Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 sports
Thursday 3 augusT 2017
Culture Shift? Tournament of Nations has 3 women coaches

By ANNE M. PETERSON However, Dodd said any Ferguson’s famous ‘hair-
AP Sports Writer shift is far less apparent dryer’ treatment) would
An ongoing shift in wom- below the senior national characterize a woman as
en’s soccer has been ap- team level and at the club difficult, emotional or hys-
parent at the Tournament level, where female coach- terical,” she wrote. “Yet if
of Nations — not on the es are scarcer. she is motherly and caring,
field but on the sidelines. For example, among the 10 she doesn’t fit the definition
Three of the four teams National Women’s Soccer of a coach. In other words,
participating in the interna- League teams, there’s just gender stereotypes work
tional event have female one female head coach: against her at both ends.”
coaches, a rare majority in Laura Harvey of the Seattle At the UEFA Women’s Euro-
soccer. A year ago, the two Reign. pean Championship, there
teams playing for the gold Dodd also points to the are six women coach-
medal at the Rio Olympics NCAA, where the number es among the 16 teams
were both led by women, of women coaches has that took part. Of the four
Sweden’s Pia Sundhage In this Sunday, July 30, 2017 file photo, United States head dropped. A recent study of teams playing in Thursday’s
and Germany’s Silvia Neid. coach Jill Ellis, left, reacts after the team defeated Brazil in a women’s collegiate teams semifinals — England, the
And Jill Ellis led the U.S. na- Tournament of Nations women’s soccer match in San Diego. by the University of Minne- Netherlands, Denmark and
tional team to the Women’s Carson, California. The U.S. their teams. sota gave soccer a “D’’ Austria — one has a female
World Cup title in Canada women rallied from a 3-1 Another sign of a possible grade with just 26.2 per- head coach, Sarina Wieg-
the year before. Ellis and deficit to beat Brazil 4-3 on culture shift in the sport: cent of teams with female man (Netherlands).
others in the sport believe Sunday in San Diego and Five of the top 10 teams in coaches in 2016-17, a drop The women’s Euros are
that recent events show will face Japan in the tour- FIFA’s world rankings are from the previous season. played every four years as
women are making impor- nament’s final match. coached by women. “In the U.S.A., the percent- the premier competition in
tant and necessary gains U.S. Soccer hopes to host The trend has not been lost age of female college ath- the UEFA Confederation. In
in soccer — but there’s the tournament each sum- on Moya Dodd, a former letes coached by women the last edition, four of the
more work to be done. “I mer that there isn’t a World Australian national team has halved since Title IX was 12 teams were coached
think it’s forward-thinking Cup or Olympic competi- standout and vice presi- introduced. It seems that by women.
federations that are about tion. In addition to Ellis, Emi- dent of the Asian Football women face barriers that Japan’s Takakura gave
hiring competent coaches ly Lima is the new coach for Confederation who has grow higher as women’s added perspective when it
but also willing to provide Brazil and Asako Takakura been a vocal advocate for sports become bigger,” comes to female coaches:
opportunities,” Ellis said. “I manages Japan. The only women’s soccer. Dodd said. they should be treated the
know we’ve recently hired male coach in the event is “When given the opportu- In an email exchange same as men.
technical advisers for our Australia’s Alen Stajcic. nity, women coaches are with The Associated Press, “From my point of view
academies and they’re all Lima and Takakura are for- phenomenally successful. Dodd added that she sees I think it’s good news to
female and I think that’s mer players who are rela- All but one of the World unconscious bias as one have female coaches,”
great. We’ve got to have tively new to their teams: Cups, Olympic golds and of the biggest obstacles she said through a trans-
more coaches out there Lima took over Brazil last fall Euros in women’s foot- women much overcome. lator. “But as a coach the
and more role models for following the Olympics and ball since 2000 have been “The characteristics that gender doesn’t really mat-
young coaches. I think it’s Takakura was appointed won by female-coached are seen as assets in a male ter; it doesn’t matter if it’s
great.” The inaugural Tour- after Japan failed to make teams,” Dodd said, adding coach — being tough, a he or a she. As a coach,
nament of Nations con- the field for Rio. Both are that’s 11 of 12 tournaments having strong opinions, or you have to educate and
cludes on Thursday night in the first female coaches for at the sport’s highest level. yelling at players (like Alex develop your players.”q

Independent integrity unit in charge of monitoring track

The idea of independent sport. It doesn’t look good. IAAF-appointed task force,
oversight is considered It’s the wrong perception. headed by Rune Andersen,
central to the anti-doping They need to have some- is overseeing Russia’s quest
effort. The International thing more distant.” For- to come off suspension.
Olympic Committee and mer IAAF president Lamine On Monday, Andersen
several winter sports are Diack is under investiga- said Russia still has far to
moving toward emulat- tion by French prosecutors go to be reinstated. Mean-
ing what track and cycling for corruption related to while, the IAAF has ap-
have done. The basic idea cover-ups of Russian dop- proved 19 Russian athletes
is that the people running ing. Other IAAF members to compete as neutrals at
the sports shouldn’t be de- have been sanctioned for the world championships,
ciding who plays and who their possible roles in the which begin Friday. How-
gets punished, as well. cover-ups, and the new man’s hope is that the new
“If it’s successful, it could president, Sebastian Coe, integrity unit prevents re-
Workers continue setup preparations ahead of the start of the be a structure that others spearheaded the charge peats, and not only in the
World Athletics Championships at the London Stadium, in the could follow, and a struc- for the independent integ- area of anti-doping.“My
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017. ture that could be put into rity unit, which was among view is that there are so
The championships begin on Friday. place internationally,” said the many changes he’s put many things going on out
Associated Press David Howman, the for- in place to remake the fed- there that challenge the
LONDON (AP) — Among To prevent repeats, the mer director general of the eration’s culture. integrity of sport,” he said.
the many issues that made IAAF created the Athletics World Anti-Doping Agency, The integrity unit will not, “Bidding problems. Gam-
the Russian doping scan- Integrity Unit, an indepen- who now chairs the AIU. however, make calls re- bling problems. Anti-dop-
dal so difficult to detect, dent operation that will “These governing bodies garding the ongoing Rus- ing problems. If you have
then fix, was that track and oversee track’s effort to don’t like having internal sian scandal. Those cases an overall structure, you
field’s own leaders were combat doping and other views of their own when it erupted before the new can monitor this so we can
mixed up in the corruption. areas of corruption. comes to problems in their structure was in place. An do this properly.”q