Sports project targeting non-English speaking women

A project aimed at addressing the sport and recreation needs of women from non-English speaking backgrounds will be undertaken later this year.

Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Minister Judyth Watson said the project would be undertaken by the Department of Sport and Recreation in the second half of the year.

It would involve a series of pilot programs with women in the Polish community aged between 30 and 50 years, older Italian women living in the Fremantle area and Vietnamese women in Marangaroo.

Dr Watson's announcement followed the release today of a report by the Women in Sport Advisory Council and the Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission, which indicated that many women from non-English speaking backgrounds did not have the same sport and recreational opportunities as the rest of the community.

"Their choice of activities is restricted because of their cultural background and their inability to communicate efficiently in English.

"The report points to the need to consider these factors in the planning and provision of services," Dr Watson said.