７月号においても、国際陸上競技連盟の女
性の出場資格規則について、継続的な議論が続いています。また、フィンランド学生
スポーツ協会による、女子選手に対する男
性選手やコーチの性的暴行やセクシャル・
ハラスメントについて報告されたニュース
や(p.4,5)、女性の運動についてのケースス
タディ調査記事(p.10,11)がイギリスから報告されています。

IAPESGW International Update, July 2018: News and resources fromaround the world
We want to hear about what you and your related organisations are doing and theinformation you are producing. You can send your information and news to any
member of the executive board for inclusion in the ‘Update’ each month – view theircontacts details
Keep right up to date with our news
We have set up social media accounts to share all our latest news with you:

You can now follow us on Twitter - take a look

We're on Facebook too - view our page

Our page on the website
IAPESGW Regional event - International Congress Cubamotricidad
22 - 26 October 2018, Havana Convention Center, Cuba
The World Organization of Stimulation, Education and Child Development (OMEEDI), theInternational Association of Physical Education and Sports for Girls and Women (IAPESGW),
the International Association of Sports for All (TAFISA) with the National Institute of Sports ,Physical Education and Recreation (INDER) of the Republic of Cuba, with the auspice ofprestigious institutions and international organizations are convening the International
Congress Cubamotricidad 2018, which will take place from October 22nd to 26th at theHavana Convention Center, Cuba.
View a flyer for the event in English
View a flyer for the event in Spanish

1July Editorial
July’s International Update is not as long as most of our other months – maybe because it is
the heat of summer and the depths of winter in the north and south respectively!
The continuing debate about the new IAAF regulations for Differences in Sexual Development
for females continues. We have included the latest response (an open letter) from the IAAF
where they state that they are not preventing women with DSD competing in athletics: they
can compete in all domestic events but if their testosterone levels are too high they cannot
compete in some listed events at international championship level.
By the way we are planning to run a workshop on these controversial regulations next July at
our Madrid Congress.
Other international news is more disturbing. The Finish Student Sport Association has madepublic a number of sexual assaults at the recent European University Games in Portugal. It
appears that there is well based evidence of sexual assault, harassment and attempted rape
against female Finnish students, which was reported to officials, who claim they are still
making investigations after the Games have finished. No action was taken during the Games.
This contrasts to a sexual assault at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (Australia in April
this year). A complaint was made against a team official from Mauritius. The police
investigated, charged the man and immediately removed him from the athlete’s village.
Still on this theme you will find in the UK report that they are revising their Violence Against
Women and Girls Strategy.
Sports associations and authorities running international events must have policies in place todeal with harassment and sexual violence and not try to hide these occurrences “under the
carpet”.
Our regular Iran contributor, Robabeh Rostami , has reported on the great success of Iranian
women winning medals in rowing, archery, badminton, taekwondo, mountain bike and dragonboat events and for the Asian Games a female, Kimye Alizadeh, was chosen as their flag
bearer.
We have our first report from Myamar - other counties we cover are Australia, the UK,
Scotland, Northern Ireland and the USA.
Of note is the Vicsport report where the words diversity and inclusion are clarified.
Well, time to finish up and leave home for another Les Mills class (see article) at my local gym.
Today I am doing a Body Tone class (one hour) of cardio, resistance work with a stretch bandor weights, core work and cool down stretching!
So I hope you are doing regular exercise and looking after yourself….
Happy reading!

