World Athletics is asking elite female athletes to share their experiences with pregnancy and a return to competition, part of a new research effort the governing body says will guide future policies on maternity leave, sponsorship protections and how athletes are treated in the world rankings.
The Childbirth And Return in Elite Sport project, known as CARES, was announced this week. It pairs scientific research with policy work and is being run by the organization’s Health and Science and Competition departments, with direct input from the World Athletics Athletes’ Commission.
Two surveys are now open. The first is for elite female athletes who experienced pregnancy on or after January 1, 2019, regardless of whether the pregnancy resulted in childbirth. It asks about barriers and support during pregnancy, the help athletes received from their federations and sponsors, contractual and financial considerations, and how world rankings might be preserved during maternity leave. The second survey is for elite female athletes who have not been pregnant, focusing on their views of organizational support, maternity governance and possible ranking policies.
Researchers will also conduct a retrospective analysis of the World Athletics database, looking at performance metrics before and after pregnancy to add new scientific data to the project.
“We are continually looking for ways to make our sport even more equitable, and the CARES project is the next step in ensuring athletes who experience pregnancy are protected, receive support, and do not face barriers when it comes to being able to make a return to elite athletics,” said Sebastian Coe, the president of World Athletics.
Coe said the athletes themselves should shape the work. “It is important that our athletes are the driving force behind this. The responses generated by these surveys and the associated analysis of performance metrics is vital to this project, to inform future action.”
A Changing Conversation Around Motherhood in the Sport
Valerie Adams, the two-time Olympic shot put champion who chairs the Athletes’ Commission, said the project reflects how much has shifted for athlete mothers over the past two decades.
“When I started my career, you didn’t want to tell your sponsors if you got pregnant because you might get dropped,” Adams said. “By the time I retired, as a mother of two, we’re seeing more female athletes coming back from having kids and performing at an elite level. I hope that the work being done in this space will further inspire female athletes to not only plan their sporting career, but also plan their life.”
Her comments reflect a broader change in elite track and field over the past several years. Sponsors and federations have faced public pressure to revise contracts that previously cut pay or rankings when athletes took maternity leave.
Findings from CARES are expected to feed into future World Athletics policy on maternity support and rankings, though no specific changes have been announced. The surveys close on September 30.
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