Overview:
Female athletes who choose motherhood could soon face fewer penalties in elite sport, as World Athletics moves to address long-standing inequities linked to pregnancy and competition. A new project, CARES, will collect athlete experiences and performance data to improve support systems for returning mothers in track and field.
MONACA, 19 JUNE 2026 (INSIDE THE GAMES)—Track and field’s governing body launched the ‘Childbirth And Return in Elite Sport’ project on Tuesday to protect female competitors and reduce inequities through scientific research and policy development.
“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 World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.
As part of the ‘CARES’ project, the federation is calling for female athletes – both those who have experienced pregnancy and those who have not – to complete one of two surveys, which are being conducted in collaboration between the Health and Science and Competition departments of World Athletics, with direct input from the World Athletics Athletes’ Commission.
“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,” stressed Coe.
The first survey is intended for female athletes who experienced pregnancy on or after 1 January 2019 during their elite athletics career, regardless of whether the pregnancy resulted in childbirth. This survey collects information on pregnancy and, where applicable, childbirth and return to sport, including perceived barriers and facilitators, professional and organisational support, contractual and financial considerations, and possible ways to support world rankings during maternity leave. This part of the project is integrated by a retrospective analysis of the World Athletics database, including performance metrics, providing new data and novel scientific insights.
The second survey is intended for elite female athletes who have not experienced pregnancy. It focuses on perceptions of organisational support, maternity-related governance, and possible ranking-policy mechanisms.
“I am really proud to see World Athletics taking a leading role in encouraging research and more open dialogue about what it means to be a mother and an athlete,” said World Athletics Athletes’ Commission Chair Valerie Adams.
“When I started my career, you didn’t want to tell your sponsors if you got pregnant because you might get dropped. 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,” the two-time Olympic champion in shot put added.
Adam’s fears are not unfounded. Several athletes have seen sponsorships dropped or reduced after announcing their pregnancies, including elite marathon runner Emma Bates and Allyson Felix, the most decorated American in Olympic track and field history.
The 11-time Olympic medallist’s contract with her sponsor Nike was reduced by 70 percent because of her pregnancy in 2018. She went on to build her own brand of athletic wear for women. Her own experience with discrimination has powered her advocacy work, campaigning for policy changes and even launching a child care initiative for athlete moms.
Felix was also behind the first-ever Olympic Village nursery, which launched at the Paris 2024 Summer Games. Olympian moms were given access to private spaces for breastfeeding, a family lounge for playtime and a changing station. Now a mother of two, the legendary sprinter plans to continue racing. She recently announced that she was coming out of retirement, with an eye on the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028….PACNEWS