WomenSport International Newsletter

Global Voice of Research-Based Advocacy for Women in Sport

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Message from the President: October 2022

First, I am happy to inform you that the nominations for the Board of Directors of WomenSport International (WSI) for the next four year are closed. We now have a full slate to vote on.

We will present the candidates in a special webinar in mid-October, after which WSI members will have the opportunity to learn more about their backgrounds, ask questions and then vote for the new Board.

Furthermore, the Board has confirmed Dr. Carole Oglesby of the United States and Prof. Emeritus Kari Fasting of Norway as Emeritus Board of Director Members. They both continue to make extraordinary contributions toward improving the lives and opportunities for girls and women in sport. We are excited and relieved that they have both accepted this role.

Over the last few months, WSI has reviewed UNESCO’s future intentions in terms of their plans and reports on achieving the Kazan Action Plan. Our comments focused mainly on UNESCO’s new program direction, “Fit for Life.” Our goal is to ensure women and girls are not lumped into a general category and can benefit from the programs.

Dr. Ani Chroni led the WSI team and prepared our comments. Both Dr. Chroni and Dr. Gretchen Kerr represented WSI in an official meeting where WSI’s voice was heard. We commented on the NGO sector’s role in advising the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). I, along with Carole Oglesby and Kari Fasting, who were responsible for WSI’s status with ECOSOC, responded to ECOSOC’s questions. They will represent WSI in their meeting in New York this December 2022. Our responses are available upon request.

Meanwhile, the IWG Conference is fast-approaching (November 14-17, 2022). Hopefully many of you can attend in person or at least virtually. WSI Board members are well-represented at the conference. Eight WSI Board members will make presentations, either individually or in panel discussions. Our communications team plans to provide an abstract of the different presentations and their time slots on our web site for your reference.

WSI will have a two-hour networking session on November 16 as part of the IWG Conference. This will be both a virtual and in-person session. We invite you to attend and bring your colleagues along for an interesting afternoon. We are hoping to stir up discussion with questions to get you thinking as well as hoping that you will provide us with some guidance on issues you feel WSI should be acting on.

Let us remain hopeful that our world moves toward a more peaceful and safe time. I look forward to meeting you either virtually in our webinars next month or at the IWG Conference in November and wish you all good health.

Diane Huffman

President, WomenSport International

WSI News

WomenSport International (WSI) continues to advocate for girls and women in sport in different settings. In May, we hosted a webinar entitled "The Power to Transform Lives: Empowerment of women with intellectual disability through involvement in Special Olympics Bulgaria". Our guest speaker was Dr. Stefka Djobova from the Department of Water Sports in the Faculty of Public Health, Health Care and Tourism at the National Sports Academy of Sofia, Bulgaria. Here is the link to the recording in case you missed it.

In July, we hosted a webinar on "Science and Policy of Transgender Athletes". Ms. Joanna Harper, visiting fellow for transgender athletic performance & a PhD researcher at Loughborough University (England), shared the educational and research-based information during the webinar. Here is the link to the webinar recording.

Last month (August 2022), we hosted our first multilingual webinar (Spanish and English). Our guest speaker, Professor Nair Ackermann Bochard provided up-to-date information on leadership and gender equity in sport. With the Uruguayan Football Association, she serves as President of the Women's Soccer Council (Federación de Futbol de Colonia-Presidenta Consejo Futbol Femenino). The webinar title was “Leadership in Sports with a Gender Perspective/ El Liderazgo en los Deportes con perspectiva de Género.” Click here to view the recording.

Finally, as President Huffman mentioned, we are gearing up for our WSI election for the upcoming term (2023-2026). All nominations are in. We plan to host a webinar where our candidates will speak to our members in October. More information will be shared soon.

In order to vote in the election, your WSI membership must be in good standing. If you need to renew your membership or if you want to join WSI as a member, please click here and process your membership registration. If you do not know your membership status, send an email to info@womensportinternational.org.

As always, WSI appreciates your work and support for girls and women in sport!

Dr. Kanae Haneishi

Secretary General, WomenSport International