By Dr Estelle Ivanova, Attorney at Law, Paris, France
Women's sport in France has experienced significant growth over the past decade, driven by increased public investment, targeted equality policies, and the visibility generated by major international sports events.
The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games marked a historic milestone as the first Games to achieve full gender parity amongst athletes, reflecting the broader commitment of France to gender equality in sport. This achievement is all the more remarkable considering that women were excluded from the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 (0% female participation) and represented only 2.2% of athletes when they first competed at the Olympic Games in Paris in 1900.
According to the latest official figures published by the French Ministry of Sports, women held 38.9% of sports federation licences in France in 2024, although participation continues to vary considerably across disciplines. Equestrianism stands out as the leading sport for women in France, reflecting its long-standing tradition of mixed-gender competition and high female participation. Cycling has also seen remarkable progress, supported by the growing success of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and the achievements of elite athletes, such as Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, whose performances have helped inspire a new generation of female cyclists.
Equestrian sport holds a unique position in France and stands apart from most other Olympic disciplines. According to the latest official statistics published by the French Equestrian Federation (FFE), equestrianism is the leading women's sport in France, with 555,525 licensed female riders accounting for 85.7% of all FFE licences in 2024, compared with 74% in 2002. Women also represent 86% of all competition licence holders across all levels of competition. These figures not only illustrate the sustained growth of female participation but also the central role that women play across the equestrian sector, from coaching and stable management to veterinary care and elite competition.
The picture is somewhat different in cycling. According to the latest statistics published by the French Cycling Federation (FFC), women accounted for 12.6% of licence holders in 2025, up from 10.7% in 2019, reflecting the steady progress achieved through the FFC Women's Cycling Development Plan, which was launched in 2019 to encourage female participation at all levels of the sport.
A major turning point came in 2022 with the relaunch of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift by Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO). Building on the legacy of the male Tour de France, one of the world's most iconic sports events, the return of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, as a multi-stage race, marked a significant milestone in the development of women's cycling. It has rapidly established itself as one of the flagship events on the international women's cycling calendar, significantly enhancing the visibility of the discipline, attracting greater media coverage and commercial investment, and inspiring a new generation of female riders. The victory of French champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, winner of the 2025 edition, has further strengthened the profile of women's cycling in France. The 2026 fifth edition, which is currently taking place, further illustrates the growing international profile of the race, beginning in Lausanne, Switzerland, before concluding in Nice on the French Riviera.
Apart from increasing participation, strengthening women's representation in sports governance remains a national priority. Alongside the Loi n° 2022-296 du 2 mars 2022 visant à démocratiser le sport, which introduced mandatory gender parity within the governing bodies of national sports federations, the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) Club des 300 programme continues to support the development of women’s leaders across the French sports movement. According to the latest official figures published in July 2026, 431 women participated in the programme during the 2025–2026 cycle, whilst its nationwide deployment now involves 28 national federations and regional Olympic and sports bodies.
Despite these encouraging developments, important challenges remain. According to the latest guidance published by the French Ministry of Sports, only 20 of the 118 recognised sports federations in France are currently chaired by women. Women hold just 17.91% of National Technical Directors and 11.55% of national coaches, whilst representing 35% of the workforce in the French sports sector. These figures illustrate that increasing female participation has not yet translated into equal representation at the highest levels of leadership and high-performance sport.
France nevertheless continues to strengthen its legal framework in support of women's sport. The recently enacted Loi n° 2026-725 du 3 août 2026 relative à l'organisation, à la gestion et au financement du sport professionnel marks a further step towards the professionalisation and long-term development of women's sport. Amongst its key innovations, the Act enables sports federations to establish dedicated women's professional leagues and commercial entities; reinforces the principle of financial solidarity between the men's and women's professional sectors; strengthens reporting obligations on gender equality measures; and promotes greater media visibility for women's competitions. Taken together, these reforms demonstrate the continued commitment in France to translating the momentum generated by Paris 2024 into lasting structural change for women's sport.
More broadly, these national reforms form part of a wider international and European movement. Alongside the initiatives of the International Olympic Committee and the international sports federations, they reflect a broader European framework, in which gender equality is a fundamental value of the European Union and an important focus of sport policy in the European Union under Article 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
Dr Estelle Ivanova may be contacted by e-mail at ‘