Senior female sports figure visits University

A LEADING female sports figure has visited the University of Chichester to see how the institution is helping to tackle issues relating to women and sport.

Game Mothibi, a former games manager of the Botswanan National Sports Council, is the Secretary General of the International Working Group for Women and Sport (IWG).

She travelled from Lausanne in Switzerland, where she had spent the previous week meeting with FIFA, the International Olympic Committee, and UNESCO.

While at Chichester, Ms Mothibi met with Dr Elizabeth Pike and Dr Jordan Matthews who, last year, were part of an international research team commissioned by the IWG to complete a global progress report on women and sport covering its 20-year history.

This included presenting the research at a keynote session at the sixth IWG World Conference on Women and Sport in Helsinki, Finland.

The first co-chair of the IWG, which was formed in 1994, was Dr Anita White: a former teacher of the University who has worked within a number of high-profile sport roles in the UK and internationally.

In 2011 Chichester established the Anita White Foundation, including an archive for women and sport located at the University, which was officially recognised by the IWG as the central repository of its history.

As part of the visit, Ms Mothibi toured the archives with Dr Matthews, a Research Officer for Women and Sport, to read the original documents detailing issues among women and sport.

Dr Matthews said: “Game was very impressed at the strong female representation among our Students’ Union officers. She enjoyed the University’s community atmosphere and finished her visit by meeting with Dr White and the facilitators of the Women’s Sport Leadership Academy.”

Alternatively for more on the International Working Group for Women and Sport go to http://www.iwg-gti.org.

Photo caption (below) from left to right: Dr Jordan Matthews, Ms Game Mothibi, Dr Anita White, and Dr Elizabeth Pike.