The Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) is a partner of the Erasmus+ project “Guidance to Achieve More Equal Leadership in Sport” (GAMES).
TOC organised the National Launching Event on 14 December 2023, which was attended by relevant national and regional sport organisations, as well as policymakers, among others.
Invitations were extended to all National Federations (NFs) of Olympic Sports, policymakers (Ministry of Youth and Sports, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, TOC Executive Board members) as well as selected sports clubs, related NGOs, coaches, officials, academicians, and Olympic athletes. A total of 84 individuals attended the event, with 61 being women, representing 24 NFs, 6 policymakers, 4 clubs, 5 NGOs, 11 Universities with Sports Faculties and 3 Olympic athletes.
The National Launching Event presented the GAMES project, its objectives and relevance. Accordingly, it aimed to present its main deliverables including the Baseline Study and its main finding on gender equality at the national level, the Global Pool of Actions, and TOC’s National Action Plan. Therefore, the current challenges in the realm of gender equality in leadership were addressed through open discussion/workshops which in turn allowed for the development of cooperation between relevant national/regional stakeholders.
TOC’s National Launching Event commenced with opening speeches delivered by representatives from the TOC, UN Women Türkiye and the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Subsequently, two presentations were given - one by Carlotta Giussani (online) which covered the Project’s objectives, consortium, timeframe, and deliverables; and the other by Neşe Gündoğan on the Action Plan, outlining its key components, strategies, and initiatives.
A panel discussion focused on the Representation of Women in Turkish Sports Institutions, featuring the participation of the Presidents of the Turkish Sailing and Handball Federations, the Turkish Association of Sport and Physical Activity for Women (KASFAD), and the Head Coach of the Turkish Women's National Football Team. The event concluded with group discussions designed to foster knowledge sharing, dialogue, and interaction among participants. The primary goal was to reach a satisfactory conclusion guiding the next steps in cooperation opportunities among stakeholders.
Hence, the National Launching Event aimed to share TOC’s National Action Plan whilst further promoting knowledge and information regarding the current situation and foreseen future actions in terms of gender equality in leadership positions. Besides, the National Launching Event served as a springboard to develop measures to promote gender equality in sport leadership in the national ecosystem whilst being a valuable opportunity to further encourage networking and cooperation among relevant stakeholders.
Background information on GAMES project.
The GAMES project is a 24-month project co-funded by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ Sport Programme 2021 and coordinated by the EOC EU Office. It promotes integrity and good governance in sports by advocating for structural and cultural changes regarding gender equality in leadership and decision-making positions among NOCs and their member federations. The EOC EU Office is implementing GAMES together with 8 NOCs (Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, North Macedonia and Turkey) and renowned experts in the field of gender equality and good governance, including Professor Emerita Kari Fasting from Equal Rights in Sports and I TRUST Sport. Furthermore, the GAMES project is supported by the International Olympic Committee.
Stay tuned with the progress of the project via the GAMES website and the Twitter account!
