Held on IDSDP, the virtual Women and Sports Dialogue by FAME Foundation was a huge success, with speakers from diverse backgrounds sharing their insights on sports, equality and development.

FAME Foundation’s annual Women and Sports Dialogue was held this year to commemorate the International Day of Sports for Development and Peace. It was a convergence of sports experts and enthusiasts, peace and gender advocates, humanitarians, academicians, researchers, and other stakeholders, who engaged in intellectual discussions around peace, sports, equality, and development.

Held online, the dialogue took place on April 6, with two panel discussions.

Notable speakers included Dr. Donna A. Lopiano (President, Sports Management Resources), Barrister Amobi Ezeaku (Head, Sports and Entertainment Law Section, Lexsetters LLP), Nancy Hogshead-Makar (CEO, Champion Women), and Oluwashina Okeleji (Sports Journalist, BBC Sports).

In her opening remarks, Aderonke Ogunleye-Bello, Executive Director of FAME Foundation, highlighted how sport has transcended generations and impacted billions of lives in different areas of society, emphasizing its impact on gender equality and building the movement towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Sport has the ability to change the world; it is a basic right and a useful asset to reinforce social ties and advance practical turn of events and harmony, and can promote inclusion and regard for all. Together, we can use the power and value of sports, on and off the pitch, to inspire and mobilize individuals towards peacebuilding and development”, she said.

The first panel session was on sport and the link to global peace and development. Barrister Amobi Ezeaku gave insightful and intelligent contributions on how sports can foster peace and development in Africa and beyond. Barrister Amobi emphasized the inability to engage in sport within an environment of fear and the need for the greater good to be enthroned above political motives in sports governance.

The second panel session was on women and sports, and discussed how women can achieve equality in the field. It was moderated by Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Assistant Editor, Sun Newspaper.

Dr. Donna A. Lopiano commenced the session by delivering a keynote speech on the pathways to achieving gender equality in sports. She stated that there are clear pathways to achieving sports equality, of which effective policy implementation is one. She highlighted that the voices of female athletes are silent, and the media is more worried about sports organizations than being investigative in their reporting.

Lopiano also shared insights into gender inequality in one of the developed nations. She mentioned that the enforcement of gender equality policy in the US is very poor, but the progress is undeniable.

Nancy Hogshead-Makar spoke on the notion of a man’s world and its implications for thriving in sports for women. Oluwashina Okeleji noted that gender equality issues start from the home, and we must empower girls and boys equally. He highlighted how gender inequality manifested in sports by giving the example of women’s football teams in Africa, which are excelling more than their male counterparts, yet are not given as much importance and are often treated unfairly.

Watch the first panel discussion
Watch the second panel discussion