Janice Crosswhite OAM
Communications Director

2International
Janice Crosswhite says:
An amazing success story from NZ and across the world – mainly women do his classes, likeme. Just come in from a pump class – every 3 months a new choreography and you have towork harder! Most good quality gyms offer his range of classes.
Australasian Leisure Management (5 July 2018)
Les Mills International - World’s largest group fitness provider turns 50
Marking half a century in the fitness industry this year, the family behind Les Mills, the world’s
largest group fitness prvider, have shared their remarkable story of struggle, success andstriving for a fitter planet.
Behind every business sits a defining core belief that drives the company forward. For theMills family, it’s a passion for improving the health of others, teamed with the unyielding
competitiveness stemming from their rich sporting heritage.
In a Blog on the company website, Les Mills International (LMI) Managing Director Phillip Mills
explains “it’s something my dad said when he opened our first club in 1968.
“The job of the fitness industry is to help people fall in love with fitness’ and that’s a mission
we’re still driven by today.”
5th February 2018 marked the company’s 50th anniversary – a rare feat in what is still ayoung industry. Les Mills started as a tiny gym in Auckland New Zealand has evolved into a
global fitness movement, spanning 23 different programmes including BODYPUMP,BODYCOMBAT AND BODYATTACK.
Today, Les Mills workouts are licensed in 20,000 clubs worldwide, with a team of 140,000
instructors delivering group fitness classes to over six million people a week.
...................................................................................................................................................
Fitness meets feminism
What was notable about these classes right from the start of the 1980s was their appeal towomen. Here was an offering that brought women into the gym and opened up fitness to awhole new market.
For Jackie Mills, who as LMI Chief Creative Officer oversees creation, production and trainingof all Les Mills workouts, it was a product of a wider societal movement.
Jackie, who for many years combined her role at Les Mills with a career as a doctor, advises“the 1980s felt like a real time of revolution for women.
“It was a time where women could create their lives with greater freedom and employment
opportunities – a time of empowerment.
“It was group fitness that really bought women to gym, because women really liked the social
aspect of working out in groups, while developing physical strength was another aspect of the
movement.”......................................................................................................................................................
View the full news item

Inside the games reports (10 July 2018)
IIHF hold Women's High Performance Camp in bid to close gap on North America
More than 300 budding players from 41 countries are participating in an International Ice
Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women's High-Performance Camp in Vierumaki.

3

The week-long event is taking place at the Sport Institute of Finland.
Some of the leading female under-18 players in the world from both national and development
squad will be present to receive "top-level education in various aspects of athleticism andrunning a national team".
The focus is particularly on female junior players outside North America in an attempt tonarrow the gap between Canada, United States and the rest of the world.
Coaches, goaltending coaches, video coaches, team managers, equipment managers,
strength and conditioning coaches, athletic trainers and nutritionists will be among thosepresent to give advice and support.
They will be joined by on-ice officials from different countries working towards becomingworld-class referees and linesmen.
.....................................................................................................................................................
View the full news item

IAAF (17 July 2018)
IAAF Response to open letter from the Women’s Sports Foundation and Athlete Ally
IAAF Response to open letter from the Women’s Sports Foundation and Athlete AllyThe IAAF has today responded to an open letter from the Women’s Sports Foundation andAthlete Ally, which requested that the IAAF rescind the new eligibility regulations for thefemale classification, due to come into effect on November 1, 2018.
IAAF Response to Open Letter
The IAAF has not and will never try to prevent women from participating in athletics.
In fact, the IAAF has been one of the foremost advocates for women’s sport for almost a
century. It has long championed equal access to competition and equal prize money at a time
when many other sports still discriminate in this area.
Contrary to claims made in an open letter written by the US-based Women’s Sports
Foundation, the IAAF’s new female classification rule does not seek to prevent any womanfrom competing in athletics.
Under the Regulations, women with Differences of Sexual Development (DSD/intersex) will be
eligible to compete in any event at domestic level. They will be eligible to compete in all but
distances from 400m up to 1 mile on the international championship programme. They will
also be eligible to compete in those distances if they take measures to ensure their
testosterone levels are under 5nmol/L (which puts them on an even playing field with the restof the female population). They will be eligible to compete in male and intersex competition.
The choice is theirs.
...................................................................................................................................................
View the full 'Open letter'

The Finnish Student Sports Association - Opiskelijoiden Liikuntaliitto, OLL (24 July
2018)
#METOO campaign hasn’t had an effect on sports yet – a serious case of sexual
violence at the European Universities’ Games
Finnish female athletes have been the target of constant and serious sexual violence at the
EUSA games currently held in Coimbra, Portugal. The organization behind the games, theEuropean University Sports Association (EUSA), have with their actions given a silent
acceptance to the crimes.

