Workshop looks into gender equity in sports

PROMOTING a safe space and fair representation were the key messages from a gender-equity workshop which was organised by the PNG Olympic Committee (PNGOC) and Oceania Sport Education Programme (Osep) on Monday.
The two-day workshop was opened by PNGOC gender equity committee chairman Iamo Launa who challenged attendees, including representatives of national sports federations, about fair representation.
“How are you promoting gender equity among national federations?” she asked.
“Have you done enough?
“National federations must ensure that there is fair representation.
“This culture must come from the household.
Your sons and daughters must practise that when they grow up.”
Launa said sports could change things for the better in communities.
The workshop was attended by federations and general management teams and officials to this month’s Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games and next month’s Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
A Red Cross team also attended the workshop to create awareness.
Red Cross volunteer Jimmy Peter said out of the 40 million people in the world living with HIV, more than half of them were women and girls.
“We encourage women and girls to protect themselves,” he said.
“We encourage men to respect women and girls.”
Day one of the workshop focused on women in leadership, and day two was dedicated to equal participation and inclusivity.
The PNGOC in 2020 also hosted Team PNG’s hero programme with athletes addressing issues of gender equity in sports and the communities.