International Update – MAY/JUNE 2021

Report on European Physical Education Observatory Monitoring project 11.06.21

By Tansin Benn (Past President IAPESGW)  

Guest speakers for IAPESGW on the Global Observatory for Women, Sport and Physical Education – Dr Tansin Benn  & Lila de Soysa

At the invitation of Martin Holzweg, EUPEA, IAPESGW were asked to be guest speakers at the virtual conference on the European Physical Education Observatory Monitoring on June 11^th 2021. (More information on the multi-researcher three year project can be found here – EuPEO Presentations – EuPEO – European Physical Education Observatory).

Lila de Soysa (IWG and lead of the Global Observatory for Women, Sport and Physical Education (GO) Feasibility Study group) co-presented with me on the sharing of events related to what we did and what is happening, it was well received. As announced at CIGEPS the Global Observatory for Women, Sport and Physical Education will be supported by the Swiss Government, in Lausanne. No further details are available yet. We hope that the feasibility study reports and recommendations will end up in the hands of the GO Staff and will form a firm foundation from which to springboard their efforts. 

The European researchers have devised two Toolkits for data collection, 1) ‘European Manual for External Monitoring’MEA (EuPEO) and 2) ‘European Toolkit for Internal Monitoring’ TIM (EuPEO). The afternoon involved most associations who had been involved with the previous ICSSPE working group International Committee of Sport Pedagogy (ICSP). Participants included: ICSSPE (Uri Schaefer, President); EUPEA (Claude Scheuer, President, Luxembourg); IAPESGW, ISCPES (Martin Holzweg); Dario Novak (new President FIEP, Croatia); Marc Cloes (AIESEP); all stakeholders for Physical Education with reach across Continents, and many other colleagues.  

From the IAPESGW perspective – we were asked to share developments about the GO, focusing on Physical Education. We gave an overview of the UNESCO / Swiss Government project, the three women’s groups involved, IAPESGW, IWG and WSI, the intensive work of the Feasibility Study Group, and the news that Lausanne, Switzerland, has agreed to host the GO.  

In the course of exchange of presentations and discussions two pieces of information came to light that might be useful for others in the field of Physical Education to know: 

1. ICSP may be reinstated or revised to exist again. At the request of many people present, and a direct request to Uri Schaefer, there was unanimous support for a cross associations’ collaborative Physical Education group to be re-established. EUPEA might also step forward to do this as the discussion emerged in their event. Uri is taking the proposal to ICSSPE. In support Uri spoke highly of ICSP and credited colleagues within the group with helping in preparing the original ICSSPE Position Statement in PE, QPE materials passed to UNESCO and the bench-marking process. 
2. The 4^th World Survey of Physical Education, sponsored by UNESCO, is in the final data collection phase but is not yet public knowledge. Dario Novak (FIEP, Croatia) spoke about the project and the way they have worked with UNESCO, WHO and others in this process to establish the best approaches and multi-level solutions to a complex data collection challenge. I think it will be much more comprehensive and useful than the last World Survey and is much needed. The 4^th World Survey has gathered data from Ministerial to school level, looking at policy and practice. Large amounts of data are now being analysed and this process will take time. This has been a ‘data driven investment’ and includes inclusion, gender and many other dimensions. It is assumed that UNESCO would want to complete and announce findings at the next MINEPS meeting and that the first data we might access might be available Jan – Feb 2022. It will be very helpful in the field, so watch this space.  

Interestingly – the only women speakers in a forum of men for the afternoon were Lila and I. When asked for an example of what the GO might focus on in an Observatory Monitoring process I suggested an example might be closing the gender gap between men and women rising in their careers to top positions in Physical Education, in research and leading positions, as well as in Sport Governance bodies! There remains much work to be done …

Announcements

Women and Sport in Asia was officially released by Routledge last March 31, 2021.

This is the first book to survey the participation of women in sport and physical education across Asia, from the Middle East and South Asia through to the Asia-Pacific region.

Covering sport and physical activity at all levels, from school-based PE and community sport to elite, high-performance sport, the book provides an important overview of developments in policy, theory and research across this complex and dynamic region. It has a strong focus on gender equity but is informed by important intersecting influences that affect the lives of girls and women and their participation in sport. Including contributions from leading scholars from across the region, the book draws on multi-disciplinary perspectives, including sociology, cultural studies, anthropology, and history, and makes an important contribution to global understanding of diversity, challenges, and achievements in the sporting lives of Asian Women.

