The agreement was inked by Denis Oswald here at the ASOIF General Assembly – one of his last major acts as the organisation's President – in the presence of International Working Group on Women and Sport (IWG) special advisor Kate Laine.

The IWG was established in 1994 at the inaugural World Conference on Women and Sport held in Brighton, England, and it acts as an independent coordinating body consisting of representatives of key Government and non-Government organisations from different regions of the world.

"ASOIF regards the signing of the Brighton Declaration as an important step in demonstrating its commitment to developing the role and representation of women in sport at all levels," said Oswald.

"By signing, it indicates, on behalf of its members, the important role that women play in the growth of sport on a global scale and encourages them work hard to ensure that women are fully engaged in their own sports.

"The ASOIF Council will work towards the implementation of the principles enshrined in the Brighton Declaration and expects to see further progress ahead of the sixth IWG Conference on Women and Sport in June 2014."

The vision of the IWG is to realise a sporting culture that enables and values the full involvement of women in every aspect of sport as well as serving as a catalyst for the advancement and empowerment of women and sport globally.

The Brighton Declaration is designed to complement all sporting, local, national and international charters, laws, codes, rules and regulations relating to women or sport, and its overriding aim is to develop a sporting culture that enables and values the full involvement of women in every aspect of sport.

To date more than 315 organisations have joined as Brighton Declaration signatories including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Paralympic Committee (IPC), International University Sports Federation (FISU) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

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