Gender Equality and Gender Difference in Team ­Coverage – Lessons From the Ice Hockey Rink

Covering all female sports teams poses particular challenges. Since the Title IX established in the U.S. in 1972 ensuring that men and women have equitable participation opportunities, as well as access to scholarships in sport programs, and since UNESCO recognized sports and physical activity as a human right in 1978, the world and the global sports communities have come a long way in pursuing gender equality in sports. However, gender equality in sports does not mean that gender differences shouldn’t be researched or considered while developing training plans and programs, and in the prevention and treatment of disease and injury. Indeed, there is undeniably plenty of scientific evidence that sex and gender differences play a major role when it comes to disease risks and symptoms, injury patterns and frequency, and also in regards to response to treatments. The covering medical professional needs to appreciate these facts and include them into his decision making process. Based on experience as a team doctor for female athletes on the national team, I propose three levels that must be considered when addressing gender and sex differences in team coverage, namely 1) the psychosocial level, 2) the epidemiological level, and 3) the individual level concerning the female body.