On November 20, a Good Governance and Gender Equality in Sport Conference took place in Zagreb, Croatia. The programme was linked to the EU-funded GETZ project on gender equality, and divided into three parts. Over 70 participants attended the conference, including EUSA representatives.

The event was hosted by the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO) and opened by its Secretary General Mr Josip Cop and Ms Martina Jericevic, Representative of the State Office for Sport in Croatia.



The plenary part was divided into two sections. The first one was dedicated to the topics of Good Governance and Gender Equality in Sport. Gender Equality as the precondition of good governance in sport was presented by Ms Morana Palikovic Gruden, Vice President of the Croatian Olympic Committee, followed by a presentation on the Jurisdictions of the Ombudsperson for Gender Equality in cases of discrimination against women in sport by Ms Visnja Ljubicic, Ombudsperson for Gender Equality. Women in leadership in sport organisations was presented by Ms Sanda Corak, who serves as Vice President of the Croatian Olympic Committee and President of the Croatian Judo Federation. The session was concluded by a presentation on Supporting good governance in sport through education and networking of women by Mr Ivan Vrankovic, President of the Croatian Association for Sport Management.



The second section was focused on the Gender Perceptions and the Impact of Media. Research results on gender perceptions by youth in Croatia was presented by Ms Ana Maskalan, Associate Researcher at the Institute for Social Research in Zagreb. A reflection on Media coverage and presentation of male and female athletes was done by Mr Ratko Cvetnic, Member of the Croatian NOC Commission for Gender Equality. Good practice example: Campaign for more visibility of women’s team sports in electronic media in Mediterranean countries was presented by Ms Anita Malenica, Representative of the Agency for Electronic Media.



Each presentation has shown a different angle to the concept of gender inequality in sport and how this is affecting the next generations. The second part of the conference started with a presentation by GETS project coordinator Ms Vanessa Jones, followed by workshop session.



The outcomes of the workshops will be used in creation of Toolkits of the massive open online course (MOOC) that will be offered to the students to better understand the issue of gender equality in sport. The participants shared their ideas in how this course can be developed through each aspect of its content.



Within the project Gender Equality Toolkit for Generation Z (GETZ), the steps towards raising the awareness among generation Z (next generation after the Millennials), in order to achieve better outcomes in the future will be taken as a basis for our work. One of the goals is also to encourage females to take a career within sport whether in the management or the activities. The GETZ project aim is to educate the young generation on gender equality and equity in sport through online courses that can help them gain the knowledge about this issue. GETZ project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.



European University Sports Association (EUSA) and its Institute took part in the event as well, represented by its Education and Development Manager Ms Sara Rozman, Communications and Projects Manager Mr Andrej Pisl, as well as EVS volunteer Ms Jenaan Al-Rahman Ahmed. They also attended a project partner meeting that was held a day prior to the event. Apart of them, the conference was also attended by EUSA Sports Manager Mr Besim Aliti and EVS volunteer Mr Marianno Carcatella who were in Zagreb for working meetings.



Check out the video highights from the Good Governance and Gender Equality in Sport Conference in Zagreb!



For more information about the project, please follow @getzproject on social media.