The American Olympic ice hockey gold medallist is the sole female representative on the 12-strong Executive Committee.

Ruggiero, appointed to the Executive Committee last August, seemed to imply her support for an article criticising the lack of female members of the body, published in the Daily Telegraph last week.

"Promise to do my part as the only woman on [the] World Rugby Executive Board [sic]," Ruggiero, a former IOC Executive Board member, said while retweeting the article - entitled "Women are needed more than ever on top sporting bodies – having just one on World Rugby's executive is an insult".

World Rugby, which has faced criticism in the past for gender imbalance in its governance, has increased the percentage of women on its Council, the organisation's supreme decision-making body, from zero to 35.

Unions which make up the worldwide organisation nominate officials to serve on the Executive Committee, rather than World Rugby.

A spokesperson for World Rugby said a governance review, which newly re-elected chairman Sir Bill Beaumont has vowed to conduct and will be led by British Olympic Association chairman Sir Hugh Robertson, could lead to greater female representation.

"World Rugby has made significant strides as a champion of change, with transformational governance reform resulting in an increase from 0 to 35 per cent women on our Council, our supreme decision-making body, within the space of 18 months, and more than 30 leadership scholarships awarded," the spokesperson said.

"In addition to continued activation of the ground-breaking 2017-2025 Women in Rugby Plan, which facilitates working with unions and regions to ensure pathways and promote women leaders, further governance review will rightly lead to a wider representation, including women, on our Standing Committees as Sir Bill Beaumont begins his second term as chair."