Dubai: A top International Olympic Committee (IOC) official has urged women in the UAE to get more involved in any sort of sporting activity so that they can reach out and touch the society, especially at the grassroots level.
Speaking at the Dubai International Sports Creativity Symposium, held as a precursor to the 13th Dubai International Sports Creativity Awards that will be presented in January 2018, Anita DeFrantz, Vice-President, IOC said: “I didn’t realise that sport would be my career, but it did happen. And today, I am where I am mostly because of sport. I consider the access to sport to each and every one in society as a basic right of every human being, just as basic as finding shelter and nourishment.”
Speaking on the topic of ‘Sports, Gender and Society’, DeFrantz traced the growing role of women in the Olympic movement. “At the 1996 Atlanta Games, as many as 26 NOCs didn’t have women at the Games. But between the 1996 to 2016 Games, we have had more than 32,000 women taking part in an Olympic Games. This means there are 32,000 reasons out there in the world who can act as promoters of sports and health within our society,” she added.
“The benefits of sport for humans are multi-faceted. In team sports, we challenge ourselves, and along the way we pick up leadership skills, mutual respect and fair play.”
Lauding the UAE Government and Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for their contribution towards empowerment of women in sport, DeFrantz said: “I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Princess Haya and I have a lot of respect for what she has done.”
DeFrantz is an American Olympic rower, member of the IOC and a former vice-president of the International Rowing Federation (Fisa). Born in 1952 in Philadelphia, she was captain of the US rowing team that won bronze in the women’s eight rowing at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.
“The greatest challenge before women today is, and will always be, fear. And that’s a part of life. The things we fear most cause us to be least able to be successful,” DrFrantz observed.
“Asking for help is the best way to get over fear. In the area of sport, we ask for help from coaches, from other competitors and you ask for help from history to see how other women have done this in the past,” she added.
She further reiterated that the Olympic movement is a bold indicator that is constantly setting a path for many more to follow. “Every member of the Olympic movement has women Olympians. The IOC accepts no exception to the fact that women need to have access to sport. And every nation that has women athletes will celebrate its Olympians and they will bring back contributions to the nation in a way that you cannot imagine,” she noted.
“I hope we can break down barriers and convince people that there is everything right in having access for women in sport. Sport belongs to us all and we need to take it into our arms and make it better,” DeFrantz added.
