Julia Govinden Appointed to the World Sport for All Board

Fédération Internationale du Sport pour Tous (FISpT) announces the appointment of Julia Govinden to its Board. Following the Board’s decision to co-opt her, the General Assembly subsequently approved the appointment, confirming her status as a full Board Member.

An international sport executive, psychologist, and leader in ethics and safeguarding, Govinden brings extensive experience in inclusive sport, youth development, international partnerships, and federation governance. She has served as Chief Executive Officer of United Through Sports (UTS) since October 2017, leading an international youth sport and education organisation operating under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, Special Olympics International, and SportAccord.

At UTS, Govinden has built and leads a network of 157 partner organisations across 200 countries, bringing together international federations, non-governmental organisations, and the Olympic, Paralympic, and Special Olympics movements around participation, education, and inclusion. Her work has focused on creating opportunities for young people of all abilities to engage in sport and benefit from its social and educational value.

She has pioneered inclusive youth sport festivals, beginning in Bangkok in 2018, and spearheaded the 2020 World Virtual Youth Festival, which engaged 40,000 young participants through a coalition of more than 100 organisations. For this initiative, she received the 2020 Sport for Good Award from the International Fistball Association alongside UTS President Stephan Fox.

Her international work also includes supporting the Government of Senegal’s Dundal JOJ national mobilisation programme associated with the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, with a focus on reaching young people in rural communities who cannot travel to the Games.

Govinden chairs the Ethics Commission of the International Fistball Association, a position she has held since February 2020, and has served on the Ethics Commission of the Fédération Internationale de Savate since June 2021. Since 2025, she has also been a Board Member of Mission 89, contributing to efforts to combat exploitation and trafficking in sport and strengthen the protection of young athletes.

She originated the concept behind “The Line We Don’t Cross”, a declaration developed by Mission 89 in collaboration with UTS to protect young people from exploitation and trafficking in sport. She also led the revision of UTS’s safeguarding framework, encompassing its Safeguarding Policy, Code of Conduct, Reporting System, and Safeguarding Manual.

Julia’s contribution to FISpT will focus on strengthening ethics, safeguarding, and good governance; widening participation for people with physical and intellectual disabilities; connecting youth sport programmes with lifelong physical activity; and developing international partnerships. Her experience and networks provide a foundation for supporting these priorities across the federation’s activities.

World Sport for All welcomes Julia Govinden to the Board and looks forward to her contribution to advancing inclusive participation, responsible leadership, and safe sporting opportunities for all.