Speakers
Description
In 1994, the International Working Group on Women and Sport (IWG) organized the first international conference on women and sports. IWG also published the Brighton Declaration, vitally important for the advocacy for women in sport. In 2017, Taiwan released the White Paper on Women’s Participating in Sport, the first sports policy document focusing specifically on women and sports, also inspired by the Brighton Declaration. The present research paper aims to analyze the development of sports policy in Taiwan with regards to women’s involvement. The research materials collected for analysis were official policies, reports, and projects. The findings revealed that the promotion of women’s sports was realized in three ways in Taiwan. Firstly, the government and the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee, NOC in Taiwan, signed international declarations between 1999 and 2020. Secondly, the first policy focusing on women and sports was published. Finally, the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee has organized international conferences on women and sports every two years since 2011. The results of the study also underline that in Taiwan, the development of women’s sports policies is behind the global trends. Moreover, the force for driving the development of women’s situation in sports comes from the Gender Equality Committee of Executive Yuan. It can still be concluded that the awareness for promoting women’s involvement in sports is gradually increasing in Taiwan; however, this consciousness is not directly influenced by international sports organizations but domestic female activists who call for women’s rights in society, including their rights in connection with sports.
