The Kingdom of Bahrain is set to host the Gender Equity Seminar on October 30-31.
The seminar is organised by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), in cooperation with the Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The two-day seminar will focus on the role of the national Olympic committees (NOCs) to enhance gender equality, ensure women’s participation and representation in all aspects and fields like media, boards and team officials, as well as introduce the best practices to promote Gender Equality and adopt grassroots strategies.
Commenting, First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport, General Sports Authority Chairman and BOC President, His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, expressed pride in the designation of the kingdom as hosts of the seminar, which embodies Bahrain’s ongoing keenness to strengthen the role of women in the sports field.
HH Shaikh Khalid asserted that Bahrain has made major strides in achieving gender equality, citing its consolidation of women’s presence in all aspects of sports work, adding that the event reflects BOC’s keenness to exchange expertise and experiences with Asian NOCs, which makes Bahrain a centre for promoting the gender equity culture in the sports field.
HH Shaikh Khalid indicated that the seminar will attract a group of prominent international speakers from OCA, OIC and Asian NOCs, noting that it is in line with IOC’s Strategic Roadmap – Olympic Agenda 2020+5 – and its specific gender equality target to strive for gender balance in leadership with a minimum of 30 percent representation of either gender.
HH Shaikh Khalid paid tribute to the OCA for its support for gender equality in Asian NOCs, commending the efforts exerted by OCA Director-General, Husain Al Musallam, and OCA Gender Equity Committee Chairperson, Shaikha Hayat bint Abdulaziz Al Khalifa, to hold the international event in Bahrain.
HH Shaikh Khalid instructed BOC to prepare well for the international seminar, set be held in the kingdom for the first time, wishing the participants every success in coming up with recommendations and results that would contribute to strengthening gender equality.