United Nations entity for gender equality tabs ITF president David Haggerty to champion the cause - Federation Focus

ITF president David Haggerty named a HeForShe Champion by UN Women

UN Women announced International Tennis Federation (ITF) President and IOC member, David Haggerty, as a HeForShe Champion for 2021-2026. The platform invites male leaders from around the world to address gender equality through policy.

HeForShe Champions are tasked with spearheading lasting change across countries, cultures, and communities, inspiring others to follow suit and demonstrate the value of achieving gender balance.

Commenting on the announcement, Haggerty said, “We know there are 87 million tennis players worldwide, 41 percent are women and 59 percent are men. I know that we can only fulfil our mission of delivering tennis for future generations if we address the need for a lasting change in culture across our sport that sees women on an equal footing with men at all levels.”

“I truly believe that building this alliance with UN Women and the global HeForShe movement will be a game changer. It will transform the ITF’s ability to deliver tangible change, taking the level of engagement and accountability to a new level in every nation where we have a presence. We know that by working together we can fuel a global movement.”

“I am immensely proud and honoured to become a HeForShe Champion and I stand for the commitments that we, the ITF, and tennis, make as part of this to support change for the betterment of society. Equality is a collective obligation; it is not an option.”

The ITF is no stranger to gender equality policy, having launched their gender equality initiative, Advantage All, in 2018.

According to the ITF, “Advantage All aims to increase the number of women represented in decision-making and professional roles on and off the court in tennis across Leadership, Officiating and Coaching, and to provide equal opportunity and investment in the women’s professional pathway.”

Women’s tennis has enjoyed a highlight year with female tennis star Naomi Osaka lighting the Olympic cauldron at Tokyo 2020, and with the US Open women’s singles final enjoying the highest television viewership of the tournament with a peak of 3.4 million television viewers.

BWF enters new era with Badminton4U App

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has increased their digital media presence with the launch of an official mobile application known as Badminton4U. The app is free to download and available in the languages of English and Simplified Chinese.

According to the BWF, “users of Badminton4U can follow their favourite players, receive live scores as they happen, get notifications when their favourite player is on court, watch the latest video-on-demand, and receive the latest badminton news all in a flash.”

Badminton fans can also register for a more personalized app experience. Speaking on the launch of the app, BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer said, “The Badminton4U app is the start of an exciting new journey to connect the worldwide badminton audience with badminton all year round.”

“It is a project close to our hearts and one that will give a new dimension to how badminton is consumed.”

“We now look forward to seeing fans around the world downloading Badminton4U and becoming immersed in the sport more than ever.”

Election timelines and reforms headline AIBA Board of Directors meeting

The AIBA Board of Directors met online this week to make key decisions regarding election timelines and sporting reforms.

It was decided that a AIBA Congress will be held on December 12 with an aim “to adopt enhanced eligibility criteria and verification mechanisms” before the Board of Directors elections are held in 2022.

Commenting on the decision, AIBA President Umar Kremlev said, “boxers and those who support them deserve to be absolutely sure that their leadership is the right leadership and to exercise their democratic rights effectively.”

“The adoption of even stricter regulations will ensure these elections are carried out to a level of good governance that I believe will serve as an example for others.”

It was also decided that athlete representative elections will be held at the upcoming Men’s and Women’s Boxing World Championships. The women will also have an equal prize pool to the men at their world championships.

The Board also examined the refereeing and judging selection process protocols for the upcoming world championships.

Speaking on that topic, Kremlev said, “providing a fair chance and a fair fight for boxers is at the very heart of AIBA and I am very proud of the changes we are making to deliver those vital promises.”

“We look forward to welcoming the best boxers in the world to Belgrade in just a few weeks’ time. And we’re confident it will prove to be an opportunity for both the athletes and for AIBA to show how well they can perform.”

The upcoming AIBA Men’s World Boxing Championships are due to get underway on October 24, and run until November 6.

Federation Focus is presented by the International Weightlifting Federation. For more information on the IWF, click here.