“notHing lEss thAn an athLete”

Background In general, in Europe, women practice sports less than men. In 2014, more men than women took part in regular sports and physical activity 47 % as against 42 %. There are several reasons that can lead to low participation of women in sports, among those, media representation is certainly top of the list. There are sports presented historically as “sports for men”, such as football, and “sports for women” such as figure skating. This concept acts as a deterrent for women in practicing sports. Objectives The project HEAL aimed at empowering women by exploiting the potential of sports practice as an avenue for dispelling stereotypes and determining more favorable attitudes and capacities of female integration in sports and through sport. HEAL had an impact on raising the awareness of communities about the concepts of “sport for all”, equal opportunities, and equal access to sports activities. Implementation The implementation phase was represented by the three operational work packages, i.e. work packages 2 to 4, which were: the exchange of best practices, training content development and training sessions, and the Sport for Females tournament. The active contribution of all the partners was requested to perform the implementation. The management arrangements were set up during the first moments of the project implementation. Achievements 1. Research on women's participation in Sports in their countries and identification of best practices to disrupt gender stereotypes.2. Development of a training format for operators to unlock their potential into reaching out and involve more women in doing sports.3. Piloting the training format with participants at the local level. Awareness-raising activities at the local level via online campaigns, local activities, and involvement of local sports clubs.