This book will be a fascinating read for any student, researcher, or policy-maker working in sport studies, gender studies, women’s studies or Asian studies. 

The book has 51 contributors and has chapters on 20 countries of Asia:

Contributors:

Nada Alshaibani, Yousra Al-Sinani. Anfal Al-Wahaibi, Soniha Aslam, Sin Ieng Auieong, Tansin Benn, Marilou Cantancio, Catherine Capio, Milla Cazorla, Shiromi De Alwis, Lilamani de Soysa, Nisha Eapen, Mustika Fitri, Maryam Koushkie, Krystyna Golkowska, María Dolores González-Rivera, Maria Luisa Guinto, Hyun Mi Heu, Walter Ho, Jiaxi Hu, Sophia Kasymova, Mohammed Sayeed Khan, Selina Khoo, Canan Koca, Elise Kossaifi, Klaudia Kukurova, Bona Lee,  Min Liu, Rosa López de D’Amico, Leonardo Mataruna-Dos-Santos, Marianne Meier,  Usha Nair, Emily Ortega, D.L.I.H.K. Peiris, Marta Pérez-Villalba,  Wulandari Putri, Mona Shahab, Mashuda Shefali, Cindy Sit, Nur Suryalestari, Chin Sim Teoh, Yumi Terayama, Dilbar Turakhanova, Gilda Uy, Jian Wang, Tao Wang, Yujie Wang, Arisa Yagi, Kyungock Yi, Siheng Zhou, Nor Zainal.

Countries:

Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong – China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Philippine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates.

An excellent effort from the editors, all Board Members of IAPESGW:

• Rosa Lopez de D’Amico is Professor at Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador (UPEL), Venezuela.

• Maryam Koushkie Jahromi is Professor of Exercise Physiology, and Women’s Health and Sport, at Shiraz University, Iran.

• Maria Luisa M. Guinto is Associate Professor and Research Director of the College of Human Kinetics at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Philippines.

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Announcing the launch of a new “Women’s Human Rights App” (WHR App):

https://womenshumanrights.ch/

It is downloadable for free all around the world.Marianne Mier (Executive Board member) is the coordinator of this project.Get to know the “WHR App” in a short video (2:44 min.):

Background information:

The WHR App is a pioneering endeavour by the Interdisciplinary Centre for Gender Studies (University of Berne) and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. It is a practical tool for easy access to international legal instruments as well as agreed language contained in over 650 documents on women’s human rights adopted by UN bodies such as the General Assembly, Human Rights Council or ECOSOC. The App does also provide key paragraphs based on the annual sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). In addition, the App comprises regional legal basis documents from e.g. Europe or Africa. The user’s search is facilitated by almost 150 keywords which cover crucial topics ranging from abortion to sexual abuse, rural women or Widows. The App will regularly be updated with new documents and emerging issues. The latest add-ons are keywords featuring legal instruments on COVID-19, women journalists, gender and sport/physical activity as well as digital/cyber violence and harassment. The App offers a user-friendly and intuitive handling.This new innovative tool provides a basis for strong argumentation, allows for more coherent and efficient negotiation processes as well safeguarding achievements.

More information:

https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/fdfa/fdfa/aktuell/newsuebersicht/2021/03/frauenmenschenrechte-app.html

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Administration & Governance 

• The Physical Activity and Sport Participation Framework—A Policy Model Toward Being Physically Active Across the Lifespan—in recognition of the changing patterns of participation in PA and sport across the lifespan, the PASP framework can contribute to coordinated and integrated PA and sport policy development, which, in turn, can lead to strategies that tackle the global physical inactivity crisis. (Hans Westerbeek and Rochelle Eime, Frontiers in Sports & Active Living) 
• Congratulations to IAPESGW’s Vice President Beatriz Ferreira (Brazil) who has recently been elected to the Board of ICSSPE. Two of our members (Maria Dinold and Usha Nair) were elected as members of the Development Committee.  Our President Rosa Lopez de D’Amico has just completed eight years on the ICSSPE Board and four years on their Development Committee.

