Industry Shorts: Women In Sport, Ballon D’or
Women in Sport has renewed calls to prioritise sport and exercise for women as a new study has shown that women’s fitness has been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus lockdown.
The research, funded by Comic Relief, looked at the implications of lockdown on participation in sport, finding that women – and especially those juggling work, family and homeschooling commitments – have been hit the hardest.
Some 36% of women said that losing their fitness would have a long-term impact on their lives, while 25% were worried that it would be hard to get back into the habit of exercise after lockdown. Almost a third (32%) said they couldn’t prioritise exercise due to commitments to helping others, however 61% of the women surveyed said they intend to put more effort into fitness when lockdown is over.
The Women in Sport charity says this last statistic gives sport organisations an opportunity to provide an accessible entry point to sport and exercise, but should also put pressure on how we enable women to prioritise themselves and find time to be active.
The 2020 Ballon d’Or will not be awarded after organisers have decided not to run the award this year.
The coronavirus lockdown across the world has seen some leagues restart and other curtailed. In order to ensure a ‘fair comparison’, the organisers have decided to return again in 2021.
Organised by magazine France Football – which is owned by French sport newspaper L’Equipe – the award has been given out every year since 1956.
England Golf, the national governing body for amateur golf in England, has signed a new deal with iPRO, which will become its Preferred Hydration Drinks Partner.
The pair say the partnership will place a ‘strong focus’ on sustainability, and will develop a strategy to highlight recycling both to golfers and consumers.
The Rugby League World Cup 2021 has announced the tournament’s fixture schedule.
The tournament will kick off at St James’ Park in Newcastle on 23rd October as hosts England face Samoa.
The women’s tournament begin on 9th November at Leeds’ Emerald Headingley Stadium, while a double-header at the London’s Copper Box Arena will begin the wheelchair event on 11th November.
Toronto Wolfpack have pulled out of the 2020 Super League season due to the ‘overwhelming financial challenges’ that have come out of the coronavirus pandemic.
As a result, the RFL has confirmed that there will be no relegation from the top division when the season restarts, while the 2020 Championship and League One seasons will not resume.
The World Academy of Sport (WAoS) has announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the World Olympians Association (WOA) which the pair say will provide Olympians with opportunities to learn skills to help them improve their lives and communities.
The MOU will enable the two organisations to provide opportunities for Olympians, offering two fully-funded scholarships in the September 2020 intake of WAoS and University of London’s recently launched Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in International Sports Management.
The WAoS says there will also be 150 50% scholarships available to Olympians for the January 2021 course intake.