4Serious cases of sexual harassment, sexual assault and attempted rape have occurred at the
EUSA Games. Male athletes, as well as an older male coach from a single country have been
the perpetrators, while the main victims have been Finnish female athletes. Both physical andverbal abuse have taken place, and this ultimately culminated into attempted rape of one
Finnish athlete. These events have been witnessed by athletes from various countries, someof whom have also been a target of abuse.
In cooperation with the Finnish female athletes in question, The Finnish Student Sports
Association (Opiskelijoiden Liikuntaliitto, OLL) has decided to make the case public, since theofficials of the games together with EUSA have completely failed in handling the case, as wellas in protecting the Finnish young women. Moreover, OLL finds that EUSA and the games’
officials have attempted to completely brush the incident under the carpet. OLL has beenpresent in Portugal during the whole situation, defending the Finnish women and demanding
sanctions for the perpetrators, which unfortunately have not been given.
......................................................................................................................................................
View the full news item

Also...
Inside the games reports (25 July 2018)
FISU condemn "unacceptable behaviour" at European Universities Games after Finnish
delegation report sexual violence
The International University Sports Federation (FISU) have condemned "unacceptablebehaviour" at the European Universities Games in Coimbra after allegations were made ofsexual harassment at the multi-sport event.
......................................................................................................................................................
View the full news item

Beyond Sport (24 July 2018)
Beyond Sport announces 2018 Global Awards official shortlist
Selected from a record-breaking 400 entries covering 50+ sports, our judges had a tough job
as the 2018 entries representing our most diverse range of sports, countries and social issues
to date!
The 2018 shortlisted projects encompass 33 countries, 23 sports and 10 categories: fromchallenging injustice, racism and violence through football; to using basketball to improvehealth; to cleaning up plastics from oceans through sailing; to providing women with economic
opportunities through sport tourism, this year’s shortlist represents some of the most exciting,innovative and inspiring ways sport is being used to change lives for the better.
Introducing the Beyond Sport Awards 2018 Official Shortlist:...................................................................................................................................................
View the details

Journal of Physical Activity and Health: The Official Journal of the International
Society for Physical Activity and Health. Volume 15, Issue 7, July 2018
Editor - the abstracts from the articles in this current edition to be placed on their website are
now available.
View the abstracts5

A publication of general interest.....
Implementation Guide for Integration of Refugees Through Sport #PlayTogether.
International Sport and Culture Association, et al, June 2018 (60 pages)
This implementation guide is designed to introduce you to the topic of Integrating Refugees
Through Sport by looking at the relevant theory that is the foundation for the area, the present
situation – specifically in Europe, as well as the challenges and barriers that NGOs, sports
clubs and other organisations or individuals often face when implementing or running an IRTS
programme. This guide looks at the issue from the perspective of those involved: therefugees. Therefore, it also includes an overview of the barriers and challenges through theeyes of those displaced, and trying to build a new life in a new land. Potential solutions tothese issues are also examined. So get inspired, get active, and help make a positive
difference to both your community and people’s lives.
Access the guidance on this page

Specific countries
AUSTRALIA
VicSport (July 2018)
Dare To Be Different: Driving female talentThis is a good news story about women’s participation in a 'blokey' sport.
The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) has announced four women to be thefirst ambassadors of an exciting new campaign "Dare To Be Different" (D2BD) aimed atincreasing women’s participation in motor sport at all levels.
Simona De Silvestro, Betty Klimenko, Romy Mayer and Molly Taylor have all been confirmed
as Australia’s first D2BD Ambassadors.
The initiative will help young girls from around Australia understand the opportunities thatawait them in the motor sport industry, whether it is as a driver, engineer, mechanic or one of
the many other roles in a growing industry.
The not-for-profit organisation aims to inspire and celebrate women in every aspect of motor
sport and hopes to change the preconceptions of a male-dominated sport by increasing
women's participation to spark change.
......................................................................................................................................................
View the full news item

Vicsport (July 2018)
Blog: Inclusion and Diversity: Understanding the difference
In Victoria there are 100 state sporting associations and approximately 16,000 clubs andassociations delivering sport and recreation opportunities in a range of communities acrossthe state.
You may have heard the phrases inclusion and diversity used to define approaches toincreasing participation in sport for all.
Often, the terms inclusion and diversity are used interchangeably, however they have different
meanings that should be understood in the sporting context.
Diversity
Victoria’s community is not homogenous. The term diversity refers to the different
characteristics of people who make up our community. This includes the following
characteristics:

6

x
x
x
x
x
x
x

Gender (including male, female and unspecified)Age
Race (including nationality, ethnicity and colour)
CultureReligion
Sexual Orientation (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Queer)
Disability (including intellectual, physical or sensory disabilities)

