Elena Papazoglou was proclaimed the first Ambassador for Gender Equality in Sport by the Cyprus Sports Organisation and the Office of the Commissioner for Gender Equality at a press conference held today in Nicosia.
According to a CSO statement, Commissioner for Gender Equality Josie Christodoulou said that the establishment, every two years, of the Ambassador for Gender Equality in Sport is another action of the National Strategy for Gender Equality 2024-2026, which is being implemented with the valuable cooperation of the Cyprus Sports Organisation, adding that “the Ambassador for Equality will have a key role in promoting gender equality at all levels of sport without exception”.
As the Commissioner stressed, “the empowerment of women in sport should not be left to words, but should be a daily practice at many levels. It starts with their recognition on the pitch and on the field and extends to the media, publicity, sponsorship and budgets”.
For her part, the President of CSO’s Committee for Gender Equality in Sport Kalli Hadjiosif, congratulated and wished good luck to Elena Papazoglou, adding that on 13 February in Luxembourg the results of the joint Council of Europe and European Commission “All in Plus” programme will be officially announced. “On the basis of the results, the Equality Committee intends to develop an action plan that will concern all sports organisations,” she said.
Papazoglou, who has been a sailor, is a technical advisor to the Cyprus Sailing Federation from 2006 to date, and has been elected twice as President of the International Sailing Federation Women’s Forum from 2017 to 2024.
“My role is a unique opportunity to join my voice with all those fighting for equality, empowerment and participation of women and girls in sport. This appointment fills me with both responsibility and commitment to drive the change we all want to see. For the next two years, the actions we are planning include the creation of a think tank on equality in sport, visits to schools to encourage girls to participate in sport, the creation of a special account of the Ambassador for Gender Equality in Sport on Facebook and Instagram platforms to inform and promote equality in sport, as well as the production of informative videos to raise public awareness and participation in conferences and seminars,” she noted.
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Source: CNA
