EWAS was born out of the results of the DC4SKI and ESKI projects.
EWAS aims to promote the role of women in alpine skiing.
Women remain underrepresented in coaching and leadership roles in sport, particularly in Alpine Skiing, where female coaches and senior administrators are still rare and girls drop out earlier and in greater numbers than boys. The lack of female coaches means fewer role models for girls, contributing to their early withdrawal from the sport.
A key barrier to gender equality lies in how coaches are trained and recruited: training programs focus mainly on technical skills, while other essential competencies are expected to be learned informally. This fosters cooptation and perpetuates a “boys’ club” culture. By developing targeted training and skills-building opportunities, EWAS aims to empower women coaches, improve their employability, and promote merit-based and more equitable access to the profession.
Researching
Researching the obstacles girls and women face in Alpine skiing first as athletes and then as coaches or administrators and elaborate policy proposals and best practices to foster a culture fostering gender parity starting at the grass root club level, going up to the Federations level.
Promoting
Promoting skills development in Alpine Skiing by creating training modules for women coaches, aspiring coaches and administrators.
The training modules deal with important aspects of the profession about which there is little to no formal education, including:
- Winter sports and climate change
- Boot-fitting and ski preparation
- Management, leadership, communication, digital competencies
- Alpine Officials (Technical Director, Race Director, Chief of Race) and Ethics
- Ski slopes preparation and safety
- Athletes’ wellbeing (mental health, physical health, nutrition)
Participants who will successfully complete all the modules shall receive a Certificate in Coaching and Leading in Alpine Skiing.
Contacts
Project coordinator
Bindi Federiga
