KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA
The true appellation of Apu.
IOC President calls for sport free from discrimination at 6th IWG World Conference on Women and Sport
12/06/2014
International Olympic
Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach spoke today of the leading role
sport can play in advancing gender equality, during a speech at the
Opening Ceremony of the 6th International Working Group (IWG) World
Conference on Women and Sport in Helsinki, Finland. The Conference,
taking place from 12 to 15 June, is officially supported by the IOC and
has the motto “Lead the Change, Be the Change”.
Welcomed onto stage by Finnish IOC member Peter Tallberg, who was a fellow member of the IOC’s first Athletes’ Commission in 1981, the President told the audience about the progress that the IOC has made in terms of women’s participation in sport.
“Women have competed at the Games since 1900, but by London 2012 that figure was approaching parity with nearly 45 per cent of competitors being women athletes. Indeed, some of the biggest teams, Team Finland for example, had more women members than men”, he said.
“The London Games also saw another significant landmark with women competing in every sport,” he added.
Sport has been, and continues to be, a vital tool to show that another world is possible, and that role continues to this day,” President Bach told the audience. “Our central belief written into our Charter is that sport should be available to all regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or any other form of discrimination, including sexual orientation. As a sports organisation we cannot force countries to change their legislation but what we can do is give a shining example to the world of how a society based on these core beliefs should operate.”
President Bach praised the progress accomplished over the years in increasing girls’ and women’s participation on the field of play, but urged to increase the efforts of getting more women into decision-making positions:
“We must do more to bring women into sports leadership. We have seen what women can do on the field of play. We need their intellect, energy and creativity in the administration and management of sport as well.”
Read the full speech here.
Also speaking at the Opening Ceremony were the first female head of state in Finland (2000-2012), President Tarja Halonen, who is Patron in Chief and Chair of the Honorary Committee of the 6th IWG World Conference on Women and Sport; Raija Mattila, IWG Co-Chair, International Working Group on Women and Sport (IWG); Pia Viitanen, Minister of Culture and Housing, Finland; Peter Tallberg, IOC member and five-time Olympian from Finland; Sir Philip Craven, IOC member and President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC); and Risto Nieminen, President of the Finnish Sports Confederation (Valo).
President Bach also said that while sport can help pushing for and showcasing gender rights in the world, it could not initiate the change on its own. Combatting discrimination and injustice, he said, is always a team effort.
“Sport has proven its value as an effective tool for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. To make real progress in our quest for gender equality and open access to physical activity for girls and women worldwide, we need close collaboration with governments, educational institutions, the private sector and civil society at all levels.”
IOC Executive Board members and Olympians Anita DeFrantz and Claudia Bokel are also on the programme to talk about the topics of “Leading the Change in Sports Policy” and “Sport without Fear”, respectively.
Prior to the Opening Ceremony, President Bach held separate meetings with the President of the Republic of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, and with the European Commissioner for
Tel: +41 21 621 6000 e-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.olympic.org.
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To request archive photos and footage, please contact our Images team at: images@olympic.org.
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“Women have competed at the Games since 1900, but by London 2012 that figure was approaching parity with nearly 45 per cent of competitors being women athletes. Indeed, some of the biggest teams, Team Finland for example, had more women members than men”, he said.
“The London Games also saw another significant landmark with women competing in every sport,” he added.
Sport has been, and continues to be, a vital tool to show that another world is possible, and that role continues to this day,” President Bach told the audience. “Our central belief written into our Charter is that sport should be available to all regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or any other form of discrimination, including sexual orientation. As a sports organisation we cannot force countries to change their legislation but what we can do is give a shining example to the world of how a society based on these core beliefs should operate.”
President Bach praised the progress accomplished over the years in increasing girls’ and women’s participation on the field of play, but urged to increase the efforts of getting more women into decision-making positions:
“We must do more to bring women into sports leadership. We have seen what women can do on the field of play. We need their intellect, energy and creativity in the administration and management of sport as well.”
Read the full speech here.
Also speaking at the Opening Ceremony were the first female head of state in Finland (2000-2012), President Tarja Halonen, who is Patron in Chief and Chair of the Honorary Committee of the 6th IWG World Conference on Women and Sport; Raija Mattila, IWG Co-Chair, International Working Group on Women and Sport (IWG); Pia Viitanen, Minister of Culture and Housing, Finland; Peter Tallberg, IOC member and five-time Olympian from Finland; Sir Philip Craven, IOC member and President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC); and Risto Nieminen, President of the Finnish Sports Confederation (Valo).
President Bach also said that while sport can help pushing for and showcasing gender rights in the world, it could not initiate the change on its own. Combatting discrimination and injustice, he said, is always a team effort.
“Sport has proven its value as an effective tool for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. To make real progress in our quest for gender equality and open access to physical activity for girls and women worldwide, we need close collaboration with governments, educational institutions, the private sector and civil society at all levels.”
IOC Executive Board members and Olympians Anita DeFrantz and Claudia Bokel are also on the programme to talk about the topics of “Leading the Change in Sports Policy” and “Sport without Fear”, respectively.
Prior to the Opening Ceremony, President Bach held separate meetings with the President of the Republic of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, and with the European Commissioner for
Education
, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Androulla Vassiliou.
Read more related facts and figures here.
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The International Olympic Committee is a
not-for-profit independent international organisation made up of
volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport.
It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider
sporting movement, helping athletes and sports organisations at all
levels around the world.
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For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team: Tel: +41 21 621 6000 e-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.olympic.org.
VideosYouTube: www.youtube.com/iocmedia
PhotosFor an extensive selection of photos available shortly after each event, please follow us on Flickr.
To request archive photos and footage, please contact our Images team at: images@olympic.org.
Social mediaFor up-to-the-minute information on the IOC and regular updates, please follow us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
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