First, the deliverable explores the research field itself and how gender equality and gender-based violence are addressed in sports higher education, with a specific focus on what problems are addressed, which inequality grounds are included, which target groups are included, and what theoretical frameworks and concepts are used. The document then continues with problems that research has identified as in achieving gender-equal sports and higher education environments that would be free from gender-based violence.
The deliverable concludes by offering inspiring practices in policy and policy implementation related to gender equality plans in sports higher education institutions in the SUPPORTER project, as well as a set of recommendations.

Main points:

• To address inequalities and gender-based violence, gender equality policy needs to secure educational courses in sport education where gender equity and social justice are highlighted.
• Leadership of institutions/higher education should actively commit to gender equality. They should support organisational strategies and change agents working towards institutional change
• Higher education and athletic departments need to build an action plan around policies and practice in relation to gender-based violence in academia and sport to fully prevent, protect or prosecute gender-based violence, and sexuality norms, and to take measures to counter act gender-based violence and harassments.
• Using the existing models of impact drivers, encourage the entire organisation or the athletic department to assess their current capacities to develop and implement a gender equality plan and gender-based violence inclusive policies.
• Ensure that gender equality and gender-based violence policies are linked and jointly monitored and evaluated.
• Considering that sport is operating in silos (sex, age, (dis)ability, strength, etc), support transformation of norms and practices in higher education in sport to address effectively intersectionality issues.
• The review of the state-of-the-art literature reveals a gap in literature specifically relating to the CEE context, in turn leading to a lack of observations on problems and solutions specifically in this context. Hence, it is clear that the region is ‘left behind’ in this regard, further underlining the relevance of the focus of SUPPORTER.