At its General Assembly, held on 22 May during the SportAccord International Convention, 20-25 May 2012 in Québec City, Canada, the ASOIF President, Mr. Denis Oswald, signed the Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport. The signing took place in the presence of the IWG Special Advisor, Ms. Kate Laine.
Ms. Raija Mattila, IWG Co-Chair, has warmly welcomed ASOIF to the family of the Brighton Declaration signatories and has expressed the importance of the example set by ASOIF - which represents the 28 member International Federations on the programme of the summer Olympic Games – in terms of the first step toward the work on gender equality in sport.
The International Working Group on Women and Sport (IWG) was established in 1994 at the 1st World Conference on Women and Sport held in Brighton, UK. The IWG is an independent coordinating body consisting of representatives of key government and non-government organizations from different regions of the world.
The vision of the IWG is to realize a sustainable sporting culture that enables and values the full involvement of women in every aspect of sport.
The mission is to be a catalyst for the advancement and empowerment of women and sport globally.
Of the IWG achievements are the previous Conference legacies, among which Brighton Declaration – the legacy of the 1st IWG Conference in Brighton, 1994 – is of primary importance. This Declaration is meant to complement all sporting, local, national and international charters, laws, codes, rules and regulations relating to women or sport and its overriding aim is to develop a sporting culture that enables and values the full involvement of women in every aspect of sport.
To date more than 315 governmental and non-governmental organisations, International Multi-Sport Organisations, International Sports Federations, etc., have joined the Brighton Declaration signatories. Among these signatories are: International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Paralympic Committee (IPC), International University Sports Federation (FISU) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
ASOIF regards the signing of the Brighton Declaration as an important step in demonstrating its commitment to developing the role and representation of women in sport at all levels. By signing, it indicates, on behalf of its members, the important role that women play in the growth of sport on a global scale and encourages them work hard to ensure that women are fully engaged in their own sports. ASOIF Council will work towards the implementation of the principles enshrined in the Brighton Declaration and expects to see further progress ahead of the 6th IWG Conference on Women and Sport approaching in June 2014.