To celebrate one of the most successful and transformative movements in women’s sport, 20x20, proudly supported by KPMG, is hosting a virtual wrap event for the campaign on Wednesday, October 21st featuring Martina Navratilova - whose career included 18 Singles, 31 Doubles and 10 Mixed Doubles Grand Slam titles - as the keynote speaker.The event will also have insightsfrom a number of national and international sporting legends to include Sonia O’Sullivan, Brian O’Driscoll, Casey Stoney, Rachael Blackmore, Niamh McCarthy, Leona Maguire, Lady Mary Peters and Graham Shaw.
The ‘What’s Next for Women in Sport? #ThinkItAskIt’ event marks the conclusion of what has truly been a hugely influential two-year movement for women in sport in Ireland. Launched in October 2018, it has sparked a drive for change in the value placed on women’s sport.The event follows on from the launch of #ThinkItAskIt in September, which was a nationwide call to arms to help provoke permanent change for women’s sport in Ireland and urged the public and all stakeholders involved in sport to ask key questions, not only of themselves, but of society at large. The aim of the event on October 21st is to propel the #ThinkItAskIt conversation forward further, and will provoke more debate to bring about progress for women in sport and to inspire the public and other stakeholders to act and choose the future they want for women’s sport in Ireland.
MC’d by RTÉ’s Jacqui Hurley, the event will feature a range of insightful and thought-provoking panels with a host of trailblazing athletes, coaches, decision makers and other sporting stakeholders. Cliona O’Leary (RTÉ), Ger Gilroy (Off The Ball) and Mary O’Connor (Federation of Irish Sport) will also be on hand on the day to look ahead to the future of women in sport in Ireland, while founder of the 20x20 movement, Sarah Colgan, will present the results of the impact of the two-year campaign. This research will compare the findings of benchmark research in 2018 - before the campaign was launched - with present-day and will give insights into the campaign’s three main pillars: media coverage for women’s sport, attendances at women’s events, and participation in women’s sport.
Speaking about the event, Sarah Colgan of 20x20 said:“We are absolutely thrilled to announce Martina Navratilova as the first of our speakers for the ‘What’s Next for Women in Sport? #ThinkItAskIt’ event on October 21st, proudly supported by KPMG. As one of the best tennis players of all time, Martina has been a trailblazer for women everywhere. She will be joined by a star-studded line-up from a number of the various sporting stakeholders, and we are really looking forward to pushing the conversation forward on how we can shift the dial for women in sport.”
Emer McGrath, Partner at KPMGadded: “We are delighted to continue our support of the 20x20 movement with the announcement of this extremely exciting event on October 21st. The past two years with 20x20 have been a superb journey for us, and we are delighted to help champion and celebrate the many stories and athletes involved in sport in Ireland. We are thrilled to have Martina Navratilova on board for the event, and we have no doubt that it is going to be one you won’t want to miss!”
You can register for 20x20’s grand finale event here, ‘What’s Next for Women in Sport? #ThinkItAskIt’ here:https://hopin.to/events/kpmg-20-x-20 and get involved with the conversation live on October 21st by following the hashtag #ThinkItAskit.
