Women and Sport conference: day 3

Kate Rowe concludes her reports on the Women and Sport conference in Sydney.

Day 3 began commenced with a panel of "Gen X" and "Gen Y" women representatives from the UK, Japan, Botswana, and the US. The panel was a conversation about where they had come from, what their passions and dreams were for young women and sport. It was a very informative and fresh look at the future of women in sport.

The final session was a keynote address by the Honorable Michael Kirby AC OMG. Justice Kirby is a former Justice of the High Court of Australia, and it renowned for his stand on human rights. Those present at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Gay Games will remember his remarkable speech. At the conference, he gave an impassioned plea about human rights through sport and in particular for women. However his greatest plea was for human rights for gays and lesbians, citing his recent experience on IDAHO at an event held in Hong Kong. His address was received with enthusiastic applause.

The final session was devoted to the practice of sport. We had an afternoon of trying out all different kinds of sports. Wheelchair basketball (how tough is that!), cricket, Australian Rules Football, and of course soccer. On this athletic note, we said goodbye after three days of intense debate and enlightening conversations. The contacts made will be precious for the future of the Gay Games. There was great interest in the Federation and the event, as well as offers to join our family as volunteers.

The next Women and Sport conference will be held in Helsinki in 2014, and I hope the FGG will be present there too.