Athlete Wellbeing 

• Challenges and stresses experienced by athletes and coaches leading up to the Paralympic Games—the purpose of this study was to better understand the challenges experienced and strategies utilized by Australian athletes (n = 7) and coaches (n = 5) preparing for the Tokyo Paralympic Games using semi-structured interviews. (N. Dehghansai, et.al., PLOS One) 
• Naomi Osaka isn’t the only elite athlete to struggle with mental health – here’s how sport should move forward— Naomi Osaka, world number two tennis player, is the latest in a long line of elite athletes to open up about their mental health struggles. (Andrea Scott-Bell and Isobell Kennedy, Northumbria University, Newcastle, The Conversation)
• Laura Geitz—in some ways, being a professional athlete is a selfish lifestyle. Everything is focused on performance. For pretty much 12 months a year, life revolves almost solely around sport, and it’s as if there’s just this one and only thing in life – and that can become overwhelming. (Laura Geitz, Athletes Voice) 
• Launch of a ‘Pre-Exercise Screening System for Young People’ for the health and fitness industry—in collaboration with Sports Medicine Australia and Fitness Australia, Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA) is today pleased to announce the launch of the newly developed Pre-Exercise Screening System for Young People (PSS-YP) which includes updated Screening Tools for both parents and young people, as well as a User Guide. (Exercise & Sports Science Australia)

Athlete Career and Education

• Dr. Madeleine Pape: How a career-ending injury led to a personal pilgrimage and a new voice for gender eligibility in sport—most athletes will tell you, that sport and the ability to compete is a gift for many reasons. Apart from offering you the opportunity to live out your dreams on the world’s greatest stages, sport also affords you the gift of personal growth through knowledge and experience. (Australian Olympic Committee)

Athletics 

• New research reveals running boom during Covid-19 pandemic—the power of running during this time has been revealed on Global Running Day, with new findings from Nielsen – the official research and intelligence supplier to World Athletics – highlighting how runners have increased their participation and the health benefits they gain from it. (World Athletics)

Basketball 

• ‘Lauren Jackson is the best player Australia has ever produced, man or woman’, says Maher [video; 30m37s]—Jackson is not just an Opals great, she is the Australian GOAT, according to Maher who has coached at the past six Olympic games in charge of Australia, New Zealand, China and Great Britain’s women’s national teams. (SBS Sport)

Coaching & Officiating 

• Balancing Motherhood And Elite Coaching—mums are the ultimate role models when it comes to courage, resilience, tenacity and strength of spirit. They teach us how to dream bigger, work harder and have faith in ourselves. (Victorian Institute of Sport)

Concussion and Head Trauma

• Closed shop? Sport needs more voices to reach real consensus on concussion—late in October 2016, Dr Richard Sylvester arrived at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Berlin for the first day of the fifth International Conference on Concussion in Sport. Sylvester is a consultant neurologist at the UK’s Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, and has worked as a concussion adviser for both the Football Association and World Rugby, but this was the first concussion conference he had attended. (Andy Bull, The Guardian)
• Science playing catch up in women’s concussion research [Canada]—pro-hockey-player-turned doctor Karolina Urban came upon her interest in concussion diagnosis and recovery the hard way. (Cameron French, CTVNews) 

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)  

• 54 per cent of public sector health clubs and leisure centres at risk of closure without government help (UK)—thousands of health clubs, swimming pools and leisure centres are under the threat of permanent closure, unless the government provides increased financial support for the sector. (Sports Management)
• New report shows how COVID-19 has accelerated fundamental change in Australian sports industry—a new report shows how the pandemic disrupted and transformed the practices of the Australian sport industry, suggesting a way out of COVID-19 for the global sport industry. (Karg, A., Robertson, J., & Dinsdale, S. SportNXT) 

Engaging Parents 

• Soccer powerhouse Karina LeBlanc on finding her voice [Canada]—how does a timid, quiet girl morph into a sport legend and one of the strongest and most influential voices in women’s athletics? (Angie Abdou, Active for Life)

Golf 

• Opportunities both on and off-course for women and girls—there are many different career pathways available for women in golf and a recent webinar series has helped spread that message. Because of the current under-representation of females in the golf industry, the PGA of Australia, WPGA, Golf Australia and Golf Management Australia recently hosted a series of webinars titled “careers in golf” to inform and promote the variety of career opportunities that exist. (Golf Australia)

Grants & Funding  

• Why investing in community sport is essential—this case study is part of the series highlighting why grassroots sports funding is essential to build and develop communities that encourage participants to increase their physical activity levels. (Confederation of Australian Sport/Moruya Tennis) 

Gymnastics 

• From a ‘pioneering’ sport for women, to one overshadowed by a culture of abuse. What happened to women’s gymnastics?—child abuse, sexual harassment and disordered eating: this is the horrifying story revealed in the recent Human Rights Commission report into women’s gymnastics in Australia. (Amanda Smith, ABC)

(Editor: well worth reading; this article traces the history of gymnastics, the Russian influence, more male coaches, pre-pubescent body ideal and what needs to change.)

