“Lead the Change – Be the Change”

The delegates of 6th IWG Conference have adopted the Brighton Plus Helsinki 2014 Declaration on Women and Sport.  

More than 800 participants from almost 100 countries gathered at the conference which was held under the main theme of “Lead the Change – Be the Change”. The participants acknowledged the positive developments in the field of sport and physical activity for women and girls since the adoption of the Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport in 1994 and stressed the need for its continued reinforcement.

Considering the notable developments in the international policy landscape over the last 20 years it was decided that, on this basis, an update to the Brighton Declaration was required. This led to the establishment of The Brighton Plus Helsinki 2014 Declaration on Women and Sport, which was unanimously approved by the participants.

This legacy document which has been published in the meantime targets governments, public authorities, organisations, businesses, educational and research institutions and any other establishments or individuals who are involved in providing and dealing with physical activity and sport. It aims to develop a sporting culture which fully embraces the full involvement of women in sport and it is viewed as complementing existing laws, policies and statutes.

The declaration outlines key principles for the achievement of increased opportunities for women and girls in sport. Equity, equality and a fair allocation of resources are considered key to any policy. Furthermore, it recognises that the willingness of women and girls to participate in sport and physical activity depends on the extent, variety and accessibility of sporting facilities and the range of sporting activities available.

Emphasising the value of quality physical education with regard to providing life-skills and engaging more women in sport, the declaration recognises the under-representation of women at the leadership and decision-making levels in sport and encourages policies and programmes to challenge this.

The declaration identifies the need for science to generate gender-specific data, upon which a provision of resources can be sustained in order to support sportswomen and foster cooperation at the international level.

In accordance with its strategic priority to protect the integrity of sport and promote its diversity, ICSSPE strongly supports the contents of the Brighton Plus Helsinki 2014 Declaration on Women and Sport as well as the recommendations and conclusions approved by the participants at the 6th IWG World Conference for which ICSSPE served as a strategic partner.

The legacy document can be obtained from http://iwg--gti-org-bin.directo.fi/@Bin/1f90b5e78254348530db13879551f354/1406809230/application/pdf/373320/Helsinki%20calls%20the%20world%20of%20sport%20to%20LEAD%20THE%20CHANGE,%20BE%20THE%20CHANGE.pdf