Taiwan signs Brighton declaration to promote sports equality

Taipei, Sept. 15 (CNA) Taiwan on Monday formally endorsed the 2014 Brighton plus Helsinki Declaration on Women and Sport, reinforcing its commitment to gender equality in sports and to promoting the country's international presence through sports diplomacy.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Jie (黃捷), chairwoman of the Taiwan Parliamentary Women's Sports Diplomacy Committee, and International Working Group on Women and Sport (IWG) representative Elizabeth Pike signed the document in a ceremony witnessed by Sports Minister Lee Yang (李洋).

The Brighton Declaration, established by the IWG in 1994 and updated as the Brighton Plus Helsinki Declaration in 2014, provides a global roadmap for promoting the involvement of women in sports and physical activity.

Lee said the Sports Ministry will continue strengthening ties with the international sporting community while cultivating more female talent in leadership roles and working with the IWG on future projects.

He said Taiwan's national Olympic committee and Sports Administration previously joined with 28 domestic sports groups in endorsing the declaration in 2020, signaling steady progress in promoting women's participation in sports.

Huang emphasized that her group has two goals: securing equal opportunities for women in sports and using athletics as a platform for Taiwan's visibility worldwide -- values that align closely with the declaration.

She cited recent triumphs by youth teams -- Taipei's Dongyuan Elementary School's Little League Baseball world title and Beitou Junior High School's girls' Babe Ruth Softball U16 World Championship -- as examples of Taiwan's potential to shine on the global stage.