International Association of Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women
INTERNATIONAL UPDATE – JAN/FEB 2021
19th Quadrennial IAPESGW World Congress International Association of Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women Promoting Leadership, Empowerment and Sustainability through Sport and Physical Activity
The International Association of Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women will hold its Quadrennial World Congress from 8th until 10th September, 2021 in Tianjin at Tianjin University of Sport, China.
IMPORTANT DATES
Conference Announcement and Abstract Submission & Registration Open – 4th February 2021Deadline for abstract submission – 1st April 2021 Notification of acceptance – 15th May 2021 End of Early Bird Registration – 30th May 2021 End of Registration – late June 2021 Congress sessions – 8th – 10th September 2021
SESSION TYPES
Keynote and parallel sessions
Oral presentations
Poster presentation
Workshops
Special dance session
TOPICS
Authors are free to choose between oral presentation or poster submitting in one of the following topics:
Traditional Sport, Culture and Dance in Education
Sport Management
Physical Education
Exercise and Sport Training
Social Science and Sport
Health through Physical Activity, Physical Education, Sport and Dance
THEMES
Women and leadership in sports
Innovative technologies and sports.
Improve and increase respect for ethics in sport and preserve the health of athletes
Women and Olympism – Trajectories in Time and Space
Physical activity/sport and health
Sport management – status quo of the women in different countries
Physical Education – the challenge of inclusion for all
Exercise and Sport Training – gender differences?
Traditional Sport, dance, leisure and Olympic sport? Socio-cultural perspectives
Dance for all
Sport and games: from the past to the future
Programs to promote a more active life
The Future of Health and Physical Activity: How to Create More Active Children?
Psychology of sport
Aging and Physical Activity
All proposals must include the following structure:
Authors
Affiliation
Introduction
Method
Results
Conclusion
References (Max 5 References)
Maximum 300 words (authors, affiliation and references not included).
Scientific Committee will evaluate the oral communications and all authors will receive confirmation of acceptance or rejection. Abstract submissions are only being accepted electronically to iapesgw2021@gmail.com
The required dimensions of the poster areas follows: Width 70 (90cm) Height 110m (130cm)
LANGUAGE OF ABSTRACT: ENGLISH OR MANDARIN
Further Considerations
All submissions will be evaluated through a blind review process. All accepted abstracts would be published in the IAPESGW Congress abstracts book with ISBN. The proper papers submitted could be published a book in a book.
Contact Tianjin 2021 IAPESGW International ConferenceScientific Committee Chair: Dra. María Dolores González Rivera iapesgw2021@gmail.com
Announcement 11 February 2021
The International Association for Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women (IWG), The International Working Group (IWG) on Women & Sport, and Womensport International (WSI) are shocked, angered and deeply frustrated by the sexist comments made in relation to women in sport leadership, and effectively women in sport as a whole, by Mr. Yoshiro Mori, President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee (TOCOG).
IWG, WSI and IAPESGW wish to condemn Mr. Mori’s comments, deeply out-of-touch with the values of the Olympic and Paralympic movements and the UN agenda and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 – Gender Equality, which have offended the Japanese people and all those working for sport and the advancement of gender equality in and through sport globally.
Call for Presentations: 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport—we are seeking interactive workshops, lightning talks and poster presentations for the upcoming 8th IWG World Conference on Women & Sport, taking place between 5-8 May 2022 in Auckland, New Zealand and also Online. Deadline to Submit: 6 April 2021, 11.59pm New Zealand time. (IWG Women & Sport)
Administration, Strategy & Governance
Mary Harvey on Becoming a FIFA World Cup Champion & Global Sports Leader [audio; 54mins]—Mary Harvey is an accomplished and innovative sports governance and sustainability executive with 15+ years leading worldwide initiatives to achieve societal change and gender equity through sports. (Abid Imam)
Kate Palmer AM to lead the unification of Athletics as Chief Executive—the Boards of Coles Little Athletics Australia and Athletics Australia are pleased to announce that former Sport Australia CEO, Kate Palmer has accepted the role of Chief Executive of OneAthletics for the next 12 months. Kate will play a central role in driving the merger of the sport to become Australian Athletics and in the lead up to the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. (Athletics Australia/Little Athletics Australia)
The Ripple Effect of the Pandemic: Supporting Athletes With a Holistic Approach—at the best of times, balancing the demands of being a high performance athlete with the rest of one’s life is a meticulous, difficult task that requires time and energy. With the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Games, the game plan for Olympic and Paralympic team athletes went off the rails – not just in Canada, but around the world. (Sophie Brassard, Game Plan/SIRC Blog)
Athletics
South African Government confirm Semenya appeal to European Court of Human Rights—South Africa’s Government has confirmed that it is planning to file an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in a last-ditch attempt to clear Caster Semenya to be allowed to compete in this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. (Duncan Mackay, Inside the Games)
Australia
World-Leading Daughters and Dads Program Returns to Orange—Central West girls and their dads have the opportunity to participate in a world-leading program that aims to give them the skills and confidence to play sport. The award-winning Daughters and Dads Active and Empowered program, delivered by the University of Newcastle in partnership with the NSW Government and Orange City Council, targets fathers as the agents of change to improve girls’ sports skills and wellbeing. (NSW Office of Sport).
