Tonga's Crown Princess Sinaitakala Tuku‘aho (centre) with delegates at the “Women and Sport in Oceania Regional Workshop”. Nuku’alofa, October 28.

Empowering women and girls through sport by increasing their opportunities to participate in all level of sports and in positions of leadership are among the aims of the first “Women and Sport in Oceania Regional Workshop” held in Nuku’alofa, from October 29-31.

The meeting is also the 4^th Continental Seminar Training on Women and Sports for the Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) attended by 40 delegates from 16 countries in the region, including Anita DeFrantz an Executive Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Chairwoman of the IOC Women & Sport Commission and Helen Brownlee the Chairwoman of the Oceania in Sport Commission and Vice-President of Australia’s Olympic Committee.

Crown Princess Sinaitakala Tuku‘aho in opening the meeting said participants and Tonga have to build a solid foundation for a global network of integral relationships that will further the development of sport for women of the Oceania Region.

She believed the workshop would strengthen the leadership of various representatives of Oceania’s National Olympic Committees.

Leadership

Helen Brownlee said they had made their mark in the region in that they have Lady Robyn Tu’ivakano the President of Tonga's National Olympic Committee as one of two women Presidents. “At the moment, there are five women Secretary-Generals so over the last four years we have made a lot of difference in the region itself,” she said.

“The vision we have agreed for Women and Sport in Oceania is women and girls empowered through sport and we are going to work over the next four years to achieve that with your help and with the help of each island nations because working together we can make a difference.”

Anita DeFrantz said the Oceania National Olympic Committees has a very active Women and Sport Commission and through seminars, workshops and sports it makes every effort so that the role of women in the world of sport goes beyond the sporting arena and reaches the level of leadership and decision making positions.

She said they had been working for many years with the National Olympic Committees, the International Federations and even at the IOC itself – to raise the percentage of women in leadership positions.

“I am happy that we can finally say that IOC has reached and even exceeded its own goal of having at least 20% of membership women. We now have 24 women members ... of the 115 person maximum membership of the IOC. It is only a few years before the elections at the NOCs and other ogranisations takes place, take an active role in electing a woman to a post in NOCs or National Federations or even International Federations,” she said.

Anita said there was no doubt today, that women were being recognized for their achievements in the world of sport but this was mostly on the field of play.

"London Olympics 2012 saw women’s participation approximately 44 percent – the highest even at the Games ... increasing women’s participation in continental and world championships and in the Olympics has been achieved but increasing women’s participating in governing bodies has proven to be more difficult but there has been some progress."

Push-barriers

Lady Tu’ivakano said the seminar would provide knowledge and foster learning in the region so the involvement of women at leadership levels and participation of girls in sport might increase and evolve in years to come.

“The beginning was challenging but this occasion is evidence that with your dedication and commitment we stand and together we shall push barriers. Great works are ahead in the development of women in sport not only at the national level but in Oceania.”

The meeting held at the Fa'onelua Convention Centre was organised by the Tonga Women in Sports Commission (TWISC) in partnership with the IOC.