The Olympic Committee of Portugal will mark International Women's Day ©COP

The Olympic Committee of Portugal (COP) is to mark International Women's Day by holding a special conference and rewarding the country's female sports leaders.

The conference will be titled "Leadership in Women - Pathways to Success and Development Perspectives" and will be held in the COP auditorium in Lisbon.

According to the COP, they could not miss the chance to mark International Women's Day, which will take place on March 8 this year.

Two guests speakers will be in attendance at the conference, including Angela Melo, director of the United Nations' Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) division for sport, youth and ethics.

She will be joined by Katie Simmonds, the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) Europe sports governance and financial integrity officer.

Paralympic swimmer Leila Marques will moderate the Conference
Paralympic swimmer Leila Marques will moderate the Conference ©Getty Images

Melo began her work at UNESCO in March 2009.

She specialises in social sciences and humanities and is a member of the International Institute of Human Rights.

Between 2001 and 2007 she was vice-president of the African Commission of Human Rights, and she also acted as chair of the working group of society, economy and cultural rights.

Simmonds is a recognised expert in sports law, and has extensive experience in the areas of contract disputes in sports including football and rugby.

Moderating the conference will be Dr Leila Marques, President of the COP's Commission of Women and Sport.

The Paralympic swimmer from Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 has also served as President of the Portuguese Sports Federation for the Disabled.