Women want more involvement

IN its document "Creating a gender level playing pitch," the National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) will be urging the John Treacy headed Sports Council an other sporting organisations throughout Ireland to do more for the involvement of women in sport.

In a new comprehensive strategy aimed at involving in all aspects of sport as well as developing opportunities for them to remain and participate in sport throughout their lives, the council has set out proposals for phased research and action over a 10 year span.

Speaking yesterday, chairwoman Noreen Byrne said that "everyone gaged in sport and sporting organisations - policy makers, administrators, coaches, trainers and participants - need toe recognise the imbalance in participation and the consequences, not only sport but for health, general fitness and social interaction."

Byrne, turning to the women's Gaelic football final replay last Sunday between Monaghan and Laois, added that "it opened many eyes to the potential of women in sport generally and in sports previously considered to be a male preserve."

She emphasised that attitudes about women's participation in sport is changing abut that such changes needed to be highlighted and given a better platform.

The group has also set goals that it hopes can be achieved at the end of the 10 year strategy and has outlined some specific recommendations. They are:

1. The adoption of a national policy on omen and sport.

2. That the task of implementing the strategy be given to the appropriate body with the necessary resources and authority.

3. That a clear timetable of action and explicit goals together with adequate resources be agreed within one year.

It is clear to the NWCI, who represent more than 300,000 women, that women are not as involved as they should be in sport despite the successes of Sonia O'Sullivan at last year's World Championships in Gothenburg, Michelle Smith in this year's Olympic Games in Atlanta and Catriona McKiernan in World Championship and European cross country running.

Apart from the overall participation, the group is concerned about the ongoing discrimination, mainly in golf, but also in other sports such as cricket and tennis. The NWCI says that such attitudes, which are still in evidence through certain rules and regulations, preclude or limit the participation of women and are "antediluvian" in the context of sport.