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New alliance could be 'transformational' for women's sport

Emma Wiggs won consecutive gold in Paris, Tokyo and Rio comepting in the canoeing KL2 200 metres.Getty Images

Emma Wiggs won consecutive gold medals in Paris, Tokyo and Rio

Katie Gornall
BBC Sport Correspondent

A new alliance of world-leading sports scientists could be "transformational" for women's sport, according to one of Britain's most successful Paralympians Emma Wiggs.

The Global Alliance for Female Athletes (GAFA) will see leading representatives from Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand forces to share best practice resources and make their research freely available all in one place.

The aim is to educate and empower female athletes, and address the gender gap that exists in sports science research, something three-times Paralympic champion Wiggs believes has held women back.

"When I stared my career everything that was being prescribed to us as female athletes was based off male research," says the 44-year-old.

"This alliance will be transformational. It'll be a real turning point for female athletes across the globe to have a trusted, relevant resource to go to that isn't just something you see on social media."

The initiative has been driven by Dr Richard Burden, female health and performance lead at the UK Sports Institute.

"We just don't understand enough about many of the challenges that female athletes face," he said.

"For example 'how does the menstrual cycle influence performance">