| dc.description.abstract | Although we are witnessing more and more women in Europe participating in sport activities, a lot remains to be done in the sphere of gender equality. Many women are today still unable to find the right environment in which to develop their full potential. In some countries, women lag seriously behind men in access to sport.
We know that many factors, external to sport, can affect women's levels of participation. These include the situation at home or the role of physical education at school. But we also know that there are many factors at play within the sport sector itself which can hamper the participation of women - for instance the lack of coaches which create a gender friendly and safe sport environment, no interest from decisionmaking boards, often dominated by men, for sustainable gender equality policies leading to concrete changes.
The importance of sport in our daily life cannot be overstated. It contributes significantly to fitness, health, the economy and self-development, teaching us values and skills like discipline, teamwork, respect and perseverance. It is all the more regrettable, therefore, that the sport world should still be plagued by inequalities between women and men.
I am determined to promote gender equality in sport and also to use the potential of sport for equality in its broadest sense. A gender-friendly climate should become a standard feature of sport institutions and I have no doubt that the sport world will be the first to reap the benefits.
I therefore welcome this report as an invaluable input into the political debate which I am confident will lead to the implementation of concrete actions at national and European level.
Androulla Vassiliou | en_US |
