In the last session, the Regional Equal Opportunities Commission heard the president of the Regional Observatory for Sport, lawyer. Fabio Colella, “in the firm belief that the two bodies can play an important match on common ground which is that of sport”. Also present was the lawyer. John Fedelemanager of the Legislative Process and Legal Assistance Area of the Regional Council, as well as member of the Observatory.
The president of the Commission Anna De Gaio, expressed “satisfaction with the involvement of the Observatory in the promotion and implementation of common and shared objectives in a historical moment in which the attention on women’s sport is maximum also in light of the results achieved at a national level”. For his part, President Colella said that “the recent national and international directions that are emerging in the Olympic dimension, suggest in the near future the possibility of witnessing the holding of mixed championships which certainly go in the direction of valorising male and female athletes women. This is a cultural change that is affecting all levels, allowing women to fully enter all federal councils, both as athletes and as representatives of sports clubs as well as in management. These historical transitions must be supported and at the same time analyzed and explored in depth, given that gender inequalities still persist in different segments: one for all is the difference recorded at the end of a career for a man and a woman which has repercussions both in terms of salary and in the choice by sports federations of male rather than female athletes. In this sense, proposals and requests on these issues could arise from the Regional Equal Opportunities Commission and the Regional Council to be brought, where deemed appropriate, also to the competent national bodies”.
The lawyer Colella highlighted “the persistent problems related to sports facilities and the involvement of all sports disciplines but also the possibility that with the forthcoming announcements we could think of a reward system that facilitates the spaces and participating sports clubs that expand the range of sports proposals for both men and women”.
President De Gaio confirmed “the willingness to undertake common paths so that equal opportunities, in the broadest sense, are expressed in every sporting practice, becoming a powerful means of human promotion, solidarity and social development”. Furthermore, she expressed “the awareness of the tiring work still to be done because, on the one hand, it was addressed greater media attention to women’s sports disciplines, citing the case of the women’s national football team, it is clear that the same sporting success would have had a different and more consistent resonance and visibility if it had concerned the men’s team. This is why it becomes essential that governments, sports federations, non-governmental organizations and civil society work together to promote concrete policies and initiatives to support equal opportunities in sport.”
For his part, the lawyer. Fedele, in greeting the Commission as a member of the Observatory, recalled his “full availability to provide support to the two bodies through the structure he manages, for any technical-legal insights that may become necessary”.
In closing, both President De Gaio and President Colella agreed on the need to agree on common strategies that pass through the promotion of development programs for female athletes, raising awareness through communication campaigns and promoting a more inclusive and respectful sporting culture. .