• Child abuse is the risk when success is all that counts in sport—the Human Rights Commission report into gymnastics laid out a damning picture of a sport where child abuse was allowed to occur unchecked. (David Mark, ABC)

Inclusive Sport 

• Barriers to development and expansion of adaptive physical activity and sports for individuals with a physical disability in sports clubs and centres—physical activity has shown to be a useful tool in rehabilitating motor deficiencies among individuals with a physical disability. However, when patients are discharged from in-patient rehabilitation, their physical activity levels tend to drop. This is partly due to a lack of opportunity to be physically active through adaptive physical activity and sports (APAS) programmes within communities. (L Declerck, G Stoquart, T Lejeune, et.al., Science & Sports)
• Including trans athletes in grassroots sport—how can grassroot and school sports be more inclusive towards trans athletes, and ensure that they can assert their rights to sport and play? The right to play and access sport is a human right, and physical activity cannot discriminate based on gender identity. (David Thibodeau

Indonesia

Thanks to the technical team of the Organising Committee of Virtual 6th ICPESS 2021-Jakarta, you will find the video recording of the 4 days Scientific Program. 

Day 1 – Watch Video:  https://youtu.be/zP_UuHT0tpc

Day 2 – Watch Video:  https://youtu.be/ei7QbKM6hcg

Day 3 – Watch Video:  https://youtu.be/NcJGl5XbtVs

Day 4 – Watch Video:  https://youtu.be/3EifbGWPub4

International Sport Systems 

• Mind Launches Mental Health And Physical Activity Toolkit—Mind, the mental health charity, has launched its new Mental Health and Physical Activity Toolkit. (connect Spork UK)
• Grassroots sport remains resilient – but ‘requires further support’ after losing 60 per cent of members [UK}—there is “incredible resilience” in the sports and physical activity sector – but the industry requires further support to bounce back from the devastating effects of the pandemic. (Tom Walker, Sports Management UK)
• Medals & More: A Conversation with Dame Katherine Grainger [UK] [audio; 54mins]—the final story of season 2 focuses on the recent launch of UK Sport’s new strategic plan. (UK Sport)
• France’s 2020 Report Card on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors in Children and Youth: Results and Progression [France]—this 2020 edition of France’s Report Card again highlights the alarming levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviors among French children and adolescents, calling for the development of effective national action. (Active Healthy Kids)
• This Girl Can teams up with Heart [UK]—the women-focused campaign takes on its first national radio partnership to promote the physical and mental benefits of being active. (Sport England)’

Mature-aged Sport & Recreation 

• How pickleball is changing the lives of people with Parkinson’s disease—Marina never imagined that taking up a sport later in life would mean being able to give up her walking stick, let alone break into a run on a sports court. (Sarah Moss, ABC Illawarra) 

Netball 

• Hidden Heroines: Where are all the women?—launching a campaign on International Women’s Day, Netball Victoria highlighted the huge disparity between male and female representation across public monuments and called for change. (Renae Smyth, Netball Australia)

