Connecticut Sun join SIGA as partner at Female Leadership in Sport summit

With 20 days to go to the highly anticipated Annual Summit on Female Leadership in Sport, the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) is announcing the Connecticut Sun as session partner for the panel “Leaving a Legacy: Spotlight on the Olympics and Paralympics”. Scheduled to take place on 6 March 2024, in Manhattan, New York City, the event will be hosted by the coalition’s founding member Mastercard at their Technology Hub.

The “Leaving a Legacy: Spotlight on the Olympics & Paralympics” session aims to explore the transformative potential of Sport Mega Events. This panel will delve into the critical transition from the Paris 2024 to the LA28 Games, focusing on maximizing the positive impacts and securing a sustainable post-Games legacy.

Connecticut Sun team president, Jennifer Rizzotti, responsible for basketball and business operations of the WNBA franchise, will join the panel as a speaker. Attendees have the opportunity to learn from her outstanding career as a player and a coach. On the court, Jennifer won a NCAA Championship with the UConn Huskies and two WNBA championships with the Houston Comets. She earned multiple Coach of the Year awards with the University of Hartford, before leading the USA Basketball Women’s National Team to a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as an assistant coach, and three USA Basketball 3×3 teams to gold at the 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup, the 2023 3×3 Women’s Pan American Games, and the 2023 FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup as a head coach.

The Annual Summit is designed to unlock the power of networking, learning, connecting, and mobilising the sports community to commit to both integrity and gender equity, both on and off the field of play. Participants will gain access to an exceptional opportunity for networking and learning.

Jennifer Rizzotti, President, Connecticut Sun, commented: “SIGA is leading the charge in dedicated discourse around integrity and gender equity in sports—two issues that are of utmost importance to me and the Connecticut Sun organization. Participating in their Annual Summit on Female Leadership in Sport is a great opportunity to support an organization that cares so deeply about pushing women’s sports forward in all facets. I look forward to sharing my knowledge and learning from the other incredible and like-minded individuals at this event.”

Katie Simmonds, SIGA Global COO and Managing Director of the #SIGAWomen Programme expressed enthusiasm about the partnership: “SIGAWomen started as a simple concept: empowering aspiring female leaders in sport through the power of storytelling. Jennifer Rizzotti’s story is inspirational as she is a barrier breaker that through her commitment both on and off the court has transformed women’s basketball in the US with global ramifications. We are honoured to have the Connecticut Sun as the first women’s sports team partnering with SIGAWomen and call on others to join them. Together, through partnership and collaboration, we can move the needle for gender equity on the board of sports organisations.”