Coaching Kids: Expectations versus reality—many enter the world of coaching kids expecting that things will be neat and orderly; that well-planned sessions will progress in an orderly fashion. In reality, coaching kids is often messy and chaotic. Things usually don’t just fall into place. Surprises and the unexpected will happen. It’s a harder gig than many anticipate. (Darren Wensor, Coaching Young Athletes)
Helping athletes convert their success to coaching—two-time Olympic gold medallist Katrina Powell says high performance athletes have a great “head-start” when it comes to coaching and she welcomes the AIS focus on helping athletes convert that “apprenticeship” into successful coaching careers. (Australian Institute of Sport)
Study reveals COVID could be final whistle for fifth of sport for development sector—a report released today has revealed that the pandemic has left more than a fifth of those in the Sport for Development sector fearing for their future. The statistics collated paint a worrying picture, as both a lack of funding and ongoing lockdown legislations continue to weigh heavily on what’s in store for the industry. (sportanddev.org)
First Playbook Published Outlining Measures To Deliver Safe And Successful Olympic And Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020—the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee (Tokyo 2020) today published the first playbook, a resource which outlines the personal responsibilities key stakeholders must take to play their role in ensuring safe and successful Olympic and Paralympic games this summer. (Olympic.org)
Less exercise and more TV in Lockdown 3 is leading to decline in mental health [UK]—approaching half of the UK population (40 per cent) are exercising less during the current lockdown than during the first in early 2020, while one in five is watching television, streaming films and gaming more. (Tom Walker, Sports Management)
New funding to help schools open their sports facilities [UK]—we’re investing £10.1 million of government money to help more schools open their facilities to the public once the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is over. The funding, which has been provided by the Department for Education, is in addition to the £1.5m awarded as part of the School Sport and Activity Action Plan we announced in July 2019 and will help schools deliver extra-curricular activities and open their facilities outside of the school day during evenings, weekends and school holidays. (Sport England)
The International Olympic Committee Remains Focused on ‘Virtual Sports’ Over Esports—the International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board has released its “2020+5” agenda, detailing a list of recommendations for the organization’s continued efforts to evolve alongside an ever-changing, increasingly digital global culture. Among these recommendations is the following: “encourage the development of virtual sport and further engage with video gaming communities.” (Trent Murray, The ESports Observer)
Gymnastics
‘We’re sorry’ – Gymnastics New Zealand apologises for abusive practices—Gymnastics New Zealand has formally apologised to those in the community who have experienced abuse, following the release of the “confronting, sobering” independent review into the sport. (Zoe George, stuff.co.nz)
Inclusive Sport
Five Recommendations to Authentically Engage Newcomers in Sport [Canada]—as sport and physical activity stakeholders work towards building back better from COVID-19, we need to think critically about how to address known participation barriers faced by newcomers (e.g., cost, transportation, language barriers, lack of knowledge about Canadian sport and physical activity, bureaucratic registration processes) to make sport more representative of Canada’s rich ethno-racial diversity. (Simon Barrick, Cape Breton University, SIRC)
Iran Honours IAPESGW Board Member
IAPESGW Board Member Maryam Kouskie Jahromi was recently honoured at the 3rd National Festival on Women and Science, which is held in Iran once a year by the Ministry of Science Education and Technology. The Festival introduces and honours eminent women according to their scientific and academic backgrounds.
