Women Demand Olympic Equality

Sexist discrimination remains, must be remedied by IOC

Delegation presents equality demands to Olympic chiefs

You are invited - Public meeting

London 2012: Justice for Women
Wednesday 25 July 2012
10:30 am to 2pm
On board the ship Hispaniola, moored on the River Thames
Map: http://goo.gl/ff5IR
Nearest tube: Embankment

Leading French yachtswoman, Anne Liardet, and former supermodel and Bond girl, Waris Dirie, now a campaigner for women’s rights, are guests of honour at Wednesday’s meeting, which is demanding an end to discrimination against women at the Olympics.

All welcome. Open to the public and media.

This event will be chaired by Anne-Marie Lizin, Honorary President of the Belgian Senate.

Read the full programme below.

At 2pm there will be a symbolic burial of the Olympic Charter, in protest at its non-enforcement by the IOC, accompanied by a New Orleans jazz band, marking the neglect of Olympic values for women.

At 3pm a delegation will present letters to all IOC delegates at the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, where the IOC is headquartered. The letters outline the seven equality demands made by the London 2012: Justice for Women movement.

See the seven equality demands below.

“In advance of the Olympics, our intention is to remind the IOC of its obligation to apply the principles of equality and neutrality inscribed in the Olympic Charter,” said London 2012: Justice for Women.

“Why does the IOC comply with certain countries’ requests to cover their female athletes from head to toe? It amounts to the blatant stigmatisation of the female athlete’s body.

“London 2012: Justice for Women demands an end to these inequalities,” she said.

London 2012: Justice for Women is supported by the human rights organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation. It’s Director, Peter Tatchell said:

“There will be more events for men than for women at the 2012 London Games. This means that men have the opportunity win more Olympic medals than their female counterparts. Examples of event inequality exist in athletics, canoeing, rowing, wrestling, shooting, and boxing. Some of the additional events for men are based on the sexist assumption that women are the weaker sex. These male-only events include the 50 km walk and the decathlon.

“Saudi Arabia blocks women from participating in sport & requires women athletes to be accompanied by male guardians. Iran has gender segregation in sport & forces women athletes to cover their entire bodies, even if they do not wish to do so. In more than 150 countries, lesbian athletes have to hide their sexuality to get selected for their country’s Olympic squad. The Olympic Charter outlaws discrimination in sport but it is being violated with impunity,” said Mr Tatchell.

London 2012: Justice for Women 7 Demands:
Three demands against gender discrimination:

1. Parity: Equal numbers of male and female Olympic disciplines and events
2. Decision-making bodies: apply immediately a minimum quota of 20% women’s representation and set parity objectives
3. Homage and visibility: the IOC President should give the gold medal to both the male and the female marathon winners, and not only to the male winner

Three demands against sexual segregation:

4. No more male-only delegations
5. Competitors and officials must not be allowed to wear politico-religious symbols
6. IOC should no longer support gender the segregated games for women organized by Tehran

A global demand to build a better world of equality and inclusion:

7. No more stereotypes (sexism, homophobia, transphobia), separation of Olympics / Paralympics, and end prostitution around the Olympics

Background information:

http://www.playthegame.org/fileadmin/image/PTG2011/Presentation/Gender_in_Sport_-_Annie_Sugier.pdf

Further information:

Annie Sugier & Linda Weil-Curiel
The Ligue du Droit International des Femmes,The French Coordination for the European Women’s Lobby. Tel: +33 (0)6 38 39 42 92 or +33(0)1 46 60 91 36 +33(0)6 888 44 009
Email: annie.sugier@gmail.com and w113111@club-internet.fr
Website: http://www.ldif.asso.fr

Martha Jean Baker
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, European Women’s Lobby
+44 20 7436 5639 Email: martha@uslawyersuk.co.uk

Peter Tatchell, Director, Peter Tatchell Foundation
0207 403 1790
Email: Peter@PeterTatchellFoundation.org
Web: www.PeterTatchellFoundation.org

PROGRAM OF THE 25 JULY EVENT ON BOARD THE HISPANIOLIA

London 2012: Justice for Women

Chair: Anne-Marie Lizin, Honorary President of the Belgian Senate

10:15
Welcome coffee

10:30
Short presentation about the organisations supporting “London 2012: Justice for Women” and guest of honour, Waris Dirie

10:40
Annie Sugier, speaker for the International League for Women’s Rights and Françoise Morvan, Vice President of the French Coordination for the European Women’s Lobby, representing 80 NGOs.
Who we are, where it all began: the Barcelona Games 1992 and the foundation of the Atlanta+ Committee.
The Olympic Charter, the sole law for the Olympics.
Our seven demands
Short video: when women reject the veil.
IOC’s betrayal of equality principles
Questions/Answers

11:50
Why we support “London 2012: Justice for women” (3 minutes each):
Martha Jean Baker, Lawyer, Vice-President of European Women Lobby,
Peter Tatchell, Director of the Peter Tatchell foundation,
Anne Liardet, sailor (Vendée Globe Challenge),
Nina Charlier responsible for the syndicate of sports (teachers in France) ,
Audrey Keyser co-author of “Feminine football, are women the future of football?”
Ana Pak journalist, Iranian political exile
Shoukria Haidar, President of an Afghan NGO, former member of the Afghan NOC (written message from Kabul),
Sundas Hoorain, from One Law for All
Questions/Answers

12:20
Sonia Lokar, Chair of the European Women’s Lobby representing NGOs will conclude the session.

12h15 break for sandwiches, refreshments and music

2pm
Festive mock burial of the Olympic values and principles that have been trampled on by IOC, with New Orleans jazz band.

3pm
A delegation will take letters with the seven demands for women’s equality to the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, where the IOC is headquarted.

ENDS

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