Women in Sport

Meet an athlete from the 2024 Olympics Refugee Team🌍 Cindy moved to the UK aged 10 but 15 years later is still waiting to be granted UK citizenship. As she doesn’t have a British passport, Cindy will compete for the Refugee Team – a 36-strong team of athletes who have had to flee their home countries. Being gay is a crime in Cameroon, punishable with up to five years prison-time, so Cindy is unable to return. Cindy has spoken to the BBC about how difficult it was to fit in when she was growing up in Bolton... "Everything was different back at home compared to the UK so I kind of went into my shell," she said. "I was a big girl and I got bullied for my weight and my language, just the way I spoke with my accent. I was just very quiet and reserved." Cindy found a home in boxing and has gone from strength to strength, even winning National Amateur titles in three different weight classes, the only person to achieve this since Natasha Jonas. GB Boxing wrote to the Home Office requesting Cindy be granted citizenship, but the plea was denied. Women’s Boxing kicks off at the Paris 2024 Olympics today, and we’ll be cheering Cindy on all along the way. Good luck Cindy!👏 #Paris2024 #TeamGB #RefugeeTeam

Over 100 incredible women will represent Team GB in Paris, and we’re here to cheer them on every step of the way. Throughout the Olympics, we’ll be sharing the medal tally by country and showcasing how many medals are won by female and male athletes so we can celebrate gender parity at the Olympics and see which countries are championing their female athletes. For the full set of GB women’s medal predictions, visit our website: https://lnkd.in/dVc2tP_N #Paris2024

Paris 2024 marks the first Olympic Games with the same number of female and male competitors👏 It’s been a long and difficult journey with a lot of milestones along the way. Stay tuned over the next couple of weeks where we will uncover the history of gender equality in specific sports at the Olympics and telling the stories of incredible female trailblazers who have sparked change over the years✨ https://lnkd.in/eBmzPDMR #Paris2024

“I’m a woman, phenomenally.” With just two days until the Paris 2024 Olympics, we want to wish all the incredible GB women GOOD LUCK!🌟 To find out who is competing, and which women hold our best bets to medal, visit our website: https://lnkd.in/dVc2tP_N ✍🏾 Poem by Maya Angelou

“That was not just another race, that was something different entirely.” In our most recent podcast episode, we chat to Joanna Rowsell MBE on her incredible career, spanning two Olympic Games and winning gold in both. We cover... 🥇 What it was like winning her first gold at home in London 2012 🚲 How Jo got into cycling at the age of 14 📊 How we can prevent teenage girls from dropping out of sport Listen now: https://ow.ly/TFAV50SCtG7 #Olympics #Paris2024 #Cycling Joanna Rowsell MBE OLY AMRSB

The first woman to win an Olympic medal 🥇In 1900, only five events were open to women in the Paris Olympics: golf, tennis, sailing, croquet and equestrian. Hélène de Pourtalès won gold AND silver in sailing at the 1900 Olympics, the first Games where women were allowed to compete. The American-born Swiss sailor competed in a crew with her husband and nephew. Only five events were open to women in the Paris 1900 Olympics: golf, tennis, sailing, croquet and equestrian. Fast forward to 2024, where we finally have the same number of men and women competing; and it’s all thanks to pioneering women in sport like Hélène. Read more about the history of women at the Olympics: https://lnkd.in/eBmzPDMR #Paris2024 #GenderEqualOlympics

Rally your team around gender equality at the Olympics🌟 The sporting event of the year is almost here... Why not get involved in the fun by... 🏆 Hosting an Olympic-themed sweepstakes with friends, teammates or colleagues 🎤 Putting on an Olympics quiz night to put your sporting knowledge to the test But this isn’t just your average Olympic shenanigans, there’s a point to all of it. This year, we’re celebrating Paris 2024 being the first Games with the same number of female and male competitors. Throughout the Olympics, we’ll be sharing the medal tally by country and showcasing how many medals are won by female and male athletes so we can celebrate gender parity at the Olympics and see which countries are championing their female athletes. By choosing to fundraise for our charity, you will be helping us strive toward achieving gender equity across all levels of sport and society for women and girls. https://lnkd.in/dHTrC8FJ

New research by Women in Football shows that sexism is more commonplace in football than other industries. Women who belong to an ethnic group that is underrepresented in the industry are also more likely to face these issues. Despite this, the vast majority of women and men who work in football are optimistic about the future of football... ⚽ 85% of female respondents believe opportunities in the football industry will improve for women 👉 This is compared to 91% of male respondents Speaking on the results, WiF CEO Yvonne Harrison said: "We know there is willingness in the football industry to work for gender equality and we appreciate the contribution of our male allies in achieving it." "For real progress to be achieved at this point, the message of our survey is clear: listen to women, and act on what they tell you." 📊 Women in Football

Today saw the first #KingsSpeech of the new Government. What was in it for women and girls? 👑 Although there were only a few specific mentions of sport, there was much to welcome in the speech. It's great to see that prevention and mental health were front and centre of the health section. We know sport has a huge role to play in preventing lots of physical and mental health conditions that disproportionately affect women and girls. These include... ➡️ Osteoporosis, which affects 50% of women over 50 compared to 20% of men ➡️ Common mental health conditions like anxiety and depression which affect three times more women than men We know that sport can help prevent, and ease the symptoms of, these conditions. We should embed sport in women's health strategies. We're also pleased to see the Government commit to a Children's Wellbeing Bill which will, amongst other things, review the school curriculum and make sure that schools are protecting time for PE. We must make sure teachers are fully supported to deliver the best PE lessons for girls too. 👂 Want to know more about the links between health, education and sport? Listen to our podcast episode on exactly that: https://ow.ly/vnST50SEegW ✍ Or, if you want to rally your local MP around these issues, you can write to them using our template here: https://ow.ly/M8Cq50SEegX

Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill on equality between men and women in sport ⤵️ "There are so many examples of women not being understood or being ignored." In a recent interview with Women's Health, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill has spoken on the "lack of research and a lack of funding.” female athletes face. While she acknowledged the sport landscape is changing for the better, she says "we still have a long way to go" on the road to equality. She went on to talk about how pregnancy changed her career... “I do think that, as a woman, you feel judged in a different way than a man having his first child and coming back to sport." “Someone who works at the track, I remember them just looking at me thinking, ‘What are you doing?’ and ‘You shouldn’t be running’. “I think, as a female athlete, when you come back, there are a lot of questions. Whereas a male athlete coming back after having his first child? It’s like, ‘let’s just crack on’.”