New world centre for women’s sports on show in Malmö

In connection with the U21 European Football Championships in Malmö on Monday, The World Village of Women Sports® was presented, a new world centre for women’s sports. At the end of august a winner will be announced among the five architect offices that entered the contest to design the centre.

The World Village of Women Sports®, the first stage of which should be ready in 2012, aims at giving sportswomen the same opportunities to develop as their male counterparts. The new centre will be an international meeting place for active sportspeople, coaches, managers, doctors, behavioural scientists, nutritionist, etc. “Active sportspeople will be able to develop their skills using the latest training methods, and will also be assisted with operations and injury rehabilitation. Sweden has come a long way with regard to gender equality, which gives the project credibility. The Malmö location, a part of an expansive region, also feels natural,” says Mårten Hedlund, one of the inspirers and founders of the newly formed project company. According to the plans, The World Village of Women Sports® will comprise of 70,000— 100,000 square metres of offices, apartments and restaurants, etc. Malmö University and the Sydsvenskan newspaper group have both signed statements of intent to move there. The entire project is estimated at around SEK 1.5 billion and is funded solely with private capital. The initiators of the project are businessmen Kent Widding Persson, Mårten Hedlund and Dan Olofsson. As well as property developers, they are also seeking investors who see a value in The World Village of Women Sports® brand, such as global manufacturers of sports equipment and electronics. Work is also ongoing engaging international sports organisations. “We hope for more international collaborations within specific research and development fields and between different sports. The centre will attract investments in women’s elite sports, while giving joy and inspiration at the training level. For further details please contact: • Mårten Hedlund, The World Village of Women Sports®, +46 (0)707 53 11 33, marten.h@womensportvillage.com • Kent Widding Persson, The World Village of Women Sports®, +46 (0)708 16 46 34, kent.w@womensportvillage.com Photos of the five architectural designs can be downloaded from www.womensportvillage.com www.womensportvillage.com