IWG Represented At WiMENA Women in Sport Conference

Lisa O’Keefe, Secretary General of IWG, joined a panel discussion at the WiMENA (Women In Middle East North Africa) Women in Sport Conference on the topic of ‘Unlocking Sporting Potential’.

The conference, held at Stamford Bridge – the home of Chelsea Football Club, provided a platform for experts from the sports sector from the UK, Middle East and North Africa to highlight their plans and vision for women in sport.

The panel, facilitated by Newcastle University’s Director of Sport Katy Storie, focused on how collaboration can support the growth of women’s sport globally and the broader role women can play within the sport sector to

make an impact away from the pitch.  The panel members shared how their work plays a critical role in this space, with perspectives coming from Amanda Fone (F1 Recruitment), Thayer Lavielle (Wasserman / The Collective), Nadia Shahrestani (Chelsea FC Women) and Nino Severino (former Olympic and British No.1 tennis coach), as well as from IWG.

Reflecting on the conference, Lisa said: “I enjoyed the panel discussion, and I would like to thank the team at WiMENA for pulling together this event focussing on sport for women and girls in the Middle East and North Africa. It was a superb opportunity to hear examples of work from across the region, from growing the numbers of active women and girls right through to high performance sport.

“The conversation we had on our panel focussed on the value and impact of unlocking sporting potential through tackling barriers to participation and creating inclusive cultures.

“It was an opportunity to remind the audience that barriers for women and girls are often built into the way sport is designed and delivered. Therefore, in order to benefit from the long-term impact, focus should be placed on tackling the bias within the system and creating these inclusive cultures, rather than trying to ‘fix the women’, as we so often see.

“It was also refreshing to see so many men in the room, and indeed to have Nino on the panel, as gender equality isn’t a problem which women alone should be looking to address.

“The main conclusion reached by the panel was that there is a willingness to collaborate when it comes to progressing women’s sport. There is clear evidence from each panel member’s perspective that there is a desire to share information and to learn from others, and that is where IWG plays in important role in connecting people and sharing insight.”