Does sport occupy the same place for women as for men? We ask ourselves the question this Monday, January 24, 2022 in Côte-d’Or, on the occasion of international women’s sports day. The opportunity to say or say again that women are globally under-represented in sports clubs, also under-reported compared to men. This is the observation made at the level of the Regional Olympic Committee (CROS) through Dominique Veyrac. member of the mixed section within the CROS, she is also the president of the Burgundy Fencing League and she is our guest this Monday, January 24, 2022. Interview.
France Bleu Bourgogne – can women practice all the sports they want in 2022?
Dominique Veyrac: yes, women can do all the sports but it’s true that they rarely dare and that we still have too few, even in our region, young women who dare to cross the door of the gymnasiums or come to the stadiums to be able to practice the sport they want, be it football, archery, fencing or wrestling.
FBB – What are the brakes?
DV: We often talk about the obstacles that are linked to family organization since women are often at the head of households and especially of their organization. So they already have to manage their own professional life. The children’s activities, the children’s school career and everything put together, it turns out that there is little time left for them. And in the time they have left, they choose whether or not to play sports. But now, it’s still a very tight time. We can also speak, of course, of stereotypes. We do not necessarily imagine a woman playing ice hockey or field hockey. It’s a bit of a shame because it has to be open to everyone. And then, we can also speak of the too low media coverage of women’s sport even today, when we look at specialized newspapers which devote very few front pages to major sporting exploits in women’s sport.
FBB – Are there a lack of female role models at the head of sports bodies today?
D.V: Yes, I think I believe a lot in role modeling. I became aware of this by becoming myself, by gradually taking on responsibilities, since this taking on responsibilities concerns the young girls on my committee. And that, it shows me that yes, we need models to be able to identify ourselves. So when you have young girls, very young children easily identify with a football player or a player. Regardless of gender. It’s true that after adolescence, it’s a little more complicated. So we lack media coverage of athletes to show young girls that yes, it exists. Yes it’s possible. You can have a brilliant school career and also play high-level sport.
FBB – So, from your point of view, it is necessary again and again, for example, to give the results of the women’s leagues in all sports and more so that every day, young girls and young men can also hear that these sports are practiced by everyone?
D. V: Yes, that’s it, because I believe that the diversity of sports exists even in a territory since, like Bourgogne Franche-Comté, which has very rural parts, you can practice a lot of sports. However, it is true that women are still under-represented, with a third of the licensees, so without seeking perfect parity, we are still well below the expected equality.