Twenty five winners were announced across 6 groups of humanities: basic sciences, engineering, agriculture, veterinary, environment, medical sciences, art, and architecture. Maryam Koushkie Jahromi, Professor at Shiraz University was awarded as the 1st winner in humanities in 2020.
Maryam also was awarded as the eminent researcher in the School of Education and Psychology in Shiraz University in 2021. Congratulations Maryam on these high honours!
India
IAPESGW is supporting the Indian Ministry of Sport, now in the 5th batch of their Community Coaching and Physical Education Course. The following photo is from the closing session– Khelo India PE and Community Coaching Programme – Batch 5 – January 18, 2021 – February 22, 2021
They are already planning an Online PE and Community Coaching Program for Women Teachers for March 8th – 26th. Again we are supporting their initiative and several of IAPESGW members are participating.
Children’s activity levels down but many embrace new opportunities [UK]—our latest Active Lives Children and Young People Survey shows teenage boys were hardest hit by the pandemic but girls became more active as they found alternative ways to be active. (Sport England)
France releases their 2020 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children & Youth—the evidence presented in this new Report Card showed that French children and youth have alarming levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviors, and that the first lockdown had a deleterious effect on these behaviours. (Active Health Kids Global Alliance)
A worldwide Twitter campaign in the week leading up to IWD2021 – March 8th to raise the profile of SportsWomen and WomenSPORT by encouraging the use on social media of players’, clubs’, teams’ and athletes ‘Twitter @HANDLES.
So many WomeninSPORT (WiS) organisations and national sports federations work tirelessly to raise the profile of WomenSPORT and SportsWomen and yet rarely do we come together and collaborate. Budget limitations, coordinating diary dates and the lack of a common worldwide communications platform mean we all work in isolation and the message never gets out of the ‘noise level’.
Twitter is the platform. Twitter provides that platform at no cost so WSNet is coordinating organisations focussed on WiS along with, campaigners, friends, colleagues, researchers, associates, fans, journos, bloggers, publishers, tweeters and fan clubs from around the world asking them to join in and ADD Twitter @HANDLES!
Japan: from JAPEW, the Japanese Association for Physical Education for Women.
This document is JAPEW’s media release commenting on the sexist statements of the President of the Tokyo Olympic Games Organising Committee.READ THE PRESS RELEASE
Managing Climate & the Environment
IOC announces aim of becoming climate positive in 2024—the International Olympic Committee (IOC) says it plans to become climate positive by 2024, with the organisation targeting a reduction of 30 per cent in its emissions. (Michael Pavitt, Inside the Games)
Olympic & Paralympic Games
Faster, higher, stronger? Nations weigh letting athletes jump the vaccine queue for Tokyo Games—with organisers vowing that the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will go ahead this summer despite the ongoing global pandemic that delayed the event by a year, some nations – like Hungary, Serbia and Israel – are moving ahead with inoculating their would-be Olympians to ensure they are free to train, qualify, travel and compete. But some – including elite athletes – question whether fast-tracking young, healthy sportspeople for vaccinations should be a priority and whether it fits with Olympic values. (Tracy McNicoll, France24)
IOC Statement on Gender Equality in the Olympic movement—inclusion, diversity and gender equality are integral components of the work of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Over the past 25 years, the IOC has played an important role in promoting women in and through sport, and it will continue to do so by setting ambitious targets. In the challenging context we live in, now more than ever, diversity is a fundamental value that we need to respect and draw strength from. (International Olympic Committee)
Brand new set of Country Cards are avaliable—after six years and using standardized methods, GoPA! is launching the Second Set of Country Cards based on data up to 2019 from 217 countries. From these 217 countries, 150+ countries have local representatives that are part of the GoPA! Network. Updated Australia card. (Global Observatory for Physical Activity)
Everybody Moves Resource Hub [Canada]— a database of resources to help make physical activity more welcoming and inclusive for those who face barriers to participation. (Physical Activity for Health Collaborative)
The Data Behind a Once-a-Week Strength Routine—a new study plots the progression of thousands of people following an ultra-minimalist training plan. The results are impressive—at least initially. (Alex Hutchinson, Outside)
Changes in physical activity and sedentary behaviours from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown: a systematic review—sixty-six articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Changes in physical activity were reported in 64 studies, with the majority of studies reporting decreases in physical activity and increases in sedentary behaviours during their respective lockdowns across several populations, including children and patients with a variety of medical conditions. (Stephanie Stockwell, et.al., BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine)
