Welcome to the project page for the BISp-funded project “FemPower – Political Activism and Athlete Participation in Competitive and Elite Sports”!
What is this project about?
In recent years, female elite athletes have increasingly engaged in sports policy debates on a variety of topics by articulating their own positions, demands, and actions. These include demands for equal pay with men’s sports and protests against sexist dress codes in specific sports, such as beach volleyball or artistic gymnastics. In addition, there have been numerous socio-political stances, for example against racism or discrimination against sexual minorities, leading to the suggestion that a new era of political activism in sports is already underway.
The FemPower project has analyzed forms of political activism and demands for athlete participation in greater detail: What are athletes’ concerns? How are these communicated and disseminated in the media? How do the general public and sports audiences react to them?
On this page, you will find further information about the project and its findings.
On May 27, 2026, at 6 p.m., we will host an online transfer workshop to mark the conclusion of the project.
Together with Olympic soccer champion and TV expert Tabea Kemme, Mareike Miller (Paralympic wheelchair basketball champion and member of the executive board of Athleten Deutschland e.V. and the German Olympic Sports Confederation), and Dr. Kristin Behrens (board member of the German Athletics Association), we will discuss the possibilities and limitations of political activism in sports in Germany. We will also present our key research findings.
The workshop is open to the public! Please register: REGISTRATION
