Media advisory: UN Women at the 2016 Rio Olympics
Date:
WHEN/WHERE: 6 August 2016, 11.30 a.m., Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Teatro de Câmara, Cidade das Artes, Av. das Américas 5300, Barra da Tijuca
WHAT: At the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, UN Women, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Always (#LikeAGirl) will celebrate women’s and girls’ empowerment through sport and share experiences of the ‘One Win Leads to Another’ programme in Brazil.
‘One Win Leads to Another’ builds the leadership skills of adolescent girls through quality sports programmes, improving their ability to influence decisions that impact their lives at all levels. It creates safe spaces for girls to break social barriers and equips them with basic economic skills, increased knowledge of their bodies, and the confidence to access services in the event of violence.
Speakers:
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women Executive Director
Nawal El Moutawakel, Vice-President, International Olympic Committee (IOC)
Juliana Azevedo Schahin, Vice-President, Procter & Gamble
Alexandre Cerruti, Secretary of Sport and Leisure, Rio de Janeiro (TBC)
Carlos Arthur Nuzman, President, Brazil Olympic Committee and Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee (TBC)
H.E. Mr. Kunio Umeda, Ambassador of Japan to Brazil (TBC)
Kaillana de Oliveira Donato, 14, basketball, ‘One Win Leads to Another’ participant
Marcelly Vitória de Mendonça, 16, handball, ‘One Win Leads to Another’ participant
Adrielle Alexandre da Silva, 12, ballet and rhythmic gymnastics, ‘One Win Leads to Another’ participant
Moderator: Alan Abrahamson, Journalist.
Background:
Upon entering adolescence, girls face new challenges, such as, less autonomy of their bodies, less encouragement and space to develop sport skills, more pressure to conform to traditions, and the almost exclusive responsibility to avoid early pregnancy, while their male counterparts enjoy new privileges reserved for men, including autonomy, mobility and power.
At puberty, 49 per cent of girls drop out of sports (6 times the dropout rate for boys), limiting the realization of their full potential. This period of life is a critical time for interventions to reverse this cycle of inequality and generate long-term impact in the lives of adolescent girls and their communities.
Sport is a powerful tool for girls’ and young women’s empowerment. Of the girls who took a nine-month curriculum designed by Women Win in over 30 countries, 89 per cent said they saw themselves as leaders, compared to 46 per cent before the programme. By the end of the programme, 93 per cent knew where to report violence and 99 per cent of girls were confident that they would get a job. This curriculum was adapted for the Olympic legacy programme in Brazil and kicked off leading up to the 2016 Rio Games.
‘One Win Leads to Another’ aims to reach 2,500 girls, aged 10-18 years, and 300 young out-of-school mothers this year, delivering a transformative programme to some of the most-at-risk girls in Rio de Janeiro.
With a rigorous monitoring and evaluation component, the current pilot project is intended to test and refine concepts in preparation for a sustainable and scalable model to be replicated throughout Brazil and Latin America.
INFORMATION FOR MEDIA:
If you are planning to attend this event in Rio, please register online: bit.ly/unwomenrio2016event. Journalists do not need to be accredited for the Olympic Games to attend this event. Limited space available.
You can also join the UN Women Executive Director and Thaiza Vitória, ‘One Win Leads to Another’ beneficiary, as they carry the Olympic Torch on behalf of women and girls around the world on 5 August. Details on times and locations will be available upon request as of 2 August from Sharon Grobeisen, Email: sharon.grobeisen[at]unwomen.org.
Media interested in interviews or additional information, please contact Sharon Grobeisen, Email: sharon.grobeisen[at]unwomen.org.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtags #Rio2016 and #womeninsport, and follow @UN_Women and @onumulheresbr on Twitter.
Check the In Focus on Women and Sport at UN Women website www.unwomen.org