Payoshni was appointed as the first-ever CEO for the Global Observatory for Women, Sport, Physical Education and Physical Activity in January and has more than a decade of experience working closely with female athletes across Asia and Africa to help drive better human rights in sports.
A former badminton player, Dr Mitra’s work includes supporting athletes to communicate more effectively with local or national sport governing bodies and other stakeholders as well as actively campaigning for the abolition of unsolicited physical examinations in women’s sport.
The UK was awarded hosting rights of the IWG in July last year, a bid which the Sport and Recreation Alliance coordinated.
Speaking about the Secretariat returning to the UK, Payoshni said: “UK is well-positioned to drive global progress in this area and I am really excited to see that the IWG is back where it all began nearly three decades ago.
“I was incredibly impressed by the bid which embodied the kind of passion and enthusiasm that’s required to make a real difference in sport.
“At this crucial moment in the history of women’s sport, I am really pleased to see UK IWG Secretariat’s emphasis on systemic reform to the structure and values of sport.”
Dr Elizabeth Pike, Professor of Sport, Health and Exercise at the University of Hertfordshire and the IWG UK’s Research Lead-elect, added: “We are delighted to have someone as prestigious as Payoshni fully support the work the UK is doing to transform sport to ensure it is fully inclusive of women and girls across the world.
“Having positive feedback from such a strong advocate of inclusion and non-discrimination in sport offers the potential for powerful collaboration as we jointly seek to bring about societal change and social equity.
“We can learn so much from Payoshni’s expertise and experience in this field and, on behalf of everyone involved in the bid, I would like to extend my thanks and gratitude to her for sharing our ambitions.”
The Sport and Recreation Alliance and the physical activity sector have published an open letter to the Government on the impact of Pathways to Work on disabled people and activity levels across the UK.
Read more
Here, we seek to update you on some of the key workstreams we’re focused on, as well as provide an overview of the ways in which you, our members, can foster more inclusive, equitable, and diverse environments for your organisations, including advertising some of the training options we provide (at discount!) and job postings too.
Read more
Here is an end-of-week wrap on some key workstreams we’re undertaking for you, our members, that we want to bring to your attention. It covers a number of important pieces of information for consideration or action.
Read more
Joining the Sport and Recreation Alliance is pretty simple, but worthwhile!
Register now
