Handball part of ‘Sport au Féminin’ to bridge gap between sexes

The project was created on the premise that the practice of sports is less developed among women than among men, due to historical and sociological constraints. According to the Benin Handball Federation, its aim is to bridge the gap between the sexes.

The project concentrates on three main pillars:

• Promoting the participation of women in sport as part of Benin’s overall sport development strategy.
• Creating more opportunities for women to practice sport. 
• Promoting sports for girls and women. 

The Benin Handball Federation have focused their component of the Female Sport Project, which started last year, on education and increasing the number of events for women and girls.

The education component concentrates on coaches, referees, technical delegates and administrators. 

To date, 12 women from leagues and sports associations have been trained in administration, 26 referees have been part of a continuing training process, 22 technical delegates have participated in training courses for match management, and 38 women coaches from across the country have participated in a preparatory course for the International Handball Federation (IHF) D Licence. 

“The women who have taken part in the administrative management training course have different backgrounds, but they all have one thing in common: managing the sports movement (handball) as volunteers or elected representatives,” said the Benin Handball Federation. 

The Female Sport Project will see more initiatives lined up. The D Licence course will be held in June and October 2023; there will be two courses for referees and technical delegates in July and September; three regional tournaments will be held in July; and the national tournament will take place in September. 

Source: IHF

Main image: Fédération Béninoise de Handball