Tansin Benn (England)
She first joined IAPESGW in 1973 at the World congress that took place in Iran, in that moment she was a student participating in dance demonstration. She has travelled extensively in a professional capacity on all continents of the world and she has had a particular input in many Middle East countries, for example Iran, Egypt, Oman, Libya, Syria, UAE and Qatar.
Tansin’s main focus of research has been on gender, cultural diversity, inclusion and ethnicity, specifically – increasing opportunities for Muslim girls and women to participate in physical education and sport. Publications have included books and articles in many academic and pedagogical journals on issues of inclusion, cultural diversity, gender, religion and ethnicity, learning and teaching in sport and physical education. She has been an advocate to promote the Acceptance and Respect Declaration that was the product of the Qatar Symposium on the history of women’s sport and NGOs. She coordinated the first book on Muslin Women in sport and recently she is one of the editors of the book Women and sport in Latin America.
She won a prestigious Leverhulme Research Fellowship award in 2008 to work with Women in Teacher Training for Physical Education in Oman. In 2011 she won the Philip Noel-Baker Research Award (ICSSPE), 2012 the Outstanding Contribution Award of the Muslim Women’s Sport Foundation (UK), and in 2013, the Women’s Sport Foundation (US) Darlene A. Kluka Women’s Sports and Physical Activity Research Award. She also developed a world-first customised, part-time post graduate study opportunity for international professional dancers of The Birmingham Royal Ballet Company with Birmingham University UK from 1997 – 2013. She is currently a volunteer with Age UK in the area of Ageing and Physical Activity.
She led IAPESGW, as its President, (2009–2013) and continued to support the Association as Chair of the Committee of Consultants on IAPESGW’s Executive Board (2013 – 2017).