Each year, the IOC Women and Sport awards represent a real opportunity to highlight true role models and change-makers in the pursuit of gender equality. This year, there were remarkable winners from varied backgrounds. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded six women for their outstanding contribution both on the field of play and sports administration. The world trophy went to the Secretary of State for Sport and Chairwoman of the Women and Sport Commission of the Tunisian National Olympic Committee Meriem Cherni Mizouni. Tunisian coach and former swimmer Mizouni is a pioneer of women and girls sport in her country. Devoting her life to developing women's sport, she was the first woman to compete on a Tunisian Olympic team, at the 1976 Games in Montreal, and became the idol of a whole nation thanks to her achievements at the national and international level. The five continental trophies were awarded to Egyptian modern pentathlete Aya Medani who took the IOC Women and Sport trophy for the African continent; former American swimmer and three-time Olympic gold medallist Nancy Hogshead-Makar for the North American continent; Kuwaiti Sheikha Naima Al-Sabah for Asia; Russian synchronised swimmer Anastasia Davydova from the European continent; and Australian Siân Mulholland won the IOC trophy for Oceania. “The Egyptian National Olympic Committee proposed Madani's name and I as a member in the ENOC insisted on nominating her,” president of the Egyptian Modern Pentathlon Federation (EMPF) Sherif Al-Erian said. “Medani has a lot of achievements not only in sports but also participated in many charity events and tournaments to encourage and promote the participation of women in her country. She became a role model for many women in our society. A lot of women started to practice sports because of her. They want to be like her.” The 2014 IOC Women and Sport trophies were presented at a ceremony during the 127th IOC session in Monaco. The winners were selected by the IOC Women and Sport Commission from among 39 candidates put forward by their National Olympic Committee (NOCs), the NOC continental associations and the International Federations (IFs). The IOC offered partnership opportunities to the award winners by funding new initiatives that they will introduce at national, regional or continental levels aimed at further promoting women through sport. Medani qualified for the Olympic Games three times. In Athens 2004, at 15, she was the youngest competitor in the Egyptian delegation and in the pentathlon competition. She has set several local, Arab and African records and won African and world championships. She remains one of Egypt's most high-profile athletes for her achievements. After her retirement, she contributed to the introduction of the biathlon in schools in Egypt and also helped the Egyptian Modern Pentathlon Federation to raise money for equipment aimed at promoting women's and girls' participation in the sport. Medani holds a Master's degree in international trade and is currently fundraising to helping females pursue their education without stopping their sports careers. Medani proposed a project for the empowerment of Egyptian women in sport to the IOC. After getting the green light, IOC funded the project with 30,000 Swiss francs. Medani told Al-Ahram Weekly in an exclusive interview that the award meant a lot to her, saying it gives her “hope in life and that the IOC really wants to help athletes and sport throughout the world”. She is a senior teacher assistant at the Academy for Science Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT). The chairman of AASTMT gave his consent to one of the sponsors of the project. The sponsors were IOC, ENOC, EMPF, Egypt's Youth and Sports Ministry, AASTMT and Shams Sporting Club. “The project aims at increasing the awareness of the importance of sport; changing the old perspective and stereotypes towards sport,” Madani said. “The project is for sport in general not for a specific sport or gender. It will target children in schools starting from preparatory to elementary stages, through role model sessions, seminars, sports meetings, tournaments and competitions. There will also be a Women's Sport Day which will include seminars, a marathon and meetings with women coaches. Due to our culture, women coaches after graduation get married and have kids. Either they quit or stop coaching. Although they have good and creative ideas they never continue. They need a real chance. We will encourage them to return and train them.” “I also talked with the National Council for Women in Egypt (NCW) to set up educational seminars and meetings with mothers to raise their awareness, too,” Medani added.
