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A three-year project between Gymnastics Australia, the South East Asian Gymnastics Confederation and Victoria University that aims to empower women and increase their capacity in sport through leadership and mentoring programs in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia has been announced by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

The Australia-ASEAN Council-funded project - with the aim of the Council to generate opportunities for Australian business, education, science and innovation, and the arts in South East Asia – is also seeking to increase the leadership capacity of women in sport. In doing so, it will strengthen relationships with Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand and help to empower women as leaders in sport.

With no previous bilateral relationship between Australia and South East Asian Gymnastics Confederation (SEAGCON), the new partnership aims to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and the delivery of best practice governance in gymnastics, while developing and mentoring women as leaders in the sport. While only three countries are being targeted initially in the project, the legacy is intended to leave a blueprint that will be able to be implemented throughout South East Asia.

Sport has a strong male bias at the leadership level in South East Asia and gymnastics is seen as a sport that can provide women with roles to be strong role models, offer an expanded sense of possibility, and encourage them to acquire leadership skills and experience as peer educators, coaches, officials, board members and managers.

Gymnastics is also an effective platform for providing women with leadership experience that can be applied in other situations such as civic leadership, employment, advocacy, and general empowerment.

Looking forward to developing the sport of gymnastics with Australia’s geographical neighbours, Gymnastics Australia Chief Executive Mark Rendell stated “we look forward to not only assisting with raising the profile of gymnastics in South East Asia, but to see the impact the sport has on empowering women within their local communities.”

Established in 1949, Gymnastics Australia is the national governing body for gymnastics within Australia. 

Image: Singapore Gymnastics National Championships, courtesy of Sport Singapore.

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