Within families, friendship groups and local communities we may find diversity amongst
people. In fact, the way each individual relates to these characteristics may differ. An
individual is not defined by just one of these characteristics.
Diversity is a strength of our community. It is also the reason sport organisations should be
inclusive in order to engage a wide range of people to participate in sport.
Inclusion
The term inclusion refers to what we do to ensure our diverse community is reflected in sportparticipants. Being inclusive means being proactive in the way we plan, lead and control thedelivery of sport and recreation opportunities for everyone.
Inclusion in sport means everyone in our diverse community, regardless of their gender, age,
race, culture, religion, sexual orientation or ability, is afforded a range of opportunities toparticipate.
......................................................................................................................................................
View the full news item

Women's Agenda (18 July 201)
US basketball record just got smashed by Australian Elizabeth Cambage
Australian basketballer Elizabeth Cambage has entered superstar status at home and in theUS, after breaking the record for the most points scored in a single WNBA game by one
player.
She scored a massive 53 points playing for the Dallas Wings in its win over New York Liberty(104-87), beating the previous record set in 2013 by two points.
Cambage sunk four of the five points she attempted from the 3-points range, as well as 15 of
16 free throws, smashing her previous career high of 37 points.
...................................................................................................................................................
View the full news item

The Sydney Morning Herald (27 July 2018)'Gobsmacked' Carrie Graf urges sports to shatter gender bias
Basketball Australia hall of famer Carrie Graf has been left "gobsmacked" by a decline in elite
female coaches and says shattering gender biases is crucial to the rapid development of
women's sport.
Graf was among scores of female coaches, players and administrators at a women's highperformance coaching forum held by the Australian Sports Commission at the AIS on
Thursday.
The spotlight is on women's sport's remarkable rise but the declining number of females inhigh performance coaching positions has been identified as a major "cause for concern".
......................................................................................................................................................
View the full news item

7

IRAN
Editor - thanks once again to our national rep Robabeh Rostami for supplying an overview ofactivity in Iran for July, and all the excellent photographs, in a very informative news
compilation - view the July edition here
An example:
This year there are 109 Iranian women in 2018 Asian games (13 July 2018)
First presence of Iranian women in Asian games was in 1990 in Beijing after 11 years sinceIslamic revolution in Iran. Sending Lida Fariman to these tournaments was the beginning of agreat evolution in women’s sport. In Hiroshima 1994 competitions in addition to Fariman, Leila
Taghi poor also participated. Fariman submitted the first history woman of Iran sport and thefirst Olympic shooter woman of Iran and the first flagman of Iran caravan in 1996 Atlanta
Olympic.
First Asian medal achieved by Nasim Hasan pour in shooting field.
In Qatar competitions the number of participants increased and the number of medals reached
to 3 bronze medals.
Iran participated with 88 athletes in China games 2010 and achieved 14 medals and won firstgold medal of woman sport history by Fatemeh Nemati.
Peak of success was in 2014 achieving 16 medals and now in 2018 Iran caravan with 109
athletes will be sent to Indonesia and Kimiya Alizadeh is the flagman of the caravan.

MYANMARBeyond Sport (12 July 2018)
Beyond Sport Foundation Spotlight: Girl DeterminedWith Beyond Sport United and the Global Awards now under two months away, we’re taking a
10th anniversary look back at some of our past winners, and how they have progressed withthe support of Beyond Sport and our Foundation.
We have been supporting organisations for many years that use sport to promote equality intheir communities – Girl Determined is one of those organisations.
By providing direct sport leadership programming to adolescent girls in Myanmar, they seek tochange the way girls are viewed, both by girls themselves and by their surrounding
community.
Around the age of adolescence, girls from poor and rural families are expected to contribute tohousehold chores which often come at the cost of a girls’ education or freedom. Girl
Determined programming aims to empower these girls by developing a combination ofincreased confidence, self-awareness, and knowledge, to enable them advocate for their own
rights and goals.
Their flagship initiative, Colorful Girls Volleyball Circles, is a structured two-year program inwhich over 2,000 girls from across targeted communities come together two times per week.
Program sessions employ the Colorful Girls Circles life and leadership curriculum which uses
creative, experiential activities and discussion to build self-image, knowledge, andawareness.
In addition, Girl Determined conducts an annual Girls’ Leadership Summer Camp, an annual
Girls’ Conference, girls athletics programs and Girl-led Campaigns that give adolescent girls achance to advocate for change on issues that directly affects them. Using volleyball as adelivery tool, the curriculum stresses topics such as communication, teamwork, and health.
......................................................................................................................................................
View the full news item8

