Research summary · Women's sport
Where elite female-athlete research remains thin
A broad evidence map examines the subjects, sports, countries and participant representation in research involving elite female athletes.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Multidimensional scoping review and evidence map
- Journal
- British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Population / context
- Highly trained, elite and world-class female athletes
What the publication reports
The map retained 3,867 records, including 3,250 original studies, across 102 sports and 74 countries. Across the mapped participant pool, women represented about 31%; disability sport and areas such as law, business and equipment were sparsely represented.
Limits and interpretation
This scoping review maps volume and gaps rather than grading causal effects or study quality. A large aggregate participant count can be driven by a small number of datasets and does not mean all sports or athlete groups are well studied.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Multidimensional evidence map of sport science and medicine research in highly trained, elite and world-class female athletes: a scoping review
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42493231DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2026-111746Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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