The more families move, the more children & youth move [CAN]—it’s important to be active as a family and make it a priority – the latest ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth shows a bad combination of low physical activity levels and high screen use among Canadian children and youth. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the solution doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive! It all starts with the family, no matter its shape or size. (PartcipACTION)
Physical Literacy
KIDDO—developed by the University of Western Australia has a wealth of FREE Physical Literacy & Fundamental Movement Skill resources for educators, coaches and parents to help improve the fundamental movement skills of kids aged 3-8. (KIDDO)
The evidence is in: Physical literacy in childcare benefits children, parents and ECEs [Canada]–activities to improve babies’ and young children’s physical literacy are easy to plan, simple to do, and require no special equipment. And, according to a two-year Canadian study in early child care centres, the benefits of adding more active play time into daily routines are more than just physical. (Active for Life)
Sexuality & Gender Ethics
Gender and sexual identity in girls’ sports: Girls in the Lead—Girls in the Lead kicked off their spring learning series on January 28th with the webinar, Gender and Sexual Identity in Girls’ Sports. With people joining in everywhere from North America to Asia, all with the common goal of learning more about gender and sexual identity within youth girls’ sports. (Sophie Eureka, sportanddev.org)
Sport Injuries & Medical Conditions
The ACL injury journey – a guide for patients—this blog accompanies two infographics – published in British Journal of Sports Medicine – presenting the best available evidence, and designed with input from people who have experienced ACL injury. (Connor P Gleadhill, Christian J Barton, BJSM blog)
Can curcumin supplementation really Improve your workout recovery? [infographic]—this effect of curcumin could improve EIMD and exercise performance. The main objective of this systematic review was to critically evaluate the effectiveness of curcumin supplementation on EIMD and inflammatory and oxidative markers in a physically active population. (Fernandez-Lazaro, D et al, YLM Sports Science)
Can curcumin supplementation really Improve your workout recovery? [infographic]—this effect of curcumin could improve EIMD and exercise performance. The main objective of this systematic review was to critically evaluate the effectiveness of curcumin supplementation on EIMD and inflammatory and oxidative markers in a physically active population. (Fernandez-Lazaro, D et al, YLM Sports Science)
Tribute to Matilda Mwaba: IWG African Representative
One of the most important, powerful and influencial women in Sport, Matilda Mwaba, passed away in January 2021.
It was with enormous sadness that IAPESGW learned of Ms. Matilda Mwaba’s sudden passing on 11 January 2021, aged 63. Matilda was the African Representative in the Global Executive of the International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport, where IAPESGW is a permanent member.
A veteran sports administrator in Zambia, Matilda was the first woman to hold the position of Zambia Judo Association president and was the founder of the National Women in Sport and Physical Activity and Recreation Association (NOWSPAR). She was also a former National Olympic Committee of Zambia (NOCZ) board member and was inducted into the African Union Sport Council Region 5’s Sports Hall of Fame December 2020, a follow up on her award from AUSC Region in recognition of her successful efforts on gender within the Region and presented by President Robert Mugabe in 2014. In 2019, she was honoured by Zambia President Edgar Lungu, who presented her with the Insignia of Meritorious Achievement because of her work.
Matilda first came in contact with IAPESGW mainly being involved with the IWG in 2008 as an expert advisor, as a speaker of a joint panel at the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) in March 2010 and since 2014 as African Representative in the Global Executive of the IWG in 2014. Throughout this time, she represented African women and girls with grace and great skill, advocating for and giving them a voice around the global table.
In 2018, Matilda was involved when the continent-wide ‘Women Sport Africa Network’ was founded. This network was the first of its kind in Africa, dedicated to connecting, promoting and supporting ongoing work to increase participation of women and girls in sport and physical activity. This network is as strong as ever today and is testament to Matilda’s hard work.
Matilda has been an outstanding advocate for gender equality in sport and physical activity in Africa and globally. She was a friend of everyone and made a connection to people no matter from which organisation and where they came from. She was the sunshine in the Global Executive Board and a great inspiration for IAPESGW as well. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and worked with her over her many years of dedicated service to positive change for women and girls.
