On the 26th and 27th of September 2022, EASE was happy to be in Rome, for the kick-off meeting of a new European project: the VERA project.

VERA is the acronym for “Voice for equality and rights of women athletes” and this project is lead by the Italian association ASSIST (Associazione Nazionale Atlete), which is involved for more than 20 years for the defence and the protection of women athletes’ rights.

The consortium gathers other committed partners:

  • The Alice Milliat Association, a French association that aims at promoting women’s sport in Europe,
  • The AJFSF, the Spanish Association of Futsal female players,
  • CRESTA, a European sports law firm,
  • NZS, the Slovenian Football Association
  • SEA (Sport Evolution Alliance), a Portuguese association committed to the development of sport practice in Portugal.

The project will last 2 years. It aims at promoting an international network of organisations working to protect, advance and promote women athletes’ rights and, consequently, to build a fairer and more virtuous sporting world.

This goal will be achieved through 4 specific objectives:

  • Improve representation and support for women athletes, raising awareness on their fundamental rights in the profession,
  • Develop advocacy and networking activities, to increase awareness among the sport system on the benefits and the added value that gender equality and diversity can bring to sport and athletes,
  • Create a European platform for athletes, organizations and professionals to strengthen the opportunity to exchange best practices and possible solutions to common challenges, increase empowerment and cooperation,
  • Promote mentoring and mutual support between athletes and professionals of organizations that represent and support them.

EASE is delighted to participate in this project and will be particularly mobilized for the achievement of the first two objectives.

Indeed, as part of its missions in the project, EASE is responsible for writing an overview of the European situation of Women Athletes Rights, to assess the current state of women athletes’ rights in Europe and to identify successful experiences in advancing equality and women athletes’ rights on basic issues (maternity right, medical and technical support, …). Research will be lead among athletes, organizations that work with athletes, sport federations and sport institutions, to assess the situation of women athletes’ rights in European countries. International federations regulatory framework and main texts of international and European social law will also be analysed, to establish a clear map of the current situation of women athletes’ rights in Europe.

This analysis will the basis from which the project will develop, to raise awareness on women athletes’ rights among European sports system and encourage mutual support between athletes.