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Progress and Lessons Learned
Research has played a fundamental role in the development of the women and sport movement, with many women researchers also engaging in social action to bring about change. Nevertheless, women are still under-represented in some of the sports sciences, and there remains an ongoing need for more women to be engaged in research and for more critical research on sport and gender to be conducted. Progress
Made / Success Stories International
Association of Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women
(IAPESGW) IAPESGW has had a long tradition of hosting quadrennial congresses to give women researchers the opportunity to present papers, lead workshops and exchange information and ideas in a woman-friendly environment. In 1998, the Association sponsored a session at the International Conference of the Leisure Studies Association in Leeds, during which young women from Egypt, Malaysia and South Africa presented their development work as examples of activism to influence national policy in sport or education. The events of Sept 11, 2001 affected attendance at the most recent Congress, held in Egypt in October 2001. Nevertheless, almost 200 delegates from 30 countries attended - a triumph for international women working in sport and physical education (Dr Margaret Talbot, October 2001). The Association has used its Conferences to provide opportunities for younger women to become involved in IAPESGW activities and structures. IAPESGW members have endowed special awards for people who make distinguished contributions to the work of the Association, and the Seminar to celebrate 100 years of women in the Olympics, led by IAPESGW in cooperation with WSI and ISHPES, included several papers that mapped and honoured women leaders in the Olympic Movement. There are several IAPESGW awards dedicated to recognising the achievements of women researchers. The Lynn Vendien Award and the Kluka/Love Award are provided to recognise distinction. At the 2001 Congress, the Kluka/Love Award was shared by Dr Suzanne Bagry of Egypt and Barbara Maodzwa of Zimbabwe. WomenSport
International (WSI) WSI emphasises the topic of women, sport/exercise and healthy active ageing. As an example of the importance of this area, the November issue of the on-line journal "Women's Health Issues" (call 1-202-863-2454 to subscribe) stated that the "more physical activity of women over 60, the higher the quality of life." This finding held true for both the frail and the well elderly. WSI also continues to emphasise the value of voluntary, self-chosen exercise and physical recreation for girls and women in the developing world and women in low socio-economic conditions in the developed world. In June 2002, WSI is sponsoring a satellite international conference on the development of appropriate research and advocacy models for sport and women of the developing world. The conference will be held in St. Louis Missouri in the United States, at the time of the annual conference of the American College of Sports Medicine and the delayed Salt Lake IOC Sports Science Conference. It is hoped that the material developed for the Conference will guide and stimulate research and increased institutionalised support for girls and women's sport/activity programs in the developing world. For information, contact Carole Oglesby at reds@astro.temple.edu or Barbara Drinkwater at bldrink@aol.com. WSI leadership believe that, not only is there a great need for more research on women and sport, but there is an equally important issue of the coherent collection and compilation of the research which has been conducted. WSI is therefore involved in an effort to form a consortium of the various Centres and Institutes which are being created around the world focused on women, exercise and sport. If you are interested in being linked in such a consortium for the purpose, at this time, of shared communication, contact Carole Oglesby at reds@astro.temple.edu. International
Council for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance
(ICHPER.SD) ICHPER.SD Congresses offer opportunities for women throughout the world to present scholarly papers on topics of interest in their areas. Proceedings are then published, and the information is added to several bodies of knowledge. The Girls and Women in Sport Commission provides opportunities for emerging researchers as well as established researchers and scholars to share information and forums to present latest findings. Women in Sport
and Physical Activity Journal Statement of Purpose:
Circulation: 250 to 300, which may increase if current efforts to get the journal "on-line" or make it the official journal of the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport are successful. Papers are published from many different countries, and there are no dominant trends for countries whose faculty publish articles. Examples of themes covered in the Journal include: Race and Gender of Coaches; Physical activity: A treatment for binge eating disorder; What can we learn from women scholars in exercise science?; Multiple realities of women's work experiences in coaching and athletic management; Issues and perspectives on gender in physical education; The impact of sport on young women's attitude to physical activity in adult life; and Chinese women and sport: Success, sexuality, suspicion. WSPAJ has tended to publish qualitative and quantitative papers in the disciplines of sport sociology and psychology, women's health, sports marketing and administration, exercise physiology, sport history, professional development for women in academe, physical education and general and specific sport essays. Germany: Women
