Pretoria - The Tshwane Sports Council and various stakeholders have launched the second annual Tshwane Women in Sport Awards in an effort to recognise women and girl achievers who have excelled on and off the field.
The launch was held at the University of Pretoria’s High Performance Centre yesterday, where 20 categories for consideration and nomination were revealed.
The Women in Sports Awards was established in 2018 in Ekurhuleni, and has since expanded to Joburg, Westrand District, Tshwane and Sedibeng District.
Speaking at the launch, the president of the Tshwane Sports Confederation, Winston Meyer, said it was important to empower women through sports, as it was a powerful tool to challenge gender stereotypes.
“It is important for women to further develop their skills, that are transferable to the working environment, to find a safe network, a sense of meaning and purpose, and to express their talent and passion professionally,” he said.
Meyer said that the Covid-19 pandemic threatened to erase the momentum gained within the sporting world before it, especially on matters such as gender parity, which raised awareness on women’s participation and leadership in sport, equal pay, and safeguarding and incentives for women and girls.
“Covid-19 had and still has a devastating impact on women in sports within the areas of the economic impact on women in sports, women’s representation in the media, and girls participation in sport,” he said.
Gauteng Sports Confederation president Vivian Lottering said it was important to develop sport from grassroots up to high performance for women.
He said it was vital to recognise and award women for their achievements, and support what they were doing while understanding that they needed to be given a platform to showcase their talent.
“For too long in the sport fraternity, we have discriminated against women and put them behind us while men take the platforms. We need to be people that provide opportunities for women so that they can become space invaders in the male-dominated world.
“It is up to us as sports people, confederations and federations to make sure that we provide the platforms, not only for athletes, but for administrators as well.”
The awards will be held on February 16, 2022, with nominations from federations in good standing.
Voting will be decided on by a panel of industry professionals, and some categories open to voting by the public.
Nominations are open until January 22.
Pretoria News