This is a press release from SPORTCOM
From a perspective of inclusivity and health for all, BougeBouge invites you to take a look at this new brochure on the physiology of sport for women, the result of a partnership between Égale Action and the Institut national du sport du Québec. Understanding your body can be key to maintaining a healthy level of physical activity, and unfortunately, the female body and its particularities are often taboo or misunderstood.
Montreal, June 4, 2024 – Egale Action, in partnership with the National Sport Institute in Québec (INS Québec), are proud to announce the publication of a brochure on the physiology of sport for women, which aims to fill a crucial gap in relevant information on the specific needs of sportswomen, both in Quebec and elsewhere in the world.
Faced with taboos and persistent prejudice, female athletes often find themselves without answers when it comes to the specifics of their physiology. The brochure addresses an important gap in the sporting world, covering topics such as puberty, the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, contraception and the particularities of transgender sportswomen. This new tool not only explores the physiological distinctions between sportswomen and sportsmen, but the information gathered on these many relevant topics is sure to spark more open and honest discussions around supporting women and girls in sport.
“As an athlete, I’ve been lucky enough to be coached by gender-sensitive coaches throughout my sporting career. Their instinctive sensitivity to the differences inherent in women has enabled us to recognize our specific strengths and bring them to the fore in sport, and to minimize our points of weakness in order to protect ourselves from injury and optimize our performance. But not all athletes have been so fortunate, and that’s why this new tool is so important. In this respect, I salute Egale Action’s initiative and the rigorous work of INS Québec,” emphasizes Maxime Dufour-Lapointe on the importance of this new tool.
“Today, in my new role as a physician, it is with great pleasure that I read this brochure, which has been carefully designed through an exhaustive literature review of the latest evidence. It clearly explains the conditions specific to women, which will enrich our understanding of the athlete as an individual. It’s a wonderful tool that will also help coaches and others to understand and adapt their approach to achieving the full potential of each female athlete as a whole, and not just in terms of sporting performance,” she adds.
“In my discussions with female athletes, I’m still very often struck by their lack of knowledge of their own physiology and certain preconceived ideas. But I can’t blame them, as scientific and popular information is still scarce and not easily accessible. Fortunately, over the last few years, the entire sports community has been mobilizing to produce new knowledge, particularly scientific knowledge, and to disseminate it as widely as possible. This brochure is a further step towards taking better care of the individual and, I’m sure, will open the door to other positive initiatives for women”, comments François Bieuzen, Director of Sport Sciences at INS Québec and one of the brochure’s editors.
“The arrival of professional sports leagues in Canada and the overall increase in the number of female participants in various disciplines send a clear message that we need to focus our attention on the female athlete without the filter of male/female comparisons. We hope that this brochure will be the starting point for the development of a wide range of themes to be addressed and dissected by the entire team that surrounds sportswomen: coaches, therapists, parents, etc.,” adds Sylvie Béliveau, Director of Gender Equity at Égale Action.
It’s a concrete way of fostering a more enlightened and respectful sporting environment. Égale Action and INS Québec are convinced that it will be an indispensable document for all those involved in one way or another in the world of sport, contributing to the success of girls and women from all backgrounds.
To download the free Women and Sport Physiology brochure or for more information, visit egaleaction.com or insquebec.org.
About Égale Action
Égale Action’s mission is to make the Quebec sports system fair and egalitarian for girls and women, and to support them in developing their full potential.
About INS Québec
By focusing on science, innovation and technology, the Institut national du sport du Québec embodies the “Genius Behind Performance” by offering cutting-edge solutions powered by experts and partners with the common goal of enabling athletes training in Quebec to constantly improve in order to excel on the international scene. The INS Québec and its network support more than 550 high-level athletes – mainly members of Canadian teams – nearly 2,000 next-generation athletes and some 900 coaches. The Institute offers scientific, medical and professional services. A member of the Network of Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sports Institutes and the Réseau Francophone Olympique de Recherche en Médecine du Sport, the Institute’s network of eight regional multi-sport training centers, 22 single-sport training centers and the Olympic Park Complex, which hosts ten high-level training groups, extends across Quebec.
The Institute is supported by the Ministry of Education, Sport Canada, Own the Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Olympic Foundation, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the Coaching Association of Canada, as well as private-sector partners such as Sports Experts, CISCO, Bell, B2ten and Mondo – all of whom are committed to supporting the Institute’s activities.
-30-
For further information, please contact:
Égale Action
514-252-3051
INS Québec
communicationsmedia@insquebec.org
514-889-0176