(ATR) Speaking at the ‘Women. Fast Forward’ event at the Olympians Reunion Centre by EY, IOC President Thomas Bach joined Olympic swimming great Donna de Verona and Global Vice Chair of Public Policy for EY, Beth Brooke-Marciniak to call for greater gender equality in sport.
"We speak about ‘women in sport’ like it is some exotic issue," began Bach’s speech to the crowd made up of Olympians and successful international business leaders.
"It is not just a women’s issue. It is about Olympic principles. It is about human rights. And in the end it is about logic. No country or organization can be successful if it ignores 50 per cent of the intelligence available."
Bach insisted that his promotion of gender equality was not about doing favors or providing subsidies, but about celebrating women and empowering them to succeed.
The Rio 2016 Olympics see the highest percentage of female participation on record, with a milestone of 46 per cent. Bach noted that the gap to parity comes from team sports, where female participation is not as wide internationally yet.
He went on to announce that the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires would break ground as the first Olympic event with complete gender equity – in both events and participants. While excited to announce this, Bach noted that it was not enough.
"We need to have gender equality off the field of play," Bach said.
"Equality will take some time. One third of the IOC’s commission members are women. This is a step in the right direction – an increase of 49 per cent in two years.
"We cannot do this alone. We have to partner up with all levels of society."
Echoing Bach’s sentiment at the event was his close friend and colleague, Michelle Ford.
The Australian Olympic gold medalist in swimming from the 1980 Olympics, Ford was an inaugural member of the IOC Athletes Commission when it formed and continues to work closely with the IOC from her base in Switzerland.
"I would like to see more of the sports federations move to a different level with women," Ford said.
"I don’t believe in the quota system, but that it should be recognized that women have the capacity to be successful.
"The most important thing is perception. Some organizations prescribe that they are doing a good job with equality, but I think a lot of that is show and we need to go behind the scenes and see what is really happening."
Written by Alice Wheeler in Rio de Janeiro.
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