Schools must provide individuals with disabilities, male and female, with equal opportunities to participate and equal treatment in physical education, school recess, club, varsity and intramural sports programs. Schools have the obligation and must be flexible as they develop programs that consider the interests of students with disabilities.

Girls reap positive benefits from physical activity at a young age in terms of psychological and physical well-being and academic and career success later in life. For many young girls, physical education class is their first and only exposure to physical activity. School physical education is the most cost-effective mechanism for delivering quality movement programs to the greatest number of children.

Mandatory single-sex physical education is never appropriate. Schools should offer co-educational physical education.

Sports participation is critical for a female of color just as it is for all females. Sport and physical activity are effective interventions to addressing the obesity crisis, and research shows that sports and physical activity participation has an incredibly positive impact on the lives of girls, especially girls of color, who are in greater need of both opportunities and encouragement. Athletic opportunities for female athletes of color have grown at double the rate of those for white female athletes since the passage of Title IX.

Title IX has increased sports participation and scholarship opportunities for all female athletes, including significant numbers of women of color. However, there is still work to be done for women of color to gain equal representation and opportunities in athletics. The following position paper discusses the relationship between Title IX and discrimination on the basis of race/ ethnicity and addresses those steps that must be taken to further advance opportunities for women of color in sport

Athletes should be afforded maximum flexibility in the choice of uniform fabrics and styles. Selection of appropriate sport competition and practice apparel is influenced by many factors including:

• Performance considerations
• Medical and safety concerns
• Differences in body type and the impact on body presentation on psychological readiness
• Cultural differences