Faculty of Social Sciences University of Tehran Woman in Development & Politics 2538-3124 23 3 2025 10 23 Urban Branding through Women’s Sports: Exploring the Interplay of Media Representation and City Image Urban Branding through Women’s Sports: Exploring the Interplay of Media Representation and City Image 427 470 103575 10.22059/jwdp.2025.397591.1008550 FA Meysam Noori Khanyourdi Assistant Professor of Sport Management, Department of Motor Behavior and Sport Management, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran. 0000-0003-1612-7826 Sakineh Lotfi Fard Shokarloo PhD Student in Sport Management, Department of Motor Behavior and Sport Management, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran. 0000-0001-5135-6726 Mir Hassan Seyyed Ameri Full Professor of Sport Management, Department of Motor Behavior and Sport Management, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran. 0000-0001-9447-9013 Kamilla Swart Department of Engineering Management and Decision Sciences, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar. 0000-0002-2778-2802 Journal Article 2025 06 25 Urban branding is a critical component of urban development, as it contributes to economic growth, attracts tourism, and strengthens identity. However, Tehran’s cultural and social assets, particularly women’s participation in athletics, are underutilized as a result of inadequate policymaking, limited media coverage, and male-centric perspectives. This study examines the impact of women’s sports participation and its media representation on Tehran’s urban branding. The research is descriptive-survey in method and applied in purpose. Convenience sampling was employed to acquire a total of 342 valid questionnaires from female athletes, coaches, sports managers, and Tehran municipality officials. Standard Likert-scale questionnaires were employed to measure the variables, including urban identity, city image, competitiveness, women’s sports participation, and media coverage. The instruments’ reliability was affirmed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficients  that exceeded 0.7, and their validity was verified by sports management experts. The data were analyzed using SPSS-25 and SmartPLS-3, with the bootstrap and Sobel tests being implemented. The results indicated that urban branding was significantly positively impacted by women’s sports participation (β = 0.42, p < 0.001), with media coverage functioning as a mediating factor that exacerbated this relationship (VAF = 15%). The significance of targeted media strategies, the development of sports infrastructure for women, and the creation of opportunities for their participation at various sporting levels to enhance the city brand and accomplish sustainable development is underscored by these findings. Urban branding is a critical component of urban development, as it contributes to economic growth, attracts tourism, and strengthens identity. However, Tehran’s cultural and social assets, particularly women’s participation in athletics, are underutilized as a result of inadequate policymaking, limited media coverage, and male-centric perspectives. This study examines the impact of women’s sports participation and its media representation on Tehran’s urban branding. The research is descriptive-survey in method and applied in purpose. Convenience sampling was employed to acquire a total of 342 valid questionnaires from female athletes, coaches, sports managers, and Tehran municipality officials. Standard Likert-scale questionnaires were employed to measure the variables, including urban identity, city image, competitiveness, women’s sports participation, and media coverage. The instruments’ reliability was affirmed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficients  that exceeded 0.7, and their validity was verified by sports management experts. The data were analyzed using SPSS-25 and SmartPLS-3, with the bootstrap and Sobel tests being implemented. The results indicated that urban branding was significantly positively impacted by women’s sports participation (β = 0.42, p < 0.001), with media coverage functioning as a mediating factor that exacerbated this relationship (VAF = 15%). The significance of targeted media strategies, the development of sports infrastructure for women, and the creation of opportunities for their participation at various sporting levels to enhance the city brand and accomplish sustainable development is underscored by these findings. https://jwdp.ut.ac.ir/article_103575_5ec86741b15ebf5cb3a5ee5c049283be.pdf