NOCC to Promote Capacity for Women to Join Sport Activities

By Sok Lak

The National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) organized a seminar under the title “Women and Sport” on March 6, 2011 in Phnom Penh to enhance women to have good knowledge about sport, promote women to join Olympic movement as well as sport activities and share experience to each other. 27 female representation of federation participate this seminar.

Beng Choo Low speaks about Women and Sport at Women and Sport Seminar

Beng Choo Low, International Olympic Council (IOC) Women and Sport commission member, Olympic Council Asia (OCA) Women and Sport Commission Member, Vice President of Olympic Council Malaysia and Chair of Olympic Council Malaysia Women and sport committee, said that Olympic charter also focus on gender equality especially women. As article 2, paragraph 7, show, there needs to be encourage and support the promotion of women in sport at all levels and in all structures with a view to implementing the principle of equality of men and women.

She continued that IOC strives to promote women’s participation in sport activities such as in competition sports, in sport for all, and in any capacity like athlete, coach, manager, technical official, leader and volunteer. “Sport is a social force with major impact on society’s structure and condition of women”.

Women face a lot of challenges to involve into sport activities. They are family and career, religion and culture, financial constraints and considerations, personal attributes and acceptability, gender-bias, harassment, discrimination and lack of support, opportunities and structure.

To challenges all barriers, all of sport committees need to get involve and develop a strategic framework and action plan based on objectives: recruit new and increase the number of female officials and leaders, advance and retain currently active females officials and leaders and increase support and opportunities for female officials and leaders by local, national, regional and international federation and organizations. In addition, it needs to enhance the image of female officials and leaders and provide the female role models and mentors. Provide a harassment-free environment for women involve into sport is also a good idea.

According to IOC, the involvement of women is increasing from year to year from 1.6 percent in 1900 to 42.37 percent in 2008. In 2012, the three National Olympic Committees that never send female athlete to join Olympic Games already included women boxing for competition.

Tan Theany, President of Cambodia Rugby Federation said that the federation organized championship tournament since 2000, but the championship tournament for women just start from 2005 till now.

She mentioned that there are only 45 female athletes in her federation. All athletes receive training lesson 2 times every week with a completion. Some experience female athlete left the Rugby field because they married, working and their home. “It is not an easy to train new players for there needs to be time to train them”

Source: The Southeast Asia Weekly, March 13-19, 2011/ Vol.5, Issue 11, Page 12