“European Young Women Programme” announced by the FIA

EU Erasmus+ programme for Education, Training, Youth and Sport supports the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission’s drive to attract young females to motor sport 

The FIA, along with nine partners, is proud to announce it has been selected to receive EU funding through the Erasmus+ programme, enabling its Women in Motorsport Commission to implement a competition model for the promotion and development of young women in motor sport at grassroots level. The FIA European Young Women Programme will also contribute to the advancement of the FIA’s educational and social roles, and support its national sporting authorities (ASNs) with their motor sport growth as each strive to raise aware of gender equality and increase the participation of women in the sport.

“I am delighted the European Commission has recognised our strong commitment to the further development of women in motor sport, as well as our pledge to on-going education, training and community responsibility,” said FIA President, Jean Todt. “The stereotype that motor sport is the domain of men should not be alive in our days, and it is an anomaly the FIA has been striving to adjust since the creation of the Women in Motorsport Commission in 2009. This is an exciting and ambitious project, one I heartily support, that needs a long term approach to be as impactful as possible. If we can share a successful event model with the IOC and other international federations, collectively we can make a significant impact on the involvement of women in sport worldwide.”

The FIA European Young Women Programme will be officially launched on 8 March 2018 – International Women’s Day – during the Geneva Motor Show. This two year project is based on a cost-effective, arrive and drive karting slalom format, a new concept currently being developed by the FIA whereby a small tarmac area in a central urban location will be set up with marker cones to create a slalom course. During the first year the karting slalom events will be promoted to young females between 13 and 18 years at a national level within eight European ASN partner countries. At the beginning of 2019, the three fastest girls from each country’s events will then pit themselves against each other at the European Final for the chance to be among the six drivers selected for the European Team who will attend the FIA Driver Training Camps, where they will be supported by the FIA through a sporting and educational programme.

“This is an enormously challenging European project we have been working on for over two years and I am delighted we have received this support, allowing us to realise our ambition,” said Michèle Mouton, President of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission. “We want to help detect new female talent by creating events that are fun and accessible to a wide female audience, as well as being affordable and easy for an ASN to run. This format of event, with identical regulations and track layout set up in highly frequented locations, meets those objectives and hopefully hundreds of girls will be inspired to come along and give it a try during these karting slalom weekends. Aside from providing an experience in a kart, the events will also highlight road safety initiatives, open up the work of the FIA, our ASNs and motor sport in general to a new and young audience, and potentially encourage females to get involved in any number of different areas. The opportunity for us to really showcase motor sport to youngsters is very exciting and there is every reason to believe we will attract a new generation of women in motor sport.”

The eight ASN partners involved in the project are:

Royal Automobile Club of Belgium (RACB)
AKK-Motorsport (Finland)
Deutscher Motor Sport Bund E.V. (DMSB, Germany)
Knac Nationale Autosport Federatie (KNAF, Netherlands)
Poloski Zwiazek Motorowy (PZM, Poland)
Federação Portuguesa de Automobilismo e Karting (FPAK, Portugal)
Slovenska asociacia motoristickeho sportu (SAMŠ, Slovakia)
Svenska Bilsportförbundet (SBF, Sweden)

In addition, the project will be academically partnered by CDES-PROGESPORT at the University of Limoges (the Centre for the Law and Economics of Sport), which will deliver a crucial aspect of the project. A sociological analysis by CDES will support and analyse the success of the programme and make recommendations to the sport’s stakeholders on how to increase their level of female participation and help fight gender stereotypes. This report will become the reference document for the project.

During the autumn of 2019, the FIA will organise its final event, report on the outcomes of the project to the European Institutions’ officials in Brussels, and host a spectacular karting demonstration involving the European Team selected during the project.

Info FIA