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London 2012 marks the turning point for women's sport

“London 2012 marks the turning point for women’s sport”

“These truly have been the Women’s Games” say the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation

New research by the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF) shows that 63% of British adults think that the London 2012 Olympics have been the best ever Olympic Games for women’s sporting achievements.

As well as providing world-beating performances on the track, on the water and in the ring, Team GB women have won the hearts and minds of the public, ensuring that the 2012 Olympic Games will mark a turning point for the way women’s sport is viewed in this country.

The research carried out by Ipsos MORI on behalf of WSFF finds that:

• Of those who watched women’s Olympic events 66% said they watched more women’s sport than usual; • 74% of British adults are impressed by the quality of women’s sporting events during the Games; • 68% agree that the Games have shown that women’s sport is exciting to watch; • 61% agree that their awareness of the abilities of sports women have increased as a result of the Games.

Crucially, 81% of respondents thought that the female athletes at London 2012 are better role models for young girls than other celebrities we see in the media.

Participants were also asked what they thought the long term impact of the games for women and girls should be. 74% of parents with school age children agreed that schools should provide better opportunities for girls to participate in a wider variety of sports.

Three quarters (75%) of respondents agreed that an increase in media coverage of women’s sport was important to the long term impact of the Olympic Games, and 78% agreed that increased funding for women’s sport is important.

WSFF Chief Executive, Sue Tibballs said: “These last two weeks have been the perfect boost for women’s sport and it could be seen as the moment where the profile of women’s sport changed for ever. Having great female athletes like Jessica Ennis, Nicola Adams, Kath Grainger and Laura Trott in the public eye is fantastic. But we need to make sure that the legacy of 2012 is not wasted.

“With only one in ten teenage girls and one in five adult women currently doing enough physical activity to maintain their health it is essential that we do not let the legacy of 2012 fade away. The appetite for women’s sport has never been greater and we are calling for commitment from sport, business and the media to help us take this agenda forward.”

WSFF is calling for:

• More media coverage of women’s sport: Increased media profile is crucial in order to drive public interest and commercial sponsorship of women’s sport. The 5% of sport’s media coverage that women’s sport is given (in non-Olympic years) is not enough and more should be done to make sure that women’s sport is given the coverage it deserves.

• More commercial sponsorship: In the UK women’s sport gets just 0.5% of all sponsorship, compared to the 61.1% men’s sport receives (the rest goes to mixed sports). Commercial partners should invest in understanding the women’s market and work with rights-holders to support elite success and develop more events that will appeal to broadcasters and fans.

• Female athletes to be showcased as role models; Having positive, active role models is crucial if girls and young women are to be inspired to lead physically active, healthy lifestyles, with 81% of adults agreeing that female athletes at London 2012 are better role models than other celebrities.

• Better school sport: Competitive school sport is obviously important, but so is ensuring that every girl is physically active, and 73% of parents with school age children agree that schools should offer a wider variety of sport and physical activities to girls.

• Increased leadership: Only 22% of leadership positions within sport are held by women. This needs to increase to ensure that sport is governed and run in ways which appeal to the widest possible market.

• International progress: By Rio 2016 women should have the chance to compete in the same number of events as men (in 2012 men competed in 30 more events than women).

ENDS

To contact the WSFF Press Office, please call 07900 195538 or email [email protected]

To find out more about our Go Girl campaign and how to get involved, visit wsff.org.uk/gogirl, follow us on twitter @wsff_uk or like our facebook page www.facebook.com/wsffuk.

Notes:

  1. The research was conducted on i:omnibus, Ipsos MORI’s online panel omnibus, between the 10th and 13th August 2012. Questions were asked online of 1015 adults aged between 16 and 75 across Great Britain. The survey data were weighted by age, gender, region and social grade, working status and main household shopper to be nationally representative of GB adults aged 16 - 75. Full data tables are available upon request.

  2. The women of Team GB won 10 gold medals and 22 in total, making it their most successful Games ever. Lizzie Armitstead in the Cycling Road Race started the record medal haul that was completed with Sam Murray’s silver in the Modern Pentathlon, just hours before the closing ceremony on Sunday.

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