UKSport and Recreation Alliance (5 July 2018)
Blog: Sport has a role to play in raising awareness of Violence against Women andGirls
The Home Office has announced a revision of the Violence Against Women and Girls’
Strategy, and the Sport and Recreation Alliance’s Policy Support Officer, Rasteen Riyahi-Boni,
has commented on why the sector has a role to play.
......................................................................................................................................................
View the blog

Women's Sport Trust (3 July 2018)
Seeking 15 progressive brands partners for new initiative
The Women’s Sport Trust is teaming up with a limited number of progressive brands thissummer to change the sporting landscape. The influential charity, which works to increase theprofile and impact of women’s sport, has launched its Official Supporters’ Club with a ‘First XV’
category for selected brands and organisations looking to increase the profile, partners andpounds needed to take women’s sport to the next level.
Women’s sport is on the move with experts* predicting that the number of fans attending
elite women’s sport in the UK will pass half a million for the first time in 2018. Over 100,000
tickets have already been sold for the Vitality Hockey Women’s Cup next month, The
Women’s Cricket World Cup Final was a sell out at Lords last summer and a record crowd of
45,000 watched this year’s SSE Women’s FA Cup Final at Wembley. Since 2013,attendances for UK women’s sports have grown, on average, 38% year-on-year.
......................................................................................................................................................
Brand partners in the First XV will commit to a £15,000 annual fee. Expressions of interest to
join the Women’s Sport Trust First XV will be open until August 3, 2018, with conversations
taking place throughout the summer and with the First XV officially unveiled at a launch event
in October 2018.
More details here. To enquire about the First XV please contact
supporters@womenssporttrust.com
View the full details

NHS National Institute for Health Research (2 July 2018)
Can peer power make teenage girls more active?
A new study by the University of Bristol will test whether teenage girls’ activity levels can beincreased through deliberate intervention from their peers, rather than their families orteachers.
NIHR-funded researchers will test the ‘peer power’ approach with over 1,000 Year 9 girls from20 schools.
Girls will nominate peers in their year who they respect and trust to receive training designed
to show them the benefits of exercise. They will then use their influence to subtly encourage
their close friendship groups to be more active and ultimately create new norms.
It’s hoped the intervention will help address concerns that most adolescent girls in the UK do
not meet government physical activity recommendations of doing an hour of moderate tovigorous physical activity each day.
The new project, led by Professor Russ Jago and Dr Simon Sebire from the University ofBristol’s Centre for Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences in the School for Policy Studies,9will assess whether the PLAN-A (Peer Led physical Activity iNtervention for Adolescent girls)
intervention is effective at addressing the steep reduction seen in girls’ physical activity as
they move through their teenage years.
A pilot study, with six secondary schools and over 400 female pupils, has shown promising
results, with girls doing an extra six minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity andcutting their sedentary time by 23 minutes per day.
It also showed the year-wide intervention was liked by pupils, parents and teachers and thatit had the potential to stem the decline in adolescent girls’ physical activity and be costeffective.
...................................................................................................................................................
Sport England has provided an additional £30,000 for the delivery of the intervention in the 10
schools which will receive the PLAN-A programme.
..........................................................................................................................................................
See the project page for more details.
View the full news item
Also view the University of Bristol news item their research

Women in Sport (July 2018)
Executive Summary ahead of publication of research findings: Re-thinking Intention to
Action: Women’s Experiences of Getting Active
Women are less active than men, with 27% of women inactive and a further 15% fairly active
but doing less than the recommended amount of physical activity. Men and women of lower
socio-economic status (L-SES) are less active, with 32% of those in semi/routine occupations(NS SEC 6-8) and 37% of the long-term unemployed (NS SEC 8) inactive; 14% of both groups
are fairly active.
Women of L-SES are the least likely to be sufficiently physically active and thus, are missingout on the benefits of improved physical and mental health as well as a reduced risk of
disease. 33% of women from NS SEC groups 6-8 are inactive compared to 17% of womenfrom NS SEC groups 1-2 (higher/lower managerial, administrative and professional
occupations). Despite their greater need, women of L-SES are not attaining the personal
financial, emotional, social and intellectual gains associated with regular physical activity.
Those with an intention to become more physically active are most likely to do so and would
benefit from appropriate opportunity and support. Our research therefore focused on womenof L-SES with an intention to become physically active.
Using the latest thinking in behaviour change theory, we carried out a small, in-depth
qualitative study to;xx

Explore the barriers that prevent women of L-SES from moving from intention toaction.
To establish recommendations for physical activity providers of how to influence andsupport women of L-SES to move along the behaviour change journey from intention
to becoming and staying active.