in Leadership - Action Alliance to Increase the Proportion of Women
in Leading Positions in Sport Led by Prof. Dr Gertrud Pfister and Prof. Dr Gudrun Doll Tepper, Humboldt University Berlin, and funded by the German Federal Government at a rate of 750 000 DM for 3 years, the project aims include:
Projected Outcomes:
Scope: Strategy for submitting
the proposal: Finland During 1998-2001, sports sociologist Mr Arto Tiihonen conducted an evaluation on the gender specific effects of coaching/training in Finnish sports. This study discussed gender specific aspects of training and coaching from multiple perspectives, and will be followed by educational material targeted for trainers at various levels under the theme: "The trainer/coach's role and development." The Finnish Sports Federation has also
encouraged and supported many young female university students in
the field of sports sociology and administration in writing their
master theses writing on the topics of: mentoring, women's representation
in the media, women's networking in the sports, financial resources
allocated to women in sports.
Ecuador Management of the Ecuadorian Centre for Sports Information and Documentation has encouraged professionals in sports and sports medicine to conduct research on women's participation and on the leading role that women can play wherever they are. They are provided with relevant documentation so that they can support their arguments with actual experiences. Our NOC celebrates Olympic Week every year, and on the day devoted to the subject of women and sport, various professionals present papers and girls are encouraged to read and research the topic. Lessons Learned In our country, little research has been done in this field, but women's participation is significant in many areas. They stand out more as athletes than as managers, where there are very few women, so we must work toward integrating women in sports management. The NOC has been very open to achieving this goal, thus fulfilling the mandate from the International Olympic Committee. Japan Association
of Women in Sport The JWS has organised seminars and fora to promote women and sport since 1999. In addition, the JWS has provided opportunities for young female scholars to study abroad, provided time and opportunities for them to discuss their future plans with scholars, and collected all of the statistics and existing data on women and sport in 2001. Lessons Learned Thailand Women
and Sport Association The National Association for Women and Sport has begun educating researchers and attempting to find research grants from both the public and private sectors. Unfortunately, research budgets are limited due to the current economic situation, but graduate students are encouraged to focus on critical issues relating to women and sport for their dissertations. USA - Women's
Sports Foundation Despite the growth of participation in sports and physical activities among girls and women during the past 30 years, the Foundation recognises that very little research has been done to document and analyse aspects of their experiences and issues pertaining to female athletes. Therefore, the Foundation has established three grant programs to fund research pertaining to girls and women in sports:
UK - Womens
Sports Foundation The WSF runs an annual dissertation award for undergraduate research into any aspect of women's sport. Nominations from supervising tutors/ lecturers are received and dissertations are assessed by senior academics in the WSF. A cash prize is presented at the WSF's annual conference, and the findings of the winning dissertation are featured in the WSF's newsletter. This scheme has been running successfully since 1997, and entries increased by 100% between 2000 and 2001. IOC / Loughborough
University UK A joint project between the IOC and the Institute of Sport and Leisure Policy at Loughborough University on Women's Leadership in the Olympic Movement has been agreed upon, and will run from 2002-2004. This project supports the second phase of the IOC's initiative on percentage targets for women in decision-making positions on National Olympic Committees. Information will be gathered about the life histories and career paths of women who have been appointed to NOCs, the processes that led to their appointment and how they are experiencing and functioning in their roles. This will then be placed within the context of the position of women and sport in different countries, and the ways that NOCs operate. The findings should enable the IOC to better support women in their roles, and offer advice to NOCs on how to recruit and retain more women in their organisations.
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