<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The article focuses on the role of equal opportunities and gender in the sports environment, examining their impacts on the creation and functioning of sports diplomacy. Subsequently, in the form of a case study it first concentrates on the Czech sports environment and women’s representation in international and national sports federations. In the final part, it examines the basketball environment and analyses its individual structures. Women are not sufficiently represented as coaches, referees or officials. Several main challenges are mentioned: the perception of sport as a predominantly male phenomenon, the overall society setting fixed on traditional perceptions of the role of women and men in the Czech Republic, a small number of suitable female sports models, the time-consuming character of the activities, gender stereotypes at work, the absence of suitable conditions for reconciling family and work life and the low self-confidence of female candidates. The article concludes that the Czech sports environment (including basketball) is markedly masculine, and women face a number of barriers, which in practice are reflected in the Czech Republic’s representation in international sport organisations and the way in which sports diplomacy is used as a foreign policy tool.</p>
</abstract>

The article focuses on the role of equal opportunities and gender in the sports environment, examining their impacts on the creation and functioning of sports diplomacy. Subsequently, in the form of a case study it first concentrates on the Czech sports environment and women’s representation in international and national sports federations. In the final part, it examines the basketball environment and analyses its individual structures. Women are not sufficiently represented as coaches, referees or officials. Several main challenges are mentioned: the perception of sport as a predominantly male phenomenon, the overall society setting fixed on traditional perceptions of the role of women and men in the Czech Republic, a small number of suitable female sports models, the time-consuming character of the activities, gender stereotypes at work, the absence of suitable conditions for reconciling family and work life and the low self-confidence of female candidates. The article concludes that the Czech sports environment (including basketball) is markedly masculine, and women face a number of barriers, which in practice are reflected in the Czech Republic’s representation in international sport organisations and the way in which sports diplomacy is used as a foreign policy tool.

Sports Diplomacy and Gender: Equal Opportunities for Women in Czech Basketball

Assistant Professor and Research Fellow, University of Economics and Business and Associate Researcher

Assistant Professor and Research Fellow at the University of Economics and Business and Associate Researcher

Politics in Central Europe

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Sports Diplomacy and Gender: Equal Opportunities for Women in Czech Basketball"}

The article focuses on the role of equal opportunities and gender in the sports environment, examining their impacts on the creation and functioning of sports...

Sports Diplomacy and Gender: Equal Opportunities for Women in Czech Basketball

Published Online: Oct 20, 2021

Page range: 451 - 479

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/pce-2021-0019

Keywords
equal opportunities, sport, sports diplomacy, soft power, basketball

© 2021 Kateřina Kočí et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Sports Diplomacy and Gender: Equal Opportunities for Women in Czech Basketball

Published Online: Oct 20, 2021

Page range: 451 - 479

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/pce-2021-0019

Keywordsequal opportunities, sport, sports diplomacy, soft power, basketball

© 2021 Kateřina Kočí et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
equal opportunities, sport, sports diplomacy, soft power, basketball