European Champions Call on Sports Teams Worldwide to March Forward for Gender Equality

Reykjavik, Iceland – 2 September 2025 – Valur women’s handball team, reigning European and Icelandic champions, have become the first team in Icelandic sports to join March Forward, a global campaign launched by UN Women Iceland in March 2025 to highlight setbacks in gender equality and inspire collective action.

This year, UN Women is leading the global campaign March Forward for Gender Equality – an international call for nations, institutions, and communities to step forward, unite, and make real gender equality a priority. The campaign’s symbolic gesture is simple but powerful: step backwards to mark regression, then march forward together in rhythm — a call for solidarity and progress.

Valur’s champions led the way in Iceland, challenging other teams, including Valur’s men’s football squad, to take part. Watch the woman’s handball team march here. Their action quickly inspired the National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland (ÍSÍ), whose president, board, and CEO also joined in. See their video here.

“We have influence. We shape attitudes. We create role models and can stand together against gender-based inequality and violence.

We encourage everyone within the movement – teams, athletes, and volunteers – to contribute and support this important cause,”says Willum Þór Þórsson, the president of the National Olympic and Sports Association in Iceland. 

Why It Matters

UN Women & UNESCO handbook, supported by Icelandic and Australian governments, exposes the scale of gender-based violence in sports around the world:

• 21% of professional women athletes experienced sexual violence as children in sport — double the rate for men.
• Women athletes with disabilities are three times more likely to suffer violence.
• Reports of domestic violence rise during major sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup.
• Many women athletes avoid reporting abuse for fear it will harm their careers.

Stella Samúelsdóttir, Executive Director of UN Women Iceland, stresses the importance of athletes leading the conversation:

“When European champions like Valur take a stand, it sends a clear message to young athletes and to the sports world: equality must be part of the game.”

Call to Action

The March Forward campaign invites teams everywhere to take part. Record your march, share it on social media, challenge others, and show that sport stands together for gender equality.

Watch the March Forward campaign film here.

Links to Instagram videos from the sports club Valur

Video posted by The National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland on their Instagram

Download the report (Tackling violence against women and girls in sport: A handbook for policy makers and sports practitioners)

Media Contacts

Kristjana Arnardóttir
PR, National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland
Tel: +354 616 9823
Email: kristjana@isi.is

Stella Samúelsdóttir
Executive Director, UN Women Iceland
Tel: +354 845 9595
Email: stella@unwomen.is