ENGSO has been a frontrunner in pushing for equality in and through sport for decades, building networks and projects, and organising events that promote equality and advocate for European sport policy that supports the efforts of the sports movement in reaching equality.
To ensure a strong commitment to reaching these objectives, the Equality Within Sport (EWS) Committee was created as a hub of expertise on equality. The mission of EWS is to activate and inspire European sport organisations to act on equality, through active advocacy work, education and awareness-raising, strengthening cooperation with ENGSO member organisations and other sport bodies.
EWS advocates that everyone can (should!) practise sport safely and freely by promoting opportunities in all levels and sectors of sport. Only by reaching equality, we can use the full potential in sport.
With the objective of accomplishing this mission, ENGSO initiated a new Action Plan for Equality in Sport. This plan has several phases and will be implemented thanks to the joint effort of all ENGSO bodies and members led by EWS.
In 2022-23, LGBTQI+ in sport will be one of the key themes the action plan will research and promote.
March 2022
The visual identity and guidelines for the action plan were developed.
March – May 2022
The awareness raising campaign kicked off with athletes and role models sharing their personal stories of empowerment through sport. Get inspired by the stories from:
May 2022
Workshop on equality in sport, with a focus on the LGBTQI+ community
Sallie Barker, Chair of ENGSO EWS, Anne Schomöller, ENGSO researcher, and Sarah Townsend, co-president of EGLSF and member ENGSO EWS, discussed the action plan of ENGSO’s Equality Within Sport Committee (EWS) which in the coming year will work on and promote the new European Commission’s LGBTQI+ strategy 2020-2025.
June 2022
LGBTQI+ in sport The first webinar, entitled “StandUp4Equality: LGBTQI+ in sport ” was organised. This online was initiated by the ENGSO Equality Within Sport Committee (EWS) to raise awareness on the exclusion, harassment and discrimination of the LGBTQI+ community in sport, and to highlight the importance and positive benefits of inclusion. The webinar took place on Wednesday, 29 June 2022, and gathered more than 50 participants eager to learn more about the LGBTQI+ inclusion and current challenges the community is facing.
June 2022
During the EU Sport Forum 2022 (Lille, France), the EWS Committee took part in the panel discussion entitled “Drive equality, diversity & inclusion in sport” with its member Sarah Townsend, EGLSF co-President. She specifically addressed the challenges of the LGBTIQ+ community in sport and presented the pledge on “Access to sport and physical activities for LGBTQI+ people across Europe” initiated by her organization.
July 2022
ENGSO EWS Committee at the EuroGames Nijmegen 2022
EuroGames Nijmegen 2022 is an LGBTQI+ inclusive sporting event that hosts 17 different sports and more than 2000 athletes of all levels. The 2022 edition of the games took place in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, on 27-30 July 2022. ENGSO Equality in Sport (EWS) Committee member Tarja Krum and ENGSO Equality in sport researcher Anne Schomöller attended the event to initiate a survey and conduct interviews with athletes on the topic of LGBTQI+ in sport, and to strengthen the cooperation with ENGSO associated member and the driving force behind the EuroGames – the European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF).
July 2022
EuroGames Nijmegen 2022
ENGSO Equality in Sport (EWS) Committee member Tarja Krum and ENGSO Equality in sport researcher Anne Schomöller attended the event to initiate a survey and conduct interviews with athletes on the topic of LGBTQI+ in sport. The aim of the survey and the interviews is to research and collect data on the current state of LGBTQI+ within European sport, specifically focusing on the LBTQ women. The data will be analysed and the results will be presented during the European Sport Platform in the Netherlands.
July – October 2022
Based on current status and research, the communication campaign shedding a light on challenges and issues of LGBTQI+ in sport was implemented.
September 2022
Inclusion of trans women in grassroots sport: webinar recap
The second #StandUp4Equality webinar tackled the topic of inclusion of trans women in sport. The event was held online, on Wednesday 7 September 2022, and organised by the ENGSO EWS (Equality Within Sport) Committee.
The webinar was opened by the ENGSO President Stefan Bergh who welcomed the participants and highlighted the importance of inclusion and equality within the European grassroots sport community.” add “The webinar was moderated by Sarah Townsend, Co-President of the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF), member of the ENGSO EWS Committee, in discussion with Joanna Harper, from Loughborough University, Dr. Madeline Pape, Inclusion specialist at IOC, and a sociologist of gender at the University of Lausanne and Natalie Washington, football player and activist.
