Isilda Dias

Isilda describes sport as her school. Isilda has achieved a PhD in sport management and teaches Sports for secondary school students and Sport Development and Governance for higher education students. Isilda has competed, coached, researched and worked in sport for the past 35 years. She co-founded the first association for women’s sport in Portugal; is a board member of the Portuguese Sports Management Association; and a member of the Portuguese Olympic Academy.

Isilda Dias aspires to dedicate herself even further to sports management in Portugal, in particular to the management of sport on the regional level. She is driven to contrbiute to the wider development of sport in her country. In particular, she aspires to increase participation in sport across society and increase the representation of women at the leadership level. Unfortunately, women still hold few leadership positions within the highest levels of Portuguese Sport. Apart from having published numerous scientific articles in sport journals, Isilda enjoys writing and has conrributed and edited a book of poetry.

Isilda is unwaveringly curious and driven. Despite her existing educational and professional credentials and experience, she regularly finds new, interesting courses to study and continually seeks to identify new goals and challenges for herself.

Her resilient character; advocacy for social justice and authenticity inspires trust and confidence in her as a teacher and leader in the sector.

Through the SWinG programme, Isilda Dias hopes to develop skills in leadership, persuasion and strategy development in order to be able to further convince current decisionmakers of the value of women in leadership, within sport in Portugal.

For SWinG, Isilda is being mentored by Maria Luisa Saponaro, Italy.

Favorite quote

“If you don’t know where you want to go, don’t be surprised if you go where you don’t want to”

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll