Fenerbahçe Sports Club’s trained on gender equality, as part of HeForShe partnership
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More than 250 athletes, administrative staff and media personnel have increased their knowledge of gender equality, harmful masculinities and other topics thanks to training organized under the HeForShe Türkiye–Fenerbahçe Sports Club partnership, supported by Tüpraş, Energy, Oil & Gas (Refining) Company since 2018.
With the vision of becoming a more gender-responsive and inclusive sports club, Fenerbahçe Sports Club, in partnership with UN Women’s HeForShe Movement in Türkiye, has been offering various workshops, including basic gender equality seminars, the participation of men in gender equality and the transformation of harmful masculinities, gender-responsive media training, and violence and discrimination against women and girls in sports workshops.
Through this partnership, Fenerbahçe Sports Club hopes to create an inclusive environment for management, coaches, administrative and technical personnel, and athletes as part of its efforts to become a gender-responsive sports club and advocate for gender equality both within the institution and in society through sports.
Kıvanç Özkök, Fenerbahçe TV Presenter and one of the employees who joined the gender-responsive media trainings, stated that: “After the training, I realized that the language we use, especially in the sports media, carries with it concepts that contain sexism without realizing it. From now on, my perception will be clear about being much more careful in both writing and speaking when using these discourses, and I will take more responsibility in this regard.”
The Club also aspires to set an example for the sports ecosystem at the national and international levels by applying the Guidelines for Gender-Responsive Sports Organizations developed by UN Women Türkiye in 2021.
As part of the partnership, HeForShe Türkiye and Fenerbahçe Sport Club have expanded their gender training to people in Fenerbahçe practicing amateur sports such as rowing, athletics, swimming, table tennis, and boxing, reaching a total of 269 individuals, including athletes, administrative and technical teams, and media employees.
Furthermore, male athletes and trainers have also joined workshops on the participation of men in gender equality and the transformation of harmful masculinities as well as gender-responsive media trainings conducted by UN Women expert consultants. Lastly, gender equality seminars and workshops on ending discrimination and violence against women and girls in sports were conducted by AÇEV (Mother Child Education Foundation).
A new action plan and upcoming activities will be planned in line with a needs analysis and post-training reports.
With support from Tüpraş, Energy, Oil & Gas (Refining) Company, Türkiye's largest industrial enterprise, the HeForShe Movement will continue to partner with Fenerbahçe Sports Club to promote gender equality in and through sport.