NAMIBIA, Aug 11 ― A NGO intent on dismantling barriers to women's participation in athletic activities has come up with a game-changing plan to distribute free sports bras in more than 15 countries.

The Sports Bra Project aims to provide appropriate underwear to athletes who do not have access to basic sports equipment. The idea for the venture first emerged when American football coach Sarah Dwyer-Shick visited Namibia. Before embarking on her trip, she packed a bundle of sports bras to give as gifts to young athletes. On arrival, she found that the bras were also coveted by older players, including members of Nambia's national women's football team. That's when she realised there was a problem.

Why sports bras?

For many young women, they are simply too expensive. More often than not, families' resources are strained, to the point where it is already a struggle to provide children with daily meals; in such conditions, even basic sports equipment is an unaffordable luxury. In addition, there is also an issue with the availability of sports bras, which can be hard to obtain in places where they are too expensive for the local market.

Sports promote gender equality

in many regions of the world, young women are expected to hurry home from school to help with household chores. Promising female players with substantial ability may be obliged to set aside any ambitions for a career in sports, even on an amateur level. The tragedy is that when they stop participating, they are not only abandoning the benefits of physical exercise, they also give up on a much-needed avenue to empowerment.

"I've seen how important a role sport has in creating pathways for girls and women in developing countries where sport is valued more than females. So when you allow women to play those sports then their value increases and they are now allowed to be seen. The community sees women can contribute in untraditional ways and it creates momentum for gender equality in other areas of society as well,” said Lisa Berg, coach and co-founder of of the non-profit Growing the Game for Girls.

The NGO is just one of the many involved in the Sports Bra Project, which has created a growing network of more than a dozen partners in the last five years. It has so far sent out some 3,000 bras to athletes in 15 countries, and made a diference in the lives of thousands of girls and women around the globe who are eager to take part in sports. ― AFP-Relaxnews