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Talk show on Female Athletes with Disabilities Need More Tournaments to Show Achievements organized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - 

Disabled athletes feel that their existence is considered equal to non-disabled athletes. However, they need more tournaments to show their achievements because there are fewer tournaments for them, especially female athletes, compared to tournaments held for non-disabled athletes, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We can see together in the media how busy the schedule of activities for each non-disabled athlete is to compete in the championship. While some Paralympic events for us athletes with disabilities had to be canceled due to the pandemic. We realize that the current pandemic is experienced by all countries. Some events for persons with disabilities were cancelled, but this did not apply to non-disabled persons. It's very sad for us athletes with disabilities,” said Leani Ratri Oktila, the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics Gold-winning badminton athlete, in a talk show organized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) recently.

For this reason, ASEAN has received support from the Government of Japan. Last week, ASEAN-Japan held a talk show with ten female athlete ambassadors from all over ASEAN, namely HRH Putri Azemah Ni'matul Bolkiah (Bronze medal winner at the 29th and 30th SEA Games from Brunei Darussalam), Sokha Pov (World Championship gold medalist). Vovinam from Cambodia), and Leani Ratri Oktila (Best Women's Para-badminton 2018 and 2019 Badminton World Federation, 2020 Tokyo Paralympics Gold Winner).

Other athlete ambassadors are head swimming coach for the Laos Olympic Team Soulamphone Kerdla, Farah Ann Abdul Hadi (Malaysia), Soe Soe Myar (referee and athlete from Myanmar), Amitha Berthier (Junior Foil Fencer #1 World and Tokyo 2020 Olympics from Singapore), Panikpak Wongpattnakit (Tokyo 2020 Olympic taekwondo gold medalist from Thailand), Tuyet Van Chau (fourth consecutive Taekwondo gold medalist at the SEA Games), and Hidilyn Diaz (Tokyo Olympic weightlifting gold medal winner from the Philippines).

Jamshed M Kazi, the UN Women Country Representative for Indonesia and Liaison to ASEAN in Jakarta, said female athletes can take a good advocacy role to address various problems experienced by women such as domestic violence, sexual harassment during training and coaching and others. other. “This is a very difficult and traumatic experience for female athletes to go through. However, it's exactly a forum like this where I think women speaking out can voice their experiences, but it's also very difficult to do because there are often long-term consequences for their careers."

Kazi said that if injustice and violence against women were voiced by victims or survivors, they would be taken more seriously. Today, more and more sports organization justice systems and states are taking this issue more seriously. “There is a charge placed. But I think it's important for female athletes to speak up when they themselves are victims or survivors."

Female athletes can also be very strong advocates for raising the issue of gender-based violence in other fields. For example, in the ASEAN region there are still many issues surrounding child marriage. There is a lot of pressure on young women to marry early and not pursue sports or pursue studies. “I think that these women's voices and their own personal experiences. By being a star, by being an influencer, a lot of other kids and young women look their way. So, I think there are two, we on the one hand have to look after these athletes and their well-being, making sure they are free from violence of any kind. But also make sure that we can, they also see this issue as something they have a role and responsibility to talk about across the region," he said.

In addition to the issue of violence, female athletes also face media coverage that can be highly biased against women. This is especially true for athletes who take part in sports that require special clothing. “Especially for me being a gymnast. We are sometimes spoken of in a negative way, whether it be our appearance or our clothes. That's what is shown in the media. I think those are some of the barriers that I am trying to break down to bring a more positive light to women in sport,” said Farah Ann Abdul Hadi, athlete from Malaysia.

Tomohiko Arai, (Director, International Affairs Division of Japan Sports Agency, said that ASEAN and Japan have long established close relations in the field of sports. Both parties have held the ASEAN Plus Japan Ministerial Meeting on Sports every year since 2013. "Among the sports cooperation between ASEAN and Japan, the issue of women in sports is definitely one of the main areas," she said.

To achieve gender equality in sports, ASEAN-Japan held a discussion meeting with stakeholders during the 2018 ASEAN Games in Jakarta and the 1st ASEAN Plus Japan Meeting on Women in Sports in October 2019 in the Philippines. "The ASEAN-Japan Workshop on Promoting Gender Equality in Sports was held online during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics this summer in collaboration with the Japanese Sports Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he said.

Ekkaphab Phanthavong, Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, said that women in ASEAN have made many achievements. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, three gold medals were successfully donated by female athletes. However, learning from discussions with sports ambassadors and experts, it is necessary to consider some aspects beyond their achievements in their participation in various sports competitions. All parties must begin to pay attention to the leadership and career paths of women in sports institutions, as well as their safety and protection.

A statement from the sports ambassadors revealed that the family has played a strong role in inspiring female athletes to continue pursuing careers in the sport and work hard towards their dreams. “What motivated me the most to reach and succeed at this level was the support from my parents, especially my family who were very clear. That's what motivates me the most," said Leani Ratri Oktila

In addition, perseverance, self-confidence and a good support system are the keys to the success of female athletes. Female athletes need more sporting events, infrastructure and opportunities to represent their respective countries. Their work cannot be separated from the environment that is conducive to supporting their careers, including the support of media coverage//VOI-NK