Games level playing field
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SCOTLAND'S Highland games governing body has jumped into action to widen the field by encouraging more female participants.
The Scottish Highland Games Association (SHGA) has asked its members to make competition changes to ensure female athletes have the same opportunities to get placings and prizes as male entrants.
The SHGA has reached out to all the 100-plus athletic clubs in Scotland, so they can let their athletes know of positive changes to the games events.
The move comes after pressure on the games body by campaigners to promote gender balance.
The SHGA met the equalities officer from Scottish Athletics - regarded as a world leader for inclusivity in sport - to see how to incorporate its policies.
The association's north-east members include Dufftown, Aberlour Strathspey, Gordon Castle, Tomintoul and Cornhill.
SHGA secretary Ian Grieve said: "Talking to people and looking at what was in the press, we found that there wasn’t a good awareness of what Highland games can offer female athletes, and there was more we can do to help that situation.
"We get lots of male and only some female competitors - but would like to see a lot more.
"To help encourage more female athletes, we’ve asked our members to run athletic events on either a handicap basis (to level the playing field), or separate events for men and women or, if they cannot accommodate that, to record winning places for both genders, giving male and female athletes the same opportunities to get placings and prizes."
The SHGA, which has more than 60 members north of the border, has created a number of new leagues that will run for female athletes, alongside those for males, so athletes competing regularly will get rewarded at the end of the season with trophies and cash prizes, regardless of gender.
“We’ve also printed and distributed 10,000 calendars of events, showing where athletes can compete, plus made it available on our website, all for free. The aim of all this is to raise the number of female athletes at the Highland games. If they come along they will be made very welcome,” said Mr Grieve.
The Highland games season runs from the end of May to mid-September. Games include heavy events (hammer throwing, tossing the caber, throwing the hammer and the shot) and light events (running, cycling, tug o' war, Highland dancing and solo piping).
Further information about events and registration is available on the SHGA website at www.shga.co.uk, or from the SHGA secretary at secretary@shga.co.uk.
