IOC member Nawal El Moutawakel called on the IOC and other sports organizations to increase female leadership. (ATR)
A panel of experts says much more needs to be done to include women in leadership positions of international sports organizations.
Women make up only 15 percent of the IOC's membership. (Getty Images)
“It's up now to the national federations and organizations to push up women for leader position in the world of sport,” said Schmitt, who imprecisely stated in his talk that women make up 25 percent of the IOC.
Speaking of the male domination of sports leadership, Schmitt notes that in Africa and Asia, “because they are men, they are voting for men."
“No candidate is coming, that is the problem. So we have to do a kind of positive discrimination, in favor of women against the men candidates,” says Schmitt.
Emine Bozkurt, member of the European Parliament from Netherlands, says she isn’t sure quotas are the answer. She told the panel, “I think girls at an earlier age should be encouraged to take some responsibilities in sports associations because women can play a very important role.”
She cited swimming great Erica Terpstra, now president of the Netherlands NOC, as an example of a role model for women sports leaders.
Athina Kyriakidou of Greece, the chair of the European Women and Sport Network, blasted the imbalance between men and women in sports leadership as a “lack of democracy."
“We have to encourage women to participate in sport, to participate in key positions, in decision-making positions, to participate in all level of sport.
IOC member Pal Schmitt acknowledges that many male sports leaders only vote for men which is a factor in the current IOC membership. (ATR)