Sport and Recreation South Africa to host conference in Women’s Month,
11 Aug

2 August 2006

The month of August, having been declared Women’s Month, will see various
collaborations and discussion forums – all aimed at highlighting and
recognising women’s role in our society. Sport and recreation as a key to women
emancipation, will also feature on the agenda.

Sport and Recreation South Africa is responding to a call made by Cabinet
this year, when it declared 2006 as the “Year of the Women,” appropriately
coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the women march to the Union Building
in 1956, through a call to all women to engage in sport. The Department is
therefore hosting a Conference on Women’s Participation in Sport and Recreation
on 11 August 2006, at the Sandton Convention Centre, from 08h30 to 17h00.

Minister of Sport and Recreation, Rev. Dr Makhenkesi Stofile says just as
South African women are moving into the previously male dominated spheres of
political office and the corporate ladder, they are also breaking down barriers
in social and cultural areas – including sport and recreation. For this reason,
the Department has appropriately themed the conference: “Challenges as women
march towards active participation in sport and recreation.”

The conference seeks to address and challenge amongst others, the
predominant discourse on gender equality within South African sports that
focuses on increasing the number of women and girls participation in sports. It
also aims to support programmes for high performance female athletes and
administrators as well as ensuring access of girls and women to physical
education and sport, furthermore, to empower and engage more prominently women
with disabilities in sport.

“Women have found that under particular conditions, when they participated
in historically male-dominated sporting domains, they are faced with gender
discriminations. Like women around the world, some South African women have
also not enjoyed equal sporting opportunities as those afforded to men,” stated
the Minister. He added that the Department therefore, seeks to “mobilise more
women to change their lifestyles to compete for excellence and take part in
sport and recreation because it provides unique opportunities for physical
health, confidence, enjoyment and fulfilment.”

In ensuring that this conference is not reduced to a mere talk show, the
Department is complimenting and adopting a “walk the talk” approach. The next
two days after the conference, 12 and 13 August respectively, delegates as well
as sports enthusiasts will converge at the High Performance Centre, Pretoria
for a National Women Sports tournament which will feature a hype of sports
activities including Rugby, Soccer, Boxing and Cricket with the intention of
establishing formidable women’s teams, which would also produce players to the
national teams.

Enquires: Zweli Mnisi (Director: Communications and Marketing)
Tel: 012 334 3120
Cell: 082 464 4659
E-mail: zweli@srsa.gov.za

Issued by: Sport and Recreation South Africa
2 August 2006
Source: Sport and Recreation South Africa (http://www.srsa.gov.za)