| On April 24, 2023, the Council of Europe’s Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) organized the webinar “Protecting and Promoting the Human Rights of Transgender and Intersex Athletes in Sport” including two panel sessions, followed by a technical meeting in presence to discuss the preparation of an educational toolkit (https://rm.coe.int/01-factsheet-and-programme-webinar-on-protecting-and-promoting-the-hum/1680ab0ab5). The event was intended to update on the recommendations and conclusions of the 2021 Diversity Conference https://www.coe.int/en/web/sport/diversity-conference.
Irena Guidikova (Head of the Children’s Rights and Sports Values Department), Cassandra Mactavish (Senior Project Officer and Coordinator EPAS Consultative Committee Coordinator), and Hugh Torrance (Co-President of the European Gay & Lesbian Sports Federation) welcomed the participants, whereas Madeleine Pape (IOC), Gabriela Matei, (CoE), Lombe Mwambwa (Gender Observatory-GO), Payoshni Mitra (Centre for Sports and Human Rights), Natalie Washington (Trans Pride Brighton & Hove) illustrated the actual and protracting gender discrimination in sports, and the main issues and challenges for fostering of gender inclusion.
The first panel session (Sone Erikainen moderator, Gabriela Matei, Lombe Mwambwa, Payoshni Mitra, and Natalie Washington) examined the discrimination against transgender and intersex athletes, including the prevention and combat of hate speech in sports. The second panel session (Andrej Pisl moderator, Hugh Torrance, Gabriella Calleja, Thays Prado, Conny-Hendrik Schälicke, and Carolina Sousa E Sà) discussed the role of organizations and sports bodies in the provision of policies and recommendations on inclusion of women, gay, lesbian, trans, and intersex people, in raising the awareness and educating athletes and staff on gender diversity, and in implementing activities to guarantee safe and inclusive sports environments.
In summarizing the webinar, Francine Hetherington Raveney (EPAS Deputy Executive Secretary), highlighted the role of the EPAS Consultative Committee in supporting the organisation of the event and in promoting human rights and inclusion.
During the afternoon onsite consultation workshop, the President of EAS participated in the experts’ exchange of opinions and envisioning of possible strategies, opportunities, and practices to educate on human rights of transgender and intersex athletes at all competitive levels, which will be useful for the preparation of an EPAS educational toolkit to be released in a year. |
