In Geneva, every day is women’s sport day!

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As a vector of social cohesion, sport is a means of addressing the issue of gender and the associated forms of discrimination.

So how can we enjoy our passion and our sporting activities together? In the City of Geneva, the Sports Service works hand in hand with the Agenda 21-Sustainable City Service, the Youth Service and the Schools and Early Childhood Institutions Service to implement numerous actions and measures aimed at removing the physical and psychological obstacles to doing women’s sport. “Much progress is still to be made and many combats must be fought to ensure that all forms of discrimination are brought to an end and that women’s sport is recognised on an even footing with men’s sport. We have been working towards this for five years and the boundaries are starting shift!”, stresses Sami Kanaan, Administrative Councillor responsible for sport.

“Gender and sports” programme

In 2014, the City of Geneva launched a think-tank into how gender can be taken into account in public missions and services linked to sport and leisure, culminating in the “Gender and sports” programme. In 2016-2017, a study on the “Analysis of factors influencing sports activities practised by women in Geneva” conducted a diagnostic of the sports on offer examined from the standpoint of gender (analyses of existing data, observations in the field) and questioned the women of Geneva about their sports experiences and the obstacles they encounter.

Based on this, the Administrative Council commissioned an inter-departmental working group in 2018 to define an action plan establishing priority avenues of action. The implementation of this plan is accompanied by a group of experts from the worlds of sport, social work and academia. “The City has assumed its responsibilities by conducting a cross-cutting, self-critical evaluation, in particular by analysing the budgets allocated to sportspeople. An essential precondition in identifying priority actions and sticking points, this study underpins fundamental work as it refers to a long-term societal transformation,” explains Eléonore Lépinard, sociologist and member of the group of experts.

Promoting increased visibility

The recommendations included in the action plan have in particular been brought to fruition through the organisation of events designed to increase the visibility of the participants.

As part of the Plaine de jeunes festival, professional female skateboarders made girls and the general public more aware of the opportunities to take part in urban sports. The introductory courses organised during this festival are still running and the skate park has seen an increase in the number of girls making use of the facility. Last March, the 3rd Sport and Society Forum brought together almost 100 participants to explore the theme of “Gender equality in sport: utopia or opportunity?”.

The increasing global popularity of women’s football has also been felt in Geneva, where the number of visitors to the fan zone exceeded all expectations when this facility was organised in Switzerland for the very first time. The second edition of Urban Sports will be held next September with the aim of encouraging women to discover and take up these sports – which have, until now, been a predominantly male affair – thanks to the participation of recognised female competitors.

Zero sexism

This week, as part of the Zero sexism in my city campaign, the Sports Service – in collaboration with the Agenda 21-Sustainable City Service – launched a variant on the theme of sport.

The Zero sexism in my sport campaign intends to organise a series of awareness and training actions with sports clubs as well as the users and staff of sports facilities.

In 2020, with a view to providing women’s sport with targeted support, the City of Geneva has created a dedicated budget line of 200,000 francs. This amount will make it possible to pursue work in the field and encourage women to do sport by providing clubs and associations which support and develop women’s sport with greater resources.