The Olympic Federation of Ireland today welcomed the publication of the EU action plan and recommendations, Towards more gender equality in sport, prepared by the High-Level group on Gender Equality in Sport.
The High-Level group was established at the end of 2020 by EU Commissioner, Mariya Gabriel. This group was composed of 15 experts at European level, including OFI President Sarah Keane. It conducted work during 2021 focusing on six areas of engagement.
The report is designed as a practical tool kit to achieve more gender equality in sport and to tackle issues such as gender-based violence, under-representation of women in decision making positions, and the urgent need to protect and empower women in sport. It makes recommendations which target actions for each of the main stakeholder groups, the European Commission, Member States, international and national sporting organisations, and grassroots entities. The recommendations are made across eight action areas for consideration and identifies six key areas of engagement as follows:
- Participation: women are less likely than men to take part in sport.
- Coaching and officiating: women are less likely than men to become coaches.
- Leadership: women are underrepresented in leadership positions.
- Social and economic aspects of sport: labour market gender inequalities are more prominent in sport.
- Media coverage: women’s sport is not widely covered by the media and what coverage there is often reinforces negative gender stereotypes.
- Gender-based violence: can be physical, sexual or psychological. More females than males experience it.
Welcoming the report, OFI President Sarah Keane said,
“It has been a privilege to contribute to this important body of work to help shape the future of Gender Equality in Sport at EU level. The report is designed to provide a simple and actionable roadmap for stakeholders across the EU in a position to influence the future. Here in Ireland, as across the EU, it is vital that we all play our part and act upon these measures. They are tangible and will make real changes so that sport can genuinely be considered a place where all are welcome, regardless of gender. Leadership is vitally important in driving these changes, so we call on everyone in positions of influence, men and women, to act upon these recommendations ”
OFI Gender Equality Commission Chair, Lochlann Walsh, welcomed the report and said,
“This report provides a great number of specific, measurable and attainable goals. It is up to each of us to ensure that we integrate them into our planning and set clearly defined time-frames for action. Gender Equality makes us all stronger and more representative of the athletes who participate, or who should feel welcome to participate, at all levels in our sports.”
Peter Sherrard OFI Chief Executive Officer said,
“This report sets a very clear framework for progressing the cause of gender equality across sport. The work of the OFI’s new Gender Quality Commission in coaching and visibility will be important in driving many of these changes during the Paris Olympic cycle. The OFI’s inclusion as one of eight National Olympic Committees in the European Olympic Committees Erasmus +, GAMES, project in 2022 (Guidance to Achieve More Equal leadership in Sport) will also be instrumental. We look forward to working within our organisation and with our member sports federations to make real progress in this important area.”
Factsheet: Towards More Gender Equality in Sport | Sport (europa.eu)
Report: European Commission, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, Towards more gender equality in sport: recommendations and action plan from the High Level Group on Gender Equality in sport (2022), 2022, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2766/111873
About the OFI Gender Equality Commission:
The newly formed OFI Gender Equality Commission was launched on March 8, 2022. Its focus areas include visibility of women in sport, and the gender imbalance in high performance coaching.
The members of the OFI Gender Equality Commission are:
- Lochlann Walsh (Chair)
- Cliona O’Leary
- Bernard Dunne
- Lisa Fallon
- Rob Hartnett
- Deirdre Carbery
ENDS
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Heather Boyle, OFI Public Relations Manager
+353 87 337 1954, [email protected]