It is now less than six years until the Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Hosting the games will be a multi-billion dollar investment, with organisers committed to a participation legacy to encourage more people to play sports and be active.

However, Australian girls and women are dropping out of organised sports at alarming rates, especially around the ages of 14–15. These teenagers today will be 20 or 21 when the Brisbane games begin.

So, why is this happening and what can be done to reverse the trend?

As far back as 2016, research has shown almost two-thirds of Australian girls leave sport by 15, compared to just under half of Australian boys.

However, dropout can mean anything from switching sports, swapping to informal sport, or stopping altogether.

A more recent 2020 study tracked 29,225 girls and women who participated in Victorian organised sport for seven years. It found 55% of girls aged 4–14 dropped out of sport and never returned.

Australian Sport Commission research from 2025 lists girls aged 15 and older as the third least likely group to play organised sport (behind people 18 and older with a disability, or those with home duties).

More broadly, Australian sport is shifting,........

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