ENGSO at the handover of the IWG on Women and Sport Secretariat
The official handover ceremony for the Secretariat of the International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport took place on 5 August 2022, on the occasion of the Commonwealth Games, in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
ENGSO was represented by the chair of the ENGSO Equality Within Sport (EWS) Committee and the member of the IWG Global Executive Committee Sallie Barker. Jennifer Browning, UK representative on the EWS Committee was also in attendance.
Photo: ENGSO Equality Within Sport (EWS) Committee and the member of the IWG Global Executive Committee Sallie Barker, UK representative on the EWS Committee Jen Browning and the CEO of the Sport & Recreation Alliance Lisa Wainwright.
The celebration and the call to action started with a traditional Māori blessing and welcome messages from the Deputy Prime Minister and Sport & Recreation Minister of New Zealand and Sports Minister of the UK. The opening was followed by the official handover in which the UK took over the “baton” from current hosts Aotearoa, New Zealand for the period of 2022-2026. The bid to host the IWG was led by the ENGSO member Sport and Recreation Alliance and received the support of over 100 organisations in the physical activity sector including Sport England, UK Sport, Sport Northern Ireland, sportscotland and Sport Wales. The IWG on Women and Sport advocates, protects and works on the important issues facing women and girls in sport globally. Its aim is to support development, encourage inclusivity and share knowledge to empower women and girls to take part in sport and physical activity. ENGSO is the official regional representative for Europe on the IWG for Women and Sport. At the upcoming IWG Conference, held on 14-17 November in New Zealand, ENGSO EWS Committee will initiate and lead a meeting for European delegates on how to breakdown the barriers women and girls are facing within European sport.
