Panel of Equality Experts
Reach out. Connect. Because together we are stronger, ENGSO builds a panel of equality experts.
This active network includes individuals and organisations who have recognised expertise in the challenges and solutions for achieving equality in sport, and in society in general. This group consists of EQUIP project partners as well as external experts who wished to support the project in an advisory capacity. The experts are crucial in ensuring that the project’s approach and its outputs treat the equality topics as comprehensively and accurately as possible, and that key considerations are not being omitted from the process. Their contribution to the EQUIP project output is tremendous.
If your organization also tackles inequalities, make sure to be supported by others who have made mistakes and faced challenges before yours. Their experience is priceless.
European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF)
Sarah Townsend, co president EGLSF / President Activ’Elles04
Hugh Torrance, co-president EGLSF / Executive Director at LEAP Sports Scotland
When sport provides the inclusive environment to allow us to be our authentic selves, it brings more players to the game, it keeps us more engaged over a longer period, it elevates the status of sport. Sport cannot reach its full potential without being inclusive.
Rashan McDonald
Senior Community Development Coordinator at Palace for Life Foundation, Sport and Recreation Alliance Youth Panel Member, London FA Youth Council member
I believe the main barrier(s) to achieve equality within sport consists of previous prejudices about gender, culture and sport , so we have try to develop another view that EVERYONE can get Involved in EVERY SPORT to ensure equality can be developed in all sports. I also believe socio-economic factors take a big toll as well, so with our knowledge and power we should be looking to develop more funding and opportunities to enable equality in sport.
MoveMen
Thomas Demyttenaere, staff member and trainer
Gender equality in Sports is about creating a culture where no one is constricted by traditional gender norms and no one is penalized when they act outside of these stereotypes. And you too, dear men and boys, can break out of that act-like-a-man box!
Pieter Smets
Staff member Sport at Demos
For me, “equality within sport” means that every actor on the playfield, from individual to organization and institution, has maximum chances to participate. We have to recognize that at the moment chances are not equal: some people and organizations in the field remain in a marginal position and their true potential is often unseen. Equality is about providing and stimulating chances and opportunities to empower that potential, from enabling people to participate until facilitating co-creation and better representation in boards and larger institutional sportstructures.
Elizabeth Pike
Professor of Sport, Health and Exercise and Head of Research Unit in Sport, Physical Activity and Ageing at the University of Hertfordshire, Co-founder of the Anita White Foundation
To give an equal opportunity to all in sport, we should engage beyond the sport movement to ensure that actions are inclusive of all cultures and identities, sustainable, involve systemic reform to the structure and values of sport, and harness the power of sport as a driver for social change and equity.
Lene Knudtzen
Head of Public Cooperation at MentorDanmark, Former Project Manager at OMBOLD
To achieve quality in Sport we need to make sure that EVERYONE regardless socioeconomic status, gender, race, sexual orientation etc. have the opportunity to participate in a safe sports community chosen out of interest. We can make that happen.
Elien Moerman
Sport technical officer integration policy at Parantee-Psylos
We believe that a person with a disability or vulnerability should be able to choose to play sports with other athletes with a disability/vulnerability or together with non-disabled athletes. Our integration policy aims at broadening the opportunities for persons with disabilities to engage in sport activity.
Jäger Thomas
Project Leader MOI at Lebenshilfen Soziale Dienste GmbH, former Team Manager at Homeless World Cup Team Austria
Sport for all“ has to be more than just a motto – everybody has to be welcome, sports have to reflect the “colorfulness” of the society – that´s inclusion, that’s the aim!
Marianna Sikorowska
Non-Executive Director at British Kickboxing Council, Grants Officer at London Marathon Charitable Trust
There are various barriers and imposed thresholds that cause disadvantage to a wide range of individuals. Intersectionality is often overlooked when working towards the removal of barriers, eg. Muslim women and girls, a disabled person representing an ethnic minority group, an older person with low income, etc.
While some of the barriers are practical, such as lack of access to transportation and infrastructure, especially for people with limited mobility, insufficient financial resources, lack of time, care duties and safety, other barriers are more personal, eg. self-confidence, body image, peer pressure. Finally, we should not forget about cultural prejudices like the male-dominated image of sport, sexual harassment and abuse incidents, assumptions about ethnicity.
Lara Lill
Director, Global Active
Sport is one of the most powerful platforms for promoting equality and empowering people. It has many benefits including improving physical and mental health, transforming lives and building confidence. Equality within sport is about fairness, removing barriers and changing the culture to one that values diversity and enables the full involvement of disadvantaged groups in every aspect of sport.
Elsa Arapi
Women’s Sport Project Lead, EBU
Equality within sport means that the achievements of sportswomen and girls are not ignored or underreported. That their stories are told, their talent is celebrated, and there are no barriers to what they can be and can achieve.
Jorge Pina
President, Jorge Pina Association
I think the sports movement has been working towards being more inclusive, but there are many policies that need to be changed. Organizations need to organize themselves to receive any type of person and be able to offer equal opportunities to practice sports.
Play International
Germain Peyraud, Pedagogic coordinator – Mission France
Society mentalities are one of the main barriers to achieve equality within sport : beliefs, traditions, patriarchal culture, stereotypes due to all these discriminations towards these communities. The orientation of some non-inclusive government sport policies continue to reinforce them.
Centre for Ethics in Sport (ICES)
Laura May, Policy and communication officer
Why is inclusive sport important? First, everyone should be able to engage in sport. Second, (gender) equal sport organisations tend to have more attention for the prevention of and reaction to transgressive behaviour and abuse. Being more inclusive can thus be a preventative measure against transgressive behaviour in sport!
Emine Bozkurt
Chair of the European Commission’s High Level Group on Gender Equality in Sport
Imagine women and girls participating in sport at the same levels as men and boys. Imagine more women in leadership positions bringing positive change to the sports world. Imagine female football players getting the same prize money as men, women Olympic gold winners getting the same rewards as men, women beach volleyball players having the same sport outfit rules as men, women athletes getting the same media coverage as men…
That for me is equality within sport, together with countless other examples of this kind, examples in which we, women, simply deserve to be treated equally.
Imagine all this becoming a reality, let’s just make it happen! Together we can!
Sallie Barker
Chair, ENGSO Equality Within Sport Committee
Finance and Governance Director, World Lacrosse
Chair, British Blind Sport
Equality is about recognising and removing the barriers faced by all those involved or wanting to be involved in sport. It is also about changing the culture of sport so that everyone can take part in whatever way they wish.
Tarja Krum
Sustainability manager and Project leader at Finlands Svenska Idrott (Swedish Sports Federation in Finland) ENGSO EWS Committee member
Equality within sport has no end station. Thereby we (sports clubs, -federations, individuals and municipalities) need to do daily concrete actions at all levels and in all fields of sport. Together we can achieve more equal sports, that is safe and welcoming for all.
Jennifer Browning
International Relations Advisor, UK Sport
It’s exciting to see a growing realisation amongst sports leaders that equality isn’t a ‘nice to have’ or something extra, but instead that it’s fundamental to everything we are trying to achieve in – and through – sport.
Rejhan Halili
International relations manager, Kosovo Olympic Committee, Member of the Women in Sport Commission, International Committee Mediterranean Games ICMG, Member of the ENGSO Equality within Sport Commission.
To me, ‘equality within sport” means that sport unites us all! Together we are stronger, let’s do it!