Gender Equity: Sports to empower girls and women
In October 2025, I participated in the She Races run, organized by The Impact Collective as a Race Ambassador.
The Impact Collective is a non-profit based in Hong Kong that was founded to promote sports among girs and women in Hong Kong to advocate for gender equity.
Background: Despite Hong Kong’s world-class infrastructure, women face unique barriers that limit participation in sports:
Fear of judgement: Over 70% of women feel self-conscious, fearing criticism about their appearance or fitness levels.
Access and safety: A lack of safe, convenient facilities deters 30% of women from participating.
Cultural norms and gender roles: Traditional expectations discourage 55% of women from engaging in sport.
These challenges contribute to a significant participation gap:
Women are 15% less likely than men to meet recommended activity levels.
By age 14, girls are twice as likely to drop out of sports as boys.
The Opportunity: Sport empowers women at every stage of life.
Research shows that 94% of female C-suite executives played sports, with many attributing their success to the resilience, leadership, and confidence gained through participation. By breaking barriers and creating opportunities, we’re equipping women with the tools they need to thrive—in the boardroom, the classroom, and the community and we are bridging the gap, contributing to gender equity on and off the pitch.
I personally became a Race Ambassador because I believe in the power of sports as a confidence builder and catalyst of resilience for all, especially women and individuals from under-represented groups.
Many principles anchored in sports (visualization, goal-setting, discipline, positivity, focus, etc) can be transferred across other areas of life to build resilience and strength, both physically and mentally.
By beind a Race Ambassador, my goal is to promote sports and get more girls and women involved to break gender bias and stereotypes.
It was an amazing opportunity to join forces with other wonderful women and race side by side with my daughters Alba (8) and Maia (7).
If you are looking for a speaker in topics related to gender equity, women empowerment or an athlete’s mindset more broadly, send me an email at veronica@veronicallorcasmith.com