Key findings
Our research found that while women of L-SES face many similar barriers to other women.
There are some barriers to being active that are particularly relevant to this group such as life
uncertainty, lack of financial independence, familial responsibilities and mental-ill health.
Here we present anonymised case studies of two women’s experiences of attempting to get
active from our research.

10

Our full research findings will be released soon.
* We define women of lower socio-economic status as being in NS SEC 6-8. The National
Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NS SEC) is based on occupation. Group 6 includes
semi-routine occupations, 7 is routine occupations and 8 is never worked or long-term
unemployed.
Source of information
Note: there are two case studies available to view from this research work:
Katie's Story AND Louise's Story

Women in Sport (July 2018)
Exercise and breast cancer recovery
Women in Sport is working alongside Breast Cancer Now, to look at ways to support women
to exercise and be physically active following a breast cancer diagnosis.
To assist with this important research, we want to speak to women aged between 50 and 65
who have been diagnosed with breast cancer in the last five years and feel that regularexercise has helped their physical and mental health.
We would also be interested to hear from close friends and family of women diagnosed withbreast cancer in the last five years.
Please get in touch here if you feel you can contribute.
Source of information

Women in Sports - News, July 2018 - available to view

England Netball (11 July 2018)
NET2019 legacy project aiming to empower
As momentum builds towards the netball world cup next year, a key focus for the International
Netball federation (INF), and NWC2019 organisers is the continued development of the sport
globally, prompting the launch of the legacy project; NET2019.
Funded by UK Sport, and delivered by England Netball in partnership with the INF, NET2019
aims to provide coaching advice and facilitated netball sessions to empower women and girls
through the power of netball around the world.
In particular, the scheme will place an emphasis on two key territories, Africa and SouthAmerica – continents where netball is rapidly gaining influence. Predominantly NET2019 will
focus its work in Zambia and Argentina. Here it will work with each of the country’s netballassociations to develop the provision of netball at grassroots levels, whilst also supporting thedevelopment of talent and high performance programmes, which have been proven to raise
the profile of the sport within their communities.
......................................................................................................................................................
View the full news item

British Fencing (23 July 2018)
Is fencing more than a sport?
In 2016, British Fencing and Maslaha formed a partnership that would see the creation ofMuslim Girls Fence. A project that would lead to challenge misperceptions of and raise11

aspirations among young Muslim women, in the light of the complex discrimination
experienced by this group on the basis of both faith and gender.
We know fencing is a sport that builds confidence, resilience and self-worth. Ibtihaj
Muhammad’s mentor, former Olympic medalist Peter Westbrook, describes the strong
potential of fencing as ‘a springboard to go to higher heights’.
Fencing has also been shown to attract young people who may not typically be involved in
sports. Young women fencers, in particular, tend to have creative interests that set themaside from their peers. This offers an interesting opportunity to open doors for participation inphysical activity to young women who may dislike other sports.
Virginia Bailey, Participation Programme Manager at British Fencing has written a short article
which explains what the Muslim Girls Fence Project means to two female coaches that deliver
the project in Doncaster and London.
By reading this article, it will provide an opportunity for all clubs to increase their knowledge of
how to make the sport accessible and make informed decisions when creating partnerships
within the local community.
Read the article here – Muslim Girls Fence – Through the Eyes of a CoachSource of information

Scottish Government (12 July 2018)
Get Active, Stay Active
Ambition to cut physical inactivity by 15% across Scotland.
Growing Scotland’s network of paths and trails, providing additional sports opportunities indeprived areas, and supporting efforts to ensure children can play outside safely are priorities
for getting people in Scotland more active.
The Scottish Government aims to cut physical inactivity in adults and teenagers by 15% by2030 – equating to around a quarter of a million more people becoming active – using wideranging approaches including active travel funding, support for both formal sports andinformal physical activity, and partnership working across the transport, education, health andplanning sectors.
Included in its *Active Scotland Delivery Plan are actions such as: development of community
sports hubs in the most deprived areas; more opportunities for pupils toparticipate in sport before, during and after school; support and development for helping
people move from school sport to clubs; increased funding for cycle and walking paths;
promoting good practice to ensure children have safe places to play; and addressing barriers
to women and girls participating.
Scotland is one of the first countries to publish a national action plan following the World
Health Organisation’s global plan on physical activity.
...................................................................................................................................................
View the full news item
*The plan - A More Active Scotland: Scotland’s Physical Activity Delivery Plan, July
2018 (36 pages)

