New Initiative Announced 

Aspiration that Columbus will Emerge as Nation's Capital for Women's Sports

During the 2025 State of the City address, Mayor Ginther declared an aspiration shared with First Lady Shannon Ginther that Columbus will emerge as the Nation’s Capital for Women’s Sports. This vision will be pursued in partnership with the Greater Columbus Sports Commission.

• The initiative will have four focus areas:
  • Keep young girls and women in sports
  • Grow women’s sports fandoms, teams and events based and hosted in Columbus
  • Cultivate the next generation of female business and civic leaders
  • Drive innovation in women’s sports and investment in sports-related businesses

Through this initiative, Columbus will create opportunities for individuals and also position Columbus as a national leader in women’s sports. This pursuit will reach an inflection point in 2027 when we host the NCAA Women’s Final Four and DI Women’s Volleyball Championship. More information will be shared later this spring as the partnership and funding is formalized. Stay up to date by subscribing to our newsletter.

Elevating Women & Girls in Sports

Part of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission's DNA

Columbus has always championed girls and women in sports, standing out as a city dedicated to athletic growth, community building, and equal opportunity. Even before it became widely celebrated, Columbus was setting the stage for women athletes, offering platforms where they could compete and thrive. From the Sports Commission's founding in 2002, we've sought to elevate women's sports in new ways. We believe in women's sports and the power they have to inspire young girls to be what they see. Here are a few examples of our work:

• Columbus was the first city to wrap team buses in school branding for both the Women's Final Four (2018) and the DI Women's Volleyball Championship (2021)
• The 2018 Women's Final Four was an advance sellout, featuring three incredible games highlighted by a title-winning buzzer-beater
• Columbus set the then-record attendance figure with 18,755 fans at the 2021 DI Women's Volleyball Championship Final

Image Credits:
Jacy Sheldon: John Mac, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Abby Steiner: Erik van Leeuwen (bron: Wikipedia). - Zenfolio - Erki Pictures, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=121190757
Annette Echikunwoke: Habst, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Keana Hunter and Ruby Remati: https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/news/2024/8/12/general-buckeyes-win-five-medals-at-paris-olympics
Eleanor Harvey: © Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons
All Images from Making Headlines: © Columbus Dispatch