Development

(Photo: Badminton Europe)
Badminton Europe launch an exciting new project
Date: 11/13/2020 11:52 AM
Published by : Alan Raftery
Badminton Europe (BEC) has been working hard to develop a new project which strives towards gender equity in our sport. Today the Gender Equity Ambassadors Team is revealed. Read to find out our goals and the national activities that will take place. 

To achieve our aim, Badminton Europe believes a holistic approach must be implemented. One that begins to help us unravel and understand the reasons behind the evident lack of female representation in areas of our sport. 

-If we are going to achieve fair and balanced representation at all levels, gender equity and diversity, in general, need to be part of our everyday conversations.  This includes players, coaches, technical officials, staff, and governance positions - Sharon Springer, BWF Senior Education Manager. 

These words resonate with the BEC direction towards positive activities such as situation analyses, creating education materials, sharing of best practices and capacity building among all stakeholders. Thus, Sharon Springer when commenting on the project, stated. 

-We need committed individuals to reinforce the message that balance and fairness benefit everyone.  Along those lines, BEC's Gender Equity Ambassadors project is an important step in building a more equitable and stronger future across our organisations. 

Who, what and how?
Nine highly motivated Gender Equity Ambassadors from eight different countries align themselves with our ambitious statement. 

They are Elina Shcherbacheva (Russia), Gloria Pirvanescu (Cyprus), Holly Robson (England), Jill O’Neil (Scotland), María Carmen Casermeiro (Spain), Marianna Viola (Italy), Patricia Rosa (Portugal), Rachel Choong (England) and Tatiana Tuzhilkina (Georgia). 

The Ambassadors come from different backgrounds and they all reflect multiple areas of our sport: technical officials, coaches, players, administrators, etc. This diversity constitutes a real asset for the success of the project.

Congratulations to the successful Gender Equity Ambassadors and a big thank you for taking part in the project. Ambassador profiles and video clips will be shared in the coming weeks on their individual Gender Equity journey.
 
Due to COVID-19 globally affecting travel and gatherings, the first phase of the project has been modified to offer the possibility to the Team of Ambassadors to deliver activity in their country to kick-start the project. Together we have developed mutually agreed propositions of activities to be carried out by the end of this year.

The activities
Thanks to the support from the BWF, different types of activities will be organised by the Gender Equity Ambassadors and will include for example:

- Webinars to discuss this topic and share experiences:

o in Portugal, with expert guests from other sports
o in Spain focused on different areas (coaches, players, clubs) and what measures can be implemented to achieve a balanced representation
o in England, with speakers from different areas of expertise

- A situation analysis in Italy and also a webinar about the actual female participation in all areas of badminton in the country.

- A partnership between Badminton Scotland and the Girl Guides to work on sport as a career choice, with a focus on education and development.

- An umpire education course in Russia with a focus on high participation of young female participants.

- An interactive workshop for young players in Georgia with the participation of female coaches and experts.

- A training camp in Cyprus for female players with a focus on further involvement within the Federation was planned, but due to new Covid-19 restrictions, it had to be cancelled. 

These activities are not exclusively for women, because Gender Equity includes and refers to everyone in our sport. It is in the interest of the sport to share this topic and make progress together.

BEC Director and Gender Equity Commission Chair, Klavs Andreassen, is very happy about the interest shown in becoming a Gender Equity Ambassador and shares his thoughts on how important this project is for badminton to develop and move forward. 

- I expect that the project gives increased attention to Gender Equity in the individual Member Associations, but also, we will gain experience that both BEC and our members can use for the progression and betterment of our sport. 

For more information on the Gender Equity Ambassador Project, click here

Be sure to follow our channels to meet and get to know the team of nine who will be playing a leading role in this movement. Check out our launch video!

©badmintoneurope.com. All rights reserved.

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