Dr. Szabó Lajos: Nők a magyar sportban (A Sportmúzeum Kincsei 3. Budapest, 2003)

WOMEN, SPORTS POLITICS AND SCIENCE IN THE LATE XXTH CENTURY Since the early I990's (the time of Hungary's political transition into a market economy), more and more attention has been paid to the identification of measures that could increase the number of female sports leaders in sports organizations and clubs, both at national and international level. The issue was first raised specifically at an international conference held by the ICSPE (sports world council) in Brighton in 1994. In the following year, the Brighton initiatives were reinforced by the „Beijing-5" political declaration accepted at the UN's political conference in Beijing, titled „Women and the World". It was these conferences where the need for a quota was first declared, setting the ratio of women in decision making bodies at the minimum of 10% in all areas of life and thus in sports as well. The International Olympic Committee joined the initiative with similar resolutions passed at a conference in Lausanne in 1996. In the 1996-2000 Olympic program, the IOC put the issue of women's sports to the forefront. Numerous regional and international conferences were held and significant funds were spent on the support of women's sports through the ..Olympic Solidarity" initiative (which included street running races and coach training). The first milestone in that process was the IOC's 2nd Conference on Women and Sports held in Paris on March 8,2000, where progress to date was assessed and potential next steps were outlined (raising the 10% quota to 20%). The timeliness of the conference was rendered by the 100th anniversary of women's participation in the Olympic games (it was the Paris Olympics in 1900 where the first women athletes competed, notably in tennis, golf and sailing). The IOC recommendations reached many national and international forums (clubs, associations, national Olympic committees) where the entire process is accompanied by extensive debate. It is mainly the democratic implementation of the quota system that seems to be difficult and, needless to deny, controversial. In line with international expectations, Hungary's Youth and Sports Ministry handled the matter as an important issue and organized the very successful „Women in sports" conference on November 15,2000. On the scientific front a research project was launched under the leadership of university professor Gyöngyi Földesiné-Szabó, titled „Generational Differences in The „Sports Consumption" Values And Habits Of Hungarian Women". Furthermore, sociological, scientific and medical projects are also underway at the Sports Hospital, under the guidance of chief physician Eva Martos.