(COLUMBUS, OH) – The Greater Columbus Sports Commission announced plans for a yearlong celebration of Title IX and its impact on sports and society in Central Ohio.

Linda Shetina Logan, executive director, said the Sports Commission is currently planning a series of in-person and digital celebrations throughout 2022, beginning with her participation as a panelist for a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 12 p.m.

“Title IX completely changed the playing field for women in sports and society,” Logan said. “It’s one of the most important pieces of legislation in the last half century.”

The Title IX legislation reads, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Logan said Title IX allowed hundreds of thousands of female athletes a chance to experience the power of sports that would have otherwise been impossible.

“We recently had a chance to celebrate OHSAA girls state champions in fall sports,” Logan said. “Many of those champions wouldn’t be able to participate if it weren’t for Title IX. The impact in sports, business, and society is impossible to calculate.”

Logan said the Sports Commission will work with local and visiting organizations to celebrate the monumental anniversary. The team is producing a podcast with iHeart featuring local women’s sports stories as well as community events and displays people can read, see, and hear around Columbus.

Columbus has earned global recognition for its hosting of women’s sporting events and recently broke the all-time attendance record when hosting the 2021 NCAA DI Women’s Volleyball Championship. Columbus will host the USA Artistic Swimming Collegiate Championship March 23-26 and NCAA Women’s Bowling Championship April 15-16 among several marquee women’s sports events this year.

About The Greater Columbus Sports Commission

The Greater Columbus Sports Commission’s mission is to rally Columbus to compete and win sporting events, providing a singular athlete and fan experience and positively impacting image, economy and lifestyle. Since 2002, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission has brought 550 new sporting events to Columbus, generating an estimated $625 million in direct visitor spending.