Physical Activity 

• Australian exercise, sport and fitness organisations support development of latest pre-exercise screening tool for physical activity/exercise during pregnancy—Australian organisations Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA), Sports Medicine Australia (SMA), and Fitness Australia are proud to support the recently launched screening tool, ‘Screening Tool for Physical Activity/Exercise During Pregnancy’. (Exercise & Sports Science Australia) 
• 5 ways dance can inspire and support kids in all areas of life—no matter their background or level of experience, kids can gain so much from dance. Dancing helps kids develop new skills, get physically active, and explore a creative art form. But you may be surprised to learn about the unique ways that dance helps kids succeed in other facets of their lives. (Active for Life)
• Positive effects of physical activity on bipolar disorder—while sport has been found to help mitigate mental health issues like depression and anxiety, nascent research has noted the positive impact that sport and physical activity can have in managing symptoms of more serious illnesses like bipolar disorder. (sportanddev.org)
• Move For Fun Pilot Aims To Get Disadvantaged Children Moving In Poland And The UK—Move For Fun is based on a concept developed by DGI called Jump4Fun, which started in 2013 as a special initiative for vulnerable children who did not usually participate in traditional sporting activities and is now being implemented in 53 sports clubs in 26 municipalities. (International Sport and Culture Association) 
• 4 reasons schools should let students wear sports uniforms every day—many students across Australia wear traditional school uniforms. These consist of button-up shirts, tailored trousers, pleated skirts or tunics, and black leather shoes. This is despite the fact most students, teachers and parents support a move away from traditional uniforms to ones more comfortable for students and more supportive of a range of activities they do at school. (Matthew Mclaughlin et al., University of Newcastle, The Conversation) 
• The school playground environment as a driver of primary school children’s physical activity behaviour: A direct observation case study—the school playground can promote PA for large numbers of children. This study identifies areas of the playground that children visited at break-times, the decisions according to gender and the influence of contextual and environmental variables on PA levels. (Michael Graham, Matthew Wright, Liane B. Azevedo et al, Journal of Sports Sciences) 
• 19 simple ways to raise kids who love being active—one thing I’ve come to realize is that not only do parents play a very important role in getting kids moving and positively influencing them to participate in sport, but there’s a lot we can do to help nurture their love of being active. (Van Colden, Active for Life)
• 9 low-cost sports: Keep your kids moving without breaking the bank—there are many sports and activities that cost the proverbial arm and a leg (and, sometimes, it feels like a rib and an eye too). But there are also many sports that require little to no equipment and the whole family can play together. (Susan Scandiffio, Active for Life)

Physical Literacy 

• Not just for babies: Why crawling might be good for big kids too—in kids of all ages, studies have shown the connection between physical activity and cognitive development. (Cheryl Wozny, Active for Life)

Play 

• The Health and Wellbeing of Future Generations—Professor Fiona Stanley AC and Dr Kate Lycett are asking a pertinent question, “Should we return to the way life was before COVID-19?”. Our children’s health needs to be our new priority for the benefit of future generations. (Play Australia) 
• 6 ways kids should engage in “risky” play [Canada]—your child gets ready to jump from the monkey bars and you get ready for a trip to the hospital. Is this a reasonable reaction? Unless there’s a pit of poisonous serpents or a bed of nails below, probably not. (Jim Grove, Active for Life)

Sexuality and Gender Ethics 

• Why Laurel Hubbard can compete at the Tokyo Olympics when Caster Semenya can’t—while New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is poised to become the first transgender athlete to compete at an Olympic Games, the two-times champion in the women’s 800m looks certain to be barred from defending her title. (Ian Anderson, Stuff.co.nz)
• Effect of gender affirming hormones on athletic performance in transwomen and transmen: implications for sporting organisations and legislators—we reviewed fitness test results and medical records of 29 transmen and 46 transwomen who started gender affirming hormones while in the United States Air Force. We compared pre- and post-hormone fitness test results of the transwomen and transmen with the average performance of all women and men under the age of 30 in the Air Force between 2004 and 2014. (Timothy A Roberts, et.al., British Journal of Sports Medicine)
• Florida makes transgender girls playing on school teams against the law—Florida’s Republican governor signed a bill Wednesday (NZ time) barring transgender females from playing on public school teams intended for student athletes born as girls, plunging the state into the national culture war over transgender rights. (Bobby Caina Calvan, stuff.co.nz) 
• Unity in Diversity: IOC emphasises inclusion in sport during LGBTQ Pride Month—with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month having started on 1 June, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has once again emphasised the importance of inclusion and non-discrimination in sport and in society. (International Olympic Committee)
• ‘Trans women have been participating in sport fairly, safely and equitability for many decades’: Equality Tasmania [audio, 11:11min]—Dr Charlie Burton responds to a petition calling for the exclusion of trans women from community sport. (ABC) 

Softball

• Five moments in the history of softball you may not know about—June 13th—was World Softball Day, and what better way to celebrate the sport than by exploring its rich and fascinating history! (Kirby Fenwick, Siren Sport)

Social Media 

• Why following more female athletes could help young girls have a more positive social media experience—in the age of social media, young girls are arguably more impressionable now than they have ever been before, largely thanks to constant internet access and the wide variety of content at their fingertips. (Brittany Carter, ABC)

