka highlighted the issue of self-confidence.
“Women often feel they must be the best in order to perform a task, but they already have the right skills,” she said.
“I want to help women achieve their goals and make them comfortable with making mistakes – because we all do. It would be great to see more women in leadership positions in the future.”
Rzepka believes that enabling more women in leadership positions in sport leadership is essential.
“We need to hire more women. We need to enable more women into the system so that they can reach leadership positions,” she said.
“Cecilia Farias is a good example — we clearly see that she can carry the workload of a leadership role and that it works!”
In her own organisation, Rzepka leads by example. She proudly noted that the Polish Canoe Federation has achieved significant progress in women’s representation.
“Many people don’t realise that our federation actually has a majority of women in its administration,” she said.
“Whenever I have the opportunity to highlight a woman, I make sure to do so — their experience and perspective are incredibly valuable.
“Before becoming Secretary General, I was part of the Board of Directors and I was the only woman.
“Now, there are four of them. It’s already a significant improvement, but we have to keep going.”
Dr Farias, who made history in 2016 when she became the first woman to be elected as Vice President of the ICF, emphasised the importance of women supporting each other and ensuring equal representation across all levels of sport.
“Women support and advocate for women,” she said.
“This is one of the important factors regarding their (our) promotion.
“Equality is not just fair; it certainly generates a more balanced perspective of the universe of our sport.
“Frequently we refer to decision-making bodies and top positions; however, equality, diversity and inclusion require daily work from the bottom to the top level.
“In my capacity as Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Commission, I make sure that the ICF has participation at the ASOIF Women Leadership Workshops and at the IOC WISH Programme, and that those women would come from the five continents.
“It is important for us to develop skills and to understand how to operate in conservative environments where we are heard but our opinions disregarded.”
As the conversation turned to the future, Rzepka’s message to young women aspiring to take on leadership roles in sport was simple but powerful: “Be brave.”
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