Sport Northern Ireland Update – July 2018
Engaging further with women & girls to encourage and motivate them to make sport an
intrinsic part of their lifestyle remains a key priority for Sport Northern Ireland. The Active, Fit &Sporty programme has seen another £350,000 invested into six organisations for 2018/19 –12Female Sports Forum, Disability Sport NI, Ulster University, Women in Sport and Physical
Activity, Sported and Youth Sport Trust – to embed the work which has taken place over thelast 18 months to increase female participation in sport. Another Sport NI programme, Every
Body Active 2020, is now in its third year, with women and girls one of the key priority groups
being targeted.
The Active, Fit & Sporty programme saw over 8000 women & girls engaged in sport orphysical activity during 2017/18. This included participation programmes, training forvolunteers within clubs and community groups, and two research seminars/conferences. The
aim with the new round of funding is to embed the practices from last year, to encourage
women & girls to make sport a key part of their lifestyle.
Sport NI’s Lottery Funded programme Every Body Active 2020 saw fantastic engagement withwomen & girls during 2017/18. A total of 51,128 women and girls (100.8% of the yearly NI
wide target) were involved during year 2 of the programme, a very significant increase on theyear 1 figures of 20,866. This programme sees investment made into each of the district
council areas across Northern Ireland, and seeks an annual 1% increase in participation rates
among men and women. Last years’ target for women & girls was set at 57% which was
surpassed at 60%.
There was a significant change in the trend of sports being undertaken by women & girls
within the EBA2020 programme. Whilst more ‘traditional’ sports such as squash, athletics andbasketball dropped out of the top 10 women & girls sports, yoga/pilates emerged as the mostpopular sport for % of female participants with 87.3% women and girls. It was joined in the top
3 by boxing, which had 81.7% female participants and gymnastics, which engaged withwomen and girls in 81.4% of sessions. As the programme moves into its third year, the focus
is on engaging the key target group of ages 14-25 to motivate them to make sport a habitualpart of their lifestyle.
The fantastic engagement with women and girls was demonstrated by several projects inmany of the council areas across Northern Ireland. One such programme was a beginnerboxercise class in Ards & North Down Borough Council, which although open to allparticipants, was designed specifically to target women & girls 14-25. There was an averageof 14 or 15 participants attended this class each week, the vast majority of whom were female.
The participants spoke mostly of seeing health benefits such as having more energy andimproving their overall fitness levels, however, there was also a nod towards the social side of
the class, with all participants saying how much they enjoyed the classes. They also pointed to
how great it was to be learning a new skill and gaining advice from the Every Body Active
2020 coach about how to improve their boxing techniques.

Another success story came from a Couch 2 5k participant in Lisburn & Castlereagh City
Council. Louise began attending the Couch 2 5k programme, but made it very clear she had
been pressurised into attending; however, after a few weeks it was clear that the mix ofrunning and fitness games were having a positive effect. Week by week, Louise’s running13

technique and fitness levels were improving and she was achieving all the goals set by thecoach at the sessions. Louise completed the parkrun at the end of the Couch 2 5k sessions
and now regularly attends Parkrun on a Saturday morning at Wallace Park. Louise still meets
up to run with the some of the ladies she completed Couch 2 5k with and attends other
EBA2020 programmes including a rugby bootcamp and Pilates. Louise commented, “as you
know I had my arm twisted to do this. I hadn’t exercised in around 4 years […] this has literally
got me off the couch and I don’t want to end up back on it!”
These are just a couple of examples of the impact that Sport NI’s programmes are having on
women & girls across Northern Ireland. The aim is to continue to motivate females to not only
take up more physical activity, but to make sport a key habitual activity and in turn reap the
benefits that regular activity can provide.
Active, Fit & Sporty 2017/18 - a short animation on YouTube
Lauren Callender
Development AssistantSport Northern Ireland

