Premios Fundación Rafa Nadal
THE RAFA NADAL FOUNDATION CENTER IN PALMA HOSTS THE MEETING OF THE REGIONAL COUNCIL OF THE SPANISH ASSOCIATION OF FOUNDATIONS IN THE BALEARIC ISLANDS
The Rafa Nadal Foundation took part on 28 November in the Women and Sport Roundtable, an event organised by the Sports Directorate of the Madrid City Council with the aim of reflecting on and advancing the promotion of equality in the sports sector. The meeting, held at the Cibeles Palace, brought together experts, institutional representatives and organisations committed to the development of women’s sport.
Representing the foundation were Eunate Gómez, Project Manager at the Rafa Nadal Foundation, and Rosa María Molina, Director of the Rafa Nadal Foundation Centre in Madrid, who shared the organisation’s work to promote equitable access to sport and the holistic development of children and young people in vulnerable situations.
The foundation participated in the first presentation slot, where Eunate and Rosa presented an updated analysis of the participation of girls and adolescent girls in sports activities, highlighting that, despite progress, a significant gap between boys and girls still persists. They emphasised that 83% of Spanish adolescent girls do not practise sport on a regular basis and that participation drops sharply between the ages of 16 and 18, a trend also observed in the city of Madrid.
During their presentation, they outlined the main barriers influencing girls’ participation, identified through the daily work carried out at the CFRN Madrid. Among these they mentioned the invisibilisation of girls’ needs, the lack of a holistic approach that considers their family and social context, the persistence of gender stereotypes, the absence of female role models, the perception of insecurity in urban environments, lower physical condition due to insufficient previous practice, and the impact of declining mental health during adolescence. They explained that these barriers are generally shaped by cultural, social, economic and personal factors that require a coordinated intervention.
They also presented the key lines of action developed at CFRN Madrid to address these challenges: early detection of difficulties, emotional and psychological support, work with multidisciplinary teams, the creation of safe and welcoming spaces, and the design of sports activities with less competitive load and a stronger psycho-emotional component. They additionally highlighted the importance of forming balanced groups and supporting the participation of girls who have family responsibilities, such as caring for younger siblings, in order to prevent them from dropping out of sport.
To conclude, they shared a series of key insights, including the need to continue promoting comprehensive approaches that challenge gender stereotypes, support adolescent girls’ continuity in sport, and strengthen their overall wellbeing. They noted that, with coordinated work and appropriate support systems, it is possible to reduce the existing gap, as reflected in the progress observed among the participants of CFRN Madrid.
The event continued with contributions from other organisations such as the Laureus Foundation, the Madrid Federation of Associated Wrestling, Fundación Segunda Parte, the AECC and the Dragon Boat project, as well as dialogue spaces where proposals were exchanged to enhance the presence and participation of women and girls in sport.
The meeting also included the participation of various municipal authorities.