I recently caught up with Lucienne Attard, the chairperson of the Women in Sports Commission of the Malta Olympic Committee.
We discussed the steps to be taken in order to increase the participation of women in sports at all levels.
A medical doctor by profession, Lucienne furthered her studies in sports medicine and is currently finishing her thesis for an M.Sc degree in Exercise and Sports Medicine at the University of Bath.
Her academic commitments have in no way hindered her active involvement in sports as she regularly practises judo, tennis and basketball. She is also the national team doctor of the Malta Basketball Association.
The Women in Sports Commission has come a long way since its foundation four years ago. The Women and Sports Conference was the first ever national seminar that sought to explore the situation in Malta and the tasks that need to be implemented to address the shortcomings.
The media did come under some fire for not providing adequate coverage of the proceedings of the seminar.
I guess this was a fair comment as we are often too busy reporting lousy football matches and splashing stories of international sporting personalities that originate from major news networks all over the world. Meanwhile, genuine efforts to seek to promote a change in culture often go unnoticed.
Dr Attard strongly believes that the media should advocate the role of females in sport and encourage the employment of female sports journalists.
While female athletes are under-represented in the competitive arena, more females than males have managed to win medals at the Games of the Small States of Europe since the first edition in 1985 in San Marino. In 2001, female athletes obtained 51.4 per cent of the total of medals won by the Maltese contingent.
Data quantifying the involvement of women in sports is not readily available and studies are often undertaken on a personal basis.
Two recent studies have attempted to map out the differences that exist between males and females in sports participation. The first study was conducted in 1999 by Marie-Therese Zammit.
Since some leading associations did not bother to submit a response, the statistics may not be representing a true picture of the situation especially when considering that some of the guilty parties boast a healthy female participation within their ranks.
The study was replicated in 2002 by the Women in Sports Commission and similar trends emerged. While roughly equal percentages of males and females under 23 years of age participate in sports, the trend changes drastically as the age cohort increases. The distribution curve reveals an alarming situation as only 20 per cent of all active athletes in their mid-twenties are females.
Such studies are crucial as they shed more light on the number of active athletes on the island. More studies need to be undertaken to distinguish between those who engage in sporting activities for leisure and those who practise sport for competitive purposes.
The Women in Sports Commission should identify research questions which can be tackled by undergraduates in the physical education programme at the University of Malta. The findings resulting from such studies can help the Commission recommend policies to lure more women to participate in sporting activities.
Detailed strategy
Our country needs to draw up a detailed strategy which outlines the measures to follow so as to involve women of all age groups in sports programmes. Infrastructure may well have been the first step in the milestone schedule but this has to be complemented by other measures to reach the desired goal.
Facilities need to be geared to cater for mothers with young babies and toddlers. Nappy changing facilities and trained personnel who look after children while their mothers exercise may well provide two solutions that will entice young mothers to venture to a fitness facility.
Apparently, even our latest state of the art complexes lack such measures and the government should introduce child-minding programmes at the main venues to foster a sport for all culture in our country.
The education curriculum has to encourage the use of creative skills in physical education classes. Apparently, our national minimum curriculum makes no mention of the recommended number of hours per week that should be dedicated to physical education.
Educational campaigns will help to fight the stereotypes that most sporting disciplines are only suitable for boys.
Abroad, virtually all disciplines are practised by both boys and girls. In Malta certain disciplines such as freestyle wrestling, weightlifting, shooting and cycling find it hard to attract females to their fold.
Football is a very popular sport in Malta and although a women's league has been introduced in recent years, football nurseries have yet to start catering for young girls.
The Women for Sports Commission is well aware that the root of the problem can be traced to parents. Absenteeism from physical education classes at both primary and secondary level needs to be addressed.
Parents have the habit of pointing at the biological cycle of young girls as a valid excuse to prevent their daughters from exerting themselves in an hour of physical exercise.
Yet, countless papers published all over the world mention the health benefits that girls derive by participating in sporting activities.
As girls grow into young women, such benefits include reduced risks of developing osteoporosis, high blood pressure and certain types of cancer.
The writing may be on the wall, but the overwhelming percentage of women in Malta are still turning their back to such a healthy lifestyle.
A cohesive strategy may finally start to address the problem that has been acknowledged for years but never really tackled and the Women in Sports Commission will be at the forefront to encourage a change in culture.
This is a call for Eve to step forward and make her presence felt in the sporting domain that has been ruled exclusively by men for much too long.