Publications.....
Me, not my age or impairment: Engaging women with a disability or life limiting healthcondition in later life. Women in Sport, June 2018 (18 pages)
Why are women with a health condition or disability missing out on the benefits that sport andphysical activity brings as they get older?
This report uses qualitative research to better understand women with a disability or life
limiting health condition and their relationship with sport and physical activity in later life.
The experiences of inactive and active women aged over 55, their motivations andinfluencers, as well as perceived barriers are explored. This report includes practical
recommendations for sports deliverers wanting to engage women of this age group more
effectively in sport or physical activities.
Get Out Get Active (GOGA), funded by Spirit of 2012, supports disabled and non-disabled
people to take part in fun and inclusive activities together. For this research we collaborated
with GOGA Thanet.
Download a copy
British Active Students Survey: 2017/2018 Report. ukactive, British Universities andColleges Sport et al, July 2018 (20 pages)
The ‘British Active Students Survey’, conducted at the end of 2017, followed on from the 2016
inaugural active student survey. The ‘Scottish Active Students Survey’ indicated that students
who were active had higher wellbeing, inclusion and perceptions of attainment andemployability compared to inactive students. This was reflected in students who participated in
sport and were members of a gym compared to those who participated in just sport or were
just members of the gym, or those who participated in neither.
Attending a HEI can be a life changing experience for many individuals as they move awayfrom home and are exposed to new experiences and opportunities for the first time. HESA
data indicates there are 2,317,880 students enrolled in HEIs and 1,587,410 (68.5%) under 25
years of age. Across the UK, a quarter of 16-24 year olds do not meet the recommended
levels of physical activity highlighting the crucial role HEIs have in supporting this population tobe physically active.
The ‘British Active Students Survey’ has built upon the evidence previously reported,
expanding the survey by collecting responses from students across England, Scotland, Walesand Northern Ireland. A total of 6,891 students from 104 HEIs were represented.
Download a copy

14

Transphobic and homophobic bullying in youth sport. Child Protection in Sport Unit,
NSPCC, July 2018 (4 pages)
This briefing provides a definition of homophobic and transphobic bullying, statistics andrecommendations for how to prevent and respond to incidents of homophobia andtransphobia.
Outline of contents:
BackgroundImpactChallenging myths
Prevention
Recognition
Responding to homophobic and transphobic bullying
Conclusions
Download a copy

USA
Inside the games reports (12 July 2018)
Hirshland announced as United States Olympic Committee chief executive
The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) have announced Sarah Hirshland as theorganisation's new chief executive.
Hirshland currently serves as the chief commercial officer for the United States Golf
Association (USGA) and is set to take up her new role at the end of August.
The decision to appoint Hirshland brings an end to USOC's search for a replacement for ScottBlackmun, who resigned in February after eight years in the role.
Blackmun informed USOC staff in January that he was battling prostate cancer, while he had
also received criticism in the wake of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal.
Susanne Lyons has served as acting chief executive in recent months, with the organisation
since announcing several measures aimed at enhancing athlete safety and engagement.
USOC chairman Larry Probst said that Hirshland has a unique and proven set of skills andexperiences which would help to transform the organisation.
......................................................................................................................................................
View the full news item

Inside the games reports (25 July 2018)
USOC and USA Gymnastics come under fire at Senate hearing after filing motions to beabsolved of responsibility in Nassar case
United States Senators have questioned the sincerity of reforms introduced by the UnitedStates Olympic Committee (USOC) and USA Gymnastics (USAG) following the Larry Nassar
sex abuse scandal after both organisations made court filings trying to absolve themselves of
responsibility.
Last Friday (July 20) the USOC filed a motion in court to be removed as a defendant inlawsuits filed by gymnasts Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber and McKayla Maroney, arguing thatthey hold no legal responsibility for Nassar’s actions.
USAG have also filed papers for a different lawsuit claiming the same thing, seemingly

15

arguing that because Nassar volunteered for them and was not on the payroll, they were also,
therefore, not responsible for his actions.
Hundreds of women and girls have all accused Nassar of abuse during his time working at
Michigan State University and USAG, with him now serving up to 175 years in prison.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal suggested in this latest Senate Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing that the OSOC and USAG showed poor
morals by filing their respective motions.
......................................................................................................................................................
View the full news item

International Update, July 201816