The Transformative Power Of Sports
Margarita Katsiveli, Greece
We have teamed up with the adidas Breaking Barriers Project to share the inspiring stories of 14 Champions across Europe as they advocate for women and girls in sport within their local communities. The second instalment of this series showcases eight Champions from Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK who are advocating for the next generation of women in sport. Margarita Katsiveli is an adidas Breaking Barriers Champion and a yoga instructor to refugee minors with Organization Earth in Athens, Greece.
Want to join us in breaking barriers for women and girls in Europe? Join the adidas Breaking Barriers Academy.
My name is Margarita and I am from Greece. I am a yoga instructor mostly based in Athens, and partially living on the Greek island of Amorgos. I am involved with Organization Earth where I help organise sports days, and lead the yoga and mindfulness sessions to refugee minors from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Lebanon, and Egypt. Organization Earth is a Greek NGO which focuses on sustainability and nature. Over the years, the organisation has started to include vulnerable social groups in its programs and organise various community-based activities.
What has your sports journey been like up until now?
As long as I can remember, I have been involved in sports, from volleyball and cheerleading to aerial dance and gymnastics. My journey has not been easy because the opportunity to advance to a higher level of sports required time and money. On top of that, women’s sport lacks support because many people believe that women are not strong or powerful enough to play. These people think that women should find another way to earn a living and protect their bodies to fulfil their ‘maternal goals.’
Something that is not often talked about is the sexualisation of women in sport. Our skills may be judged in a superficial or sexist way, which leads to feelings of guilt, shame, and inadequateness. The barriers I continue to face are based on those beliefs, and I am working to change that in my community.
What did you try to capture with your photos? Was there a deeper meaning to the photos? What do these images mean to you as a Champion of the adidas Breaking Barriers Project?
Photography has always been in my life. I captured moments and feelings that I want to have the chance to revisit and relive. People I have shared moments with, especially during my yoga classes, instantly become closer to me.
My photos were mostly taken during the adidas Breaking Barriers Project event. Some photos were taken on Amorgos Island, where I spent the summer teaching vinyasa yoga and participating in sports activities like diving, hiking, biking, beach volleyball, and sometimes windsurfing.
In my photos, you can see people I have worked with, people I have shared my practice with, and people I have played sports with as both teammates and competitors.
The photo that makes me happy even now is of the children, remembering them being enthusiastic about yoga. They are kids from around the world who do not have the chance to do activities like yoga every day, and I feel happy to be part of their new life and see the way they perceive it.
Being an adidas Breaking Barriers Project Champion has given me the opportunity to create safe spaces for people who have not felt very safe in their lives before. I wanted to capture that feeling of safety, respect, and unity.
I have studied social anthropology and have attended some seminars on the refugee-migratory issue. I have always been very empathetic and open to people and their problems, and always believed that each one of us can help somehow. I have also been travelling a lot, spending months in Asia, which changed my perceptions and let me really see how people around the world live. Yoga has been a huge part of those moments and my life. The philosophy that comes with yoga has given me a more compassionate approach to people. All those reasons together motivate me to work with refugees. It is the least I can offer. Every time I see the kids smiling or hear them saying something warm-hearted about our time together or me, I feel so full and calm.
Why did you start working in your community? Why are you motivated to do the work that you do? Why do you think your work with girls is important?
After years of being involved in sports, I found my shelter in yoga, because it combines mental work and physical practice. Being a yoga instructor in the West gives you the privilege of being in a women-dominated community, where you can feel safe. I try to inspire the women in my classes to be more confident and support each other. When I work with girls, I approach them in a way that they feel unique and safe. My goal is to help them feel like part of a community that we all contribute to and respect each other’s similarities, differences, and needs.
Why is sport important for your community? Why is it important to you?
Sports bring people closer together, and in those moments, we find ourselves forgetting about minor problems, routines, and whatever we cannot control. Feelings can become intense, and the change of those feelings contributes to our mental and emotional intelligence. Whatever we experience becomes a part of us, forms, and reforms our personalities. Sports can do all those things at once if we are given the chance to have proper access to them.
What role does sport play in your community and your culture or society? What are the opportunities for women and girls to play sports in your community and in Greece?
In my community, sport is a way of living. Most people in my circle have hobbies and find movement as a way to feel better both physically and mentally. My students, my friends, and my social circle move a lot, and really appreciate the impact of this. In my community, yoga as a practice, both physical and mental, is the one that stands out. Looking wider, I would say football is the sport that most people talk about, as it is everywhere.
In Greece, women in sport do not have the same support as men and do not get paid as much as men. Stereotypes about men’s and women’s sport still exist, which makes it difficult to prove that gender equality is something we struggle with in our daily lives. Stereotypes about sports that refer to women or men exist in society. Those stereotypes come along with unequal payments among women and men, inadequate infrastructure and education, and many more. They have somehow come and stayed so long that today it is really difficult to prove that gender equality is something we feel every day in so many sectors. People think we use that term out of ideology and as a way to “rebel”, but they do not really understand how big it is for us and how many times in a day we see it, hear it, and feel it.
What impact has the adidas Breaking Barriers Project had on your journey as a leader and change-maker in women’s sport? What are your ambitions for the future?
The adidas Breaking Barriers Project was very helpful to organise and collaborate with people from different sports backgrounds. I was inspired as I became aware of the difficulties women face every day across different backgrounds. I learned that by helping and understanding each other, we can overcome collective challenges.
In the future, I hope things get easier, more accessible, and friendlier for all kinds of women. I hope that eventually, we do not need to talk about injustice and inequality anymore.
What do you think the future looks like for sport in your community and Greece? What do you want to change? How would you improve gender equality?
Greece needs a lot of work when it comes to gender inequality. Education needs to change to foster sensitive children that want to bring change.
Parents, educators, paediatricians, and anyone that spends time with children should make an effort to raise awareness about gender equality. If we spend our time with kids properly, we will see them bringing the change we crave. We will see them breaking barriers and overcoming obstacles we have not even imagined.