Sport Integrity 

• UK Sport Integrity Priorities—integrity is the foundation upon which sport is built. Demonstrating conduct that is honest and ethical; providing safe, fair and inclusive environments; playing by the rules. These are things that help define sport and underpin its value to our society. (UK Sport)
• ‘I was fat, and I was black, so they took away my dream’: Taylor Townsend blasts USTA in emotional column—American tennis star Taylor Townsend has delivered a scathing takedown against the US Tennis Association and the sport itself for its negative built-in attitudes on race, class and image. (Melanie Dinjaski, Wide World of Sports)
• The week that rocked Australian swimming: Maddie Groves blows lid on ugly culture—a male-dominated underbelly has been exposed, but an in-house review might not deliver the solutions that are needed. (Kieran Pender, The Guardian)
• Sports Peak Bodies Welcome Introduction Of National Integrity Framework For Sport—Australia’s three peak sports bodies have welcomed the introduction of Sport Integrity Australia’s National Integrity Framework, designed to provide better outcomes for sports and their members where disputes arise. (Paralympics Australia)

Sports Injuries and Medical Conditions 

• Christian Eriksen: What can sport learn from Denmark player’s cardiac arrest?—Christian Eriksen’s on-pitch cardiac arrest in the opening week of Euro 2020 has put the provision of defibrillators in sport and screening of athletes into sharp focus. (Laura Scott, BBC)

Sport Nutrition 

• These Nutrient Deficiencies Affect Women the Most, New Research Shows—if you’re noticing slower times or more injuries lately, it may not be your training regimen that’s to blame. (Elizabeth Millard, Runners World)
• 20 Sambo Combo Ideas For Athletes—there are some key themes in performance eating to fuel and recover from training around having balanced meals. (NSWIS News)

Tennis

Tennis Canada aiming to serve an ace against the sport’s gender gap— Tennis Canada is unveiling a 10-year program it hopes will help close that gender gap and lead to a comprehensive culture change for the sport. (Simon Houpt, The Globe and Mail)

Turkey

UN Women Turkey launched the Guidelines for Gender-responsive Sports Organizations on June 17, 2021. This resource is a product of a participatory process with substantial contributions from national and international experts in the field of sports and gender equality. It provides a practical step-by-step roadmap to sports organizations interested to increase their performance on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The Guidelines are now available at http://www.sportsforgenderequality.org/ where you can find the long and a short version of this resource in English and in Turkish.

They have been developed as a trail-blazing e­ffort to translate the UN Women’s Sports for Generation Equality principles into a feasible step-by-step guide. The Guidelines are structured to help sports organizations in terms of empowerment of women and girls and advancement of gender equality through concrete and quantifiable actions and indicators. The sports community has an important role to play to tear down gender barriers and discrimination and to empower women and girls, both in the world of sport and beyond.

In the launch there were various key organizations involved:

Opening Remarks: Alia El-Yassir, UN Women Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia | Presentation of the Guidelines for Gender-responsive Sports Organizations: Professor Canan Koca, Hacettepe University

Panel I – Guidelines for Gender-responsive Sports Organizations: A tool to implement the principles of Sports for Generation Equality 

Moderator: Zeliha Ünaldı, Head of Programmes, UN Women Turkey

Speakers: Philipp Müller-Wirth, Executive Officer for Sport and Youth Section Sector for Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO |Önder Birgül, Chief Human Resources Officer, Fenerbahçe Sports Club| Jennifer Cooper, Coordinator of Sports for Generation Equality, UN Women | Sarai Bareman, Head of Women’s Football Division, FIFA | Neşe Gündoğan, General Secretary of the Turkish National Olympic Committee, Member of the Olympic Programme Commission of International Olympic Committee

Panel II – How Sports for Generation Equality contribute to gender equality: Reflections from key actors of sports ecosystem 

Moderator: Nihan Cabbaroğlu, Sports Broadcaster

Speakers: Dr. Carole Oglesby, Past President & Current Executive Board Member, Women Sport International (WSI) |Prof. Rosa López de D’Amico, President, International Association of Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women (IAPESGW) | Rita Van Driel, Governing Board Member, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) | Rachel Froggatt, Secretary General, International Working Group on Women in Sport (IWG) | Marisol Casado, Public Affairs And Social Development Through Sport Commission Board Member, International Olympic Committee (IOC) | Keri McDonald, Business Development and Fundraising Manager, The Association for International Sport for All (TAFISA) | Dr. Uri Schaefer, President, International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE) 

The complete launch event could be watched in the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9kOzPVfDBo

Congratulations to UN Women Turkey, with this initiative and the work with the national and international sport ecosystem towards making gender equality a reality in and through sports.