IWG Annual Meeting, 2016 Sweden
IWG Global Executive Board 2018, Botswana with Matilda Mwaba und Rosa Lopez de D’Amico in the middle.
– Rosa Diketmüller
Sport Science
Does ankle tape improve proprioception acuity immediately after application and following a netball session? A randomised controlled trial—this study will contribute to the evidence by examining whether ankle taping changes proprioceptive acuity and whether it is maintained during a netball session. We will also assess whether athlete self-taping is less effective than if the tape was applied by trained personnel. This research gives us the opportunity to test whether the different taping techniques result in different proprioceptive acuity. (Erin Smyth, Gordon Waddington, Jeremy Witchalls, et.al, Physical Therapy in Sport)
A Simple Calculation Method to Classify and Individualize Sports Training: Ranking and Classification—coaches must be familiar with analyzing their athlete’s data sets for multiple reasons, such as monitoring, predicting performance, and individualizing training; the latter has become crucial in recent times. This note will present a method for ranking the athletes’ data set and classifying them into smaller groups. (Pablo Merin-Munoz, Jorge Perez-Contreras, et.al. Sport Performance & Science Reports)
How Your Body Does (and Doesn’t) Adapt to Cold—on any given group run in sub-freezing temperatures, it’s amazing to see the variety of hand protection on display. Some people have thin gardening gloves; others (and I count myself among them) have what look like boxing gloves lined with fleece and stuffed with down. (Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online)
Influential figures on the contribution of women to science in athletics—according to data for 2014 to 2016 produced by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), only about 30% of all female students select fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics in higher education. (World Athletics)
Women in Sport
Snow Australia launches Women in Snowsports initiative—Snow Australia is excited to launch a new initiative in 2021 with the specific purpose of championing and empowering women working in paid and volunteer roles within the snow industry. (Snow Australia)
Elite Athletes and Pregnancy Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis [paywall]—the purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate fetal and maternal pregnancy outcomes of elite athletes who had participated in competitive sport immediately before conception. (Jenna Wowdzia, et.al., Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise)
Call for Input: Thematic Report of on the Human Rights of Older Women Deadline – 22 March 2021 Issued by – Independent Expert on the Human rights of Older Persons Purpose – To inform Independent Expert’s forthcoming report to the 76th session of the General Assembly
BACKGROUND
The Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of All Human Rights by Older Persons, Claudia Mahler, is mandated by the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC/RES/33/5) to report on developments, challenges and protection gaps in the realization of the rights of older persons as well as to assess the implementation of national, regional and international standards and identify best practices relevant to the rights of older persons. Throughout her work, the Independent Expert adopts an intersectional approach so as to address multiple and aggravated forms of discrimination faced by older persons.
Older persons represent a large, and the fastest growing, segment of the global population. Women form the majority of older persons with global demographic data consistently showing that women tend to live longer than men, especially at advanced ages. Older women also make substantial contributions to our societies and economies, including as informal caregivers, volunteers and community leaders. Ageing, however, is not gender-neutral and inequality and discrimination experienced by women during their lifespan is often exacerbated in older age. For example, older women are at a higher risk of living in poverty and of facing barriers in accessing basic rights such as health, adequate housing, and protection from violence, abuse and neglect. Yet, the specific challenges created by the intersection between age and gender often remain invisible and understudied.
UNESCO supported Photo and Caption Competition – enter your photos of active girls and women!
You are warmly invited to the launch of a free online photo & caption competition being coordinated by the UNESCO Chair in partnership with TRUST Ireland as part of MTU Innovation and Enterprise Month.
What is the Photo & Caption Competition? This competition aims to visually capture, and exhibit, positive images of diversity and inclusion in sport with view to inspiring sport entrepreneurs, leaders and other stakeholders to safeguard, promote and advance human rights in and through sport across their communities. Entries can be original or curated photos or videos.
The Details Entrants will have from March 1st-19th to capture or curate and submit their photo/video and accompanying caption (up to 500 characters).
United Nations, CSW 65, Commission on the Status for Women
IAPESGW is involved in this very important UN work. You can register through their website to particípate.
Themes are:
Priority theme: Women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls;
Review theme: Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development (agreed conclusions of the sixtieth session)