European Aquatics has marked International Women’s Day by launching the Women in European Aquatics Network, a new initiative aimed at supporting and empowering women who are interested in leadership roles across the sport.
Registration details for the network are now available, while a promotional video has also been released featuring some of the most influential women currently involved with European Aquatics, all offering their backing to the project and encouraging others to join.
The initiative represents another important step in line with the principles of European Aquatics’ Aquatics Social Responsibility project, with a clear focus on personal growth, leadership development, confidence building and increasing the presence of women in governance and decision-making positions.
Emma Garcia, Spain’s former European artistic swimming gold medallist and world medallist, who now serves as vice chair of the EA Athletes Committee, described the launch as a mentorship initiative designed to support and empower women in leadership.
She said that meaningful change begins when people decide to take the lead.
Sarah Keane of Ireland, who serves as bureau liaison and chairperson of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Integrity Committee, said the programme places strong emphasis on self-responsibility, personal growth and the development of confident and capable leaders.
She added that leadership starts from within and becomes stronger when it is shared.
European Aquatics treasurer Andida Bouma of The Netherlands explained that the network is open to women aged over 18 who are connected to National Federations, to European Aquatics, or who have been involved in aquatics over the past ten years and have an interest in leadership.
She said the initiative aims to bring together experience, ambition and diverse perspectives from across the aquatics community.
France’s Caroline Jouisse, the 2022 European 25km open water champion and a member of both the Athlete Committee and the DEII Committee, said that through mentorship, shared knowledge and leadership-focused activities in 2026, the network will help create a supportive and forward-looking environment.
She added that the initiative will play an important role in strengthening the future of women’s leadership in aquatics.
Silvia Costa, Aquatics Social Responsibility Project Manager, invited women to register and join what she described as a growing community, concluding with the message: “Let’s start the wave.”
Throughout 2026, the Women in European Aquatics Network will provide regular updates on leadership-related matters and relevant issues, and at least three leadership webinars are planned, with the first scheduled before summer.
These webinars will tackle subjects such as confidence building, personal branding, practical tools to support women in leadership roles, barriers to female leadership and access to a leadership and learning resource library that is expected to be officially launched later this year.
The launch underlines European Aquatics’ commitment to creating more inclusive pathways within the sport and ensuring that more women are equipped, encouraged and empowered to step into leadership positions at every level.