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United Kingdom News

(with thanks to Jenny Warner for sending)

Inspiring women to be active during midlife and menopause. Women in Sport, May 2021 (20 pages)
This report builds on our previous research, Menopause, Me and Physical Activity, published in 2018, which tells us that women overwhelmingly want to be more active, and that this life stage provides an important opportunity for a reset and to reframe sport and exercise as enjoyable as well as essential to good health and wellbeing. Within this research, we uncover the barriers that women experience to being physically active throughout midlife and menopause and consider how to re-engage women and re-introduce physical activity to them.

We employed an innovative five stage, iterative approach over five months to fully understand midlife women’s experiences of menopause and physical activity. This enabled us to build high levels of trust with the women who took part in the research and explore what is really preventing them from being active. Time period: July-November 2020

We focused specifically on women in lower socioeconomic groups because we know they face additional barriers and are less likely to be active. 

• Women aged 45-55 who were experiencing a range of menopausal symptoms. 

• All women were inactive. 

• Mix of White British, Asian, and Black British, African and Caribbean backgrounds. 

• All women in lower socioeconomic groups (C2DE). 

• From Birmingham, Manchester, London and Middlesbrough
  

Download a copy
https://www.womeninsport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Research-Report-Inspiring-Women-to-be-Active-During-Midlife-and-Menopause.pdf

View their news item on the release of the report
https://www.womeninsport.org/press-release/women-in-sport-calls-for-action-so-midlife-women-can-get-active/

Note: Women in Sport, in partnership with Getty Images, has launched a #menopossibilities campaign to help share stories and bring to light the challenges, barriers and opportunities that this life stage offers. 

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Women in Sport 

• Women In Sport Reports, Research & Expertise—Victoria University provides a global service to the industry that compiles the latest three months of women in sport industry reports and academic publications. The latest release is now online. (Victoria University)
• Women In Sport Reports, Research & Expertise—Victoria University provides a global service to the industry that compiles the latest three months of women in sport industry reports and academic publications. The latest release is now online. (Victoria University)

• When the Tokyo Olympics were first postponed, these female athletes used the year off to pursue another dream—motherhood – both Quirk and Morris feared having children would damage their careers, leaving them disconnected from the sport they had dedicated their lives to. (Chloe Hart, ABC)
• How Exercise Affects Pregnant Women—a new study looks for adaptations in the placenta, and finds positive effects from exercise during pregnancy. (Alex Hutchinson, Outside)
• Women in Sport—Women in Sport and iStock are working together to break down stereotypes and broaden the representation of women experiencing menopause, showing women living full and active lives. (Getty Images)

• Gender inclusive sporting environments: the proportion of women in non-player roles over recent years—the aim of this study is to investigate the proportions of women engaged in non-playing roles in sport (2016–2018). (R Eime, et.al., BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation)
• A losing battle? Women’s sport pre- and post-COVID-19—in 2019, women’s sport was reported as being on the rise. Increased participation rates, media coverage, investment and support were evident. Following the spread of COVID-19 across the globe, which halted most forms of competitive sport, there were repeated concerns about the future of women’s sport. (Ali Bowes, Lucy Lomax & Jessica Piasecki, European Sport Management Quarterly)
• Women In Sport Reports, Research & Expertise—Victoria University provides a global service to the industry that compiles the latest three months of women in sport industry reports and academic publications. The latest release is now online. (Victoria University)
• Exploring opportunities for healing, health and wellbeing for women through Traditional Martial Arts—female martial artists say their sport makes them feel stronger, safer, less-stressed, more confident and more effective at work. So why aren’t more women doing it? (PinkBelt Project)
• Everyone Is Accountable For Women’s Sports’ Success—in an exclusive interview with Ministry of Sport, sponsorship advisory company, Super-Sub, founder, Andrew Clarke, discussed the growing desire to improve outcomes for women’s sport. (Joshua Hodson, Ministry of Sport)

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