The successful Women in Sport Forum welcomed more than 100 women from across the continent to Panama as well as important guests such as Prince Faisal Al Hussein, Panam Sports Executive Committee Members members and government leaders from the host country.
“We are happy with the participation and the reverence of this Forum. The sincere and encouraging call to Join the Road for Change hopefully crosses borders and together we can work on gender equality and the inclusion of more women in the Olympic Movement,” said Panam Sports Secretary General Ivar Sisniega.
PANAMA CITY, PANAMA (March 8, 2023) — The first Women in Sport Forum organized by Panam Sports featured two very intense days of work, activities and reflection. Panama and its Olympic Committee opened their doors to welcome leaders from Panam Sports, the NOCs and the International Olympic Committee.
The event had great speakers who left their mark on this Forum. These speakers included Costa Rica’s former President Laura Chinchilla, IOC Members Prince Faisal Hussein, Nicole Hoevertsz and Marisol Casado, the Regional Director of UN Women for the Americas and the Caribbean, Maria-Noel Vaeza, and many other guests. They covered interesting topics such as Gender Equality, Best Practices, Inclusion, Gender Violence and Women’s Leadership.
The summary of this historic Forum is extremely positive. There was great participation, a high level of presentations, and most importantly, the desire and motivation of all the sports leaders of the Americas to work together and call on everyone to “Join the Road for Change”.
“I am happy and proud of what we have achieved. I want to thank all the women who participated in this Forum and all the speakers who conveyed an important message for all of us,” said Panam Sports Women in Sport Commission President, Alicia Morea.
“The women leaders of the Olympic Movement of the Americas have given us a clear and very powerful message with this Forum. It has been a real success and as Panam Sports we are very happy with the professionalism, desire and motivation shown by all of them. We are all committed to join the road for change, and we hope to continue working together for greater gender equality in our society,” added Panam Sports Secretary General Ivar Sisniega.
IOC President Thomas Bach and Panam Sports President Neven Ilic took a break from their tour of the Caribbean to communicate directly with the women at the Forum.
“Gender equality is a basic right of profound importance. It is also an integral part of good governance. The IOC is firmly committed to reducing the gender equality gap and I believe that the Panam Sports Women’s Forum is a great opportunity to proactively address it on and off the field of play,” said IOC President Thomas Bach.
“I want to congratulate the Women in Sport Commission of Panam Sports. The women of our Olympic Movement are increasingly committed and empowered in the world of sports, and that motivates us all to continue working together for the sporting development of our continent with women in leading roles,” concluded Panam Sports President Neven Ilic.
The Forum concluded with an important panel of “allied men” that included the participation of the members of the Executive Committee of Panam Sports, Ivar Sisniega, Camilo Perez and Mario Moccia as well as the President of the Peruvian NOC Renzo Manyari and CANOC Secretary General Brian Lewis.
After this historic event, the women of the Americas were invited by the Panama Olympic Committee to the main tourist attraction of the host city and world-famous Panama Canal. It was an opportunity to continue to share and bond as a group that will undoubtedly further empower women to increase their voice and make sure everyone joins the road for change.
The historic first Women in Sport Forum was broadcast across the world live on the Panam Sports Channel and is now available to watch on-demand here.
Click here to view photos from the Forum and click here to download them.
View highlights for the Forum below.