September 2022
Learnings from the on-going discussion on inclusion of trans women in sport ENGSO is dedicated to supporting the organised sport movement in improving women’s sport, this comes with acknowledging the diversity of women’s bodies, improving access and participation, increasing media coverage, denouncing violence, targeting fundings for training facilities and sport venues, and driving toward the inclusion of all women and girls in sport.
September 2022
“Do gender, sex, etc. matter in sport?” Before answering this question it is necessary to have clear and detailed information about the topic: what is sex, what is gender, what does transition mean, etc. These are the questions that we tried to answer and define during the 1st International Women in Sport Congress, hosted by the ENGSO associated member Unió de Federacions Esportives de Catalunya.
October 2022
LGBTQI+ in sport workshop
Moderated by EGLSF Co-President and ENGSO EWS Committee member Sarah Townsend, “LGBTQI+ in sport workshop” welcomed experts that discussed the challenges the community (still) faces in sport. Hugh Torrance, EGLSF Co-President, Anne Schomöller, ENGSO EWS researcher, Sandra Meeuwsen, Philosopher and former (tri)athlete/coach, Beau de Leeuw, project leader, weightlifter and coach, Lou Manders, John Blankenstein Foundation and Project lead from Equal Alliance, discussed the research based approach towards LGBTQI+ inclusive sports.
October 2022
Equality in sport session
The last session of the European Sport Platform 2022, led by ENGSO Equality Within Sport Committee Chair Sallie Barker, revolved around the topic of Equality in Sport. Hristina Hristova, Communication Officer from EUSA, explained the objectives and aims of the project iSport that works towards ensuring inclusion in sport, while Jennifer Browning, ENGSO EWS Committee member and International Relations Advisor at UK Sport, shared her own sports journey that led her to Paralympics, and the lessons she learnt on the way that she now uses to provide people with disabilities equal opportunities to become part of the sports movement.
November 2022
On 3-4 November 2022, ENGSO Equality Within Sport (EWS) Committee attended the”LGBTIQ+ and sports policy conference” organised by the organised by the Dutch government in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Tarja Krum and Sarah Townsend participated in the event on behalf of ENGSO EWS Committee. At the conclusion of the conference, Yuri de Boer, Special Adviser & Coordinating Policy Officer – LGBTQI+ Equality from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, presented and handed over the official results of the event to ENGSO.
November 2022
ENGSO at the 8th IWG World Conference on Women and Sport
As the official representative for Europe, Sallie Barker, the chair of ENGSO Equality Within Sport (EWS) Committee, participated in the 8th International Working Group (IWG) World Conference on Women & Sport, which was held on 14-17 November 2022, in Auckland, New Zealand.
On behalf of the ENGSO EWS Committee, Sallie organised and led the European Regional Meeting, which took place on the occasion of the conference, and gathered European stakeholders present with the aim to connect and discuss the state of equality in Europe. Jen Browning (present on site) and Sarah Townsend (participated online), the members of ENGSO EWS Committee, both contributed to the event by raising the voices of the European grassroots sport community.
December 2022
Sport as a vehicle for gender equity: ENGSO co-organises a session during Peace & Sport Forum
The 2022 edition of the Peace and Sport International Forum took place on 30 November – 1 December 2022. As a content partner of the forum, ENGSO was represented by Jennifer Browning, Equality Within Sport (EWS) Committee member and International Relations Advisor at UK Sport, who moderated the second session of the forum, entitled “Sport as a vehicle for gender equity”.
December 2022
Results of study on LGBTQI+ experiences in sport in Europe
As part of ENGSO Equality in sport action plan, the Equality Within Sport (EWS) Committee has commissioned research on the state of equality within the European sport sector. The aim of the study was to collect up-to-date data that correlate with topics related to the LGBTQI+ community and its participation in sport. Here are some of the main findings.
Preliminary background research and analysis of existing studies helped to identify the four specific interests of this study which was published and disseminated in the format of four factsheets:
December 2022
Dissemination of the results of study on LGBTQI+ experiences in sport in Europe
The research on the state of equality within the European sport sector was promoted through all ENGSO communication channels by showcasing, through quotes and numbers, the experiences of the LGBTQI+ sport community.
Sallie Barker, chair
ENGSO
Ioanna Karyofylli,
Hellenic Paralympic Committee
Anabela Sousa Vaz dos Reis,
Portugese Sports Confederation
Sarah Townsend,
European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation
Jennifer Browning,
Sport and Recreation Alliance
Rejhan Halili,
Kosovo Olympic Committee
Tarja Krum,
Finnish Olympic Committee
Sofie Korbee,
ENGSO Youth
Liam Strasser,
100% SPORT – Austrian Center of Excellence for Gender Equality and Safe Sport
Leila Marques,
European Paralympic Committee (EPC)