22nd April 2013 09:47
The aim of the seminar, staged by European Athletics and British Athletics with the support of UK Sport and the IAAF Regional Development Centre Moscow, was to prepare women already working in athletics for higher level leadership roles in the sport.
Besides 19 participants from Great Britain, 28 officials from 27 European Athletics Member Federations were joined by officials from the United States, India and Kenya during the four-day seminar.
Kenyan marathon great Catherine Ndereba and 2011 European Athletics Future Women Leader Scholarship winners Simona Svachova (SVK) and Aneta Kaczmarek (POL) were among the attendees in Solihull.
“The whole seminar was very good and it was a great experience for me. I particularly liked the presentation by Elena Orlova about her personal development to an important position in the sport,” said Svachova, who is currently completing a PhD thesis on athletics for children.
The seminar contents were developed and presented with the support of Loughborough University MBA Programme. The main speakers at the four-day seminar were:
· Christine Fisher – CEO, N.E. Leicestershire County Council and first Woman Chair of the Loughborough University Alumni Association
· Stuart West – Director, Loughborough University MBA Programme
· Christine Coupland – Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Loughborough University
· Rona Cant – Adventurer and Round the World Sailor
· Katherine Merry – 2000 Olympic bronze medallist at 400m and television presenter
· Elena Orlova – Member of International Technical Officials and Area Techncial Officials panels
· Julie Holland – Director, Glendenbrook Centre for Enterprise, Loughborough University
· Amanda Berry - Glendenbrook Centre for Enterprise, Loughborough University
West, the director of the Loughborough University MBA Programme, added: “We are very happy with seminar overall and especially with the engagement of the participants with the speakers and the activities.
“The videos produced by the six groups were amusing, entertaining and informative. Crucially, they demonstrated that the participants had absorbed the messages of the various speakers and benefitted from the weekend.”
On Sunday 14 April, the WIWA participants were invited to the British Athletics Officials Conference where they could select from more than 20 offered workshops to learn more about how British Athletics manages its competition officials and transfer the experience to their own countries.
'The seminar was an unforgettable, memorable and brilliant event. The programme will motivate, inspire, encourage many women to progress in their athletics careers,' said Meri Hovhannisyan, International Relations Officer of the Armenian Athletic Federation.