“The more we can learn from past efforts to obtain fair and equal treatment, the more likely it is that we will continue to make progress. And if you can gain an understanding of your rights as an athlete, the path forward becomes much easier to navigate.” Former Women's Sports Foundation President and Public Policy Officer Julie Foudy understood the importance of athletes understanding their rights based on her experiences with the U.S. National Women’s Soccer Team.
Working with the Foundation, Foudy helped to create the Foundation’s educational guide, Athletes’ Rights in Open Amateur Sport. This report equips athletes competing in non-school sports with a guide to their legal rights. Read on for more Foudy’s journey as an athlete in her introductory letter and then dive into your rights in open amateur sports.
If Title IX applies only to educational institutions, what protections do athletes have in non-school sports? The Amateur Sports Act, amended in 1999, operates as the “Title IX” of open amateur sports. Read on to learn more about athletes rights to be free from discrimination based on race, gender or disability in non-school athletics.
Increasing women’s participation in the Olympic Movement as participants and leaders has been a slow and challenging process. A prime example of this struggle for female athletes can be seen from the data about the participation, leadership and media coverage of women during the 2006 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The Women’s Sports Foundation compiled this information to provide a detailed report on the challenges women face from trying to participate through competing in the Olympic Games.
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