Highland games pledge to be more inclusive in future.

SPORT: Officials agree to meet Scottish Athletics equalities officer after pressure to increase inclusivity

Highland games bosses have conceded that women will be able to compete in a wider range of events, after pressure from campaigners to become more inclusive.

The ‘traditional’ events had come under fire, from politicians and campaigners alike, for being male-dominated.

Officials at the Scottish Highland Games Association (SHGA) said in December that tourists travelled to Scotland to see ‘traditional’ games, and that there was not enough time or prize money to have more women’s events.

But bosses have agreed to meet the equalities officer from Scottish Athletics – regarded as a world leader for inclusivity in sport – to see how to incorporate their policies.

Scottish Athletics are hosting the Scottish 5K Championships at Silverknowes, Edinburgh, in May which includes a “non-binary” gender category, one of the first events to do so.

The move towards inclusivity comes after a “peace-seeking” meeting last week convened by Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie, who is a member of the SHGA, a former chieftain at Cupar Highland Games and a regular competitor in hill races.

Mr Rennie said: “The current model of running Highland games is not sustainable. That’s now understood by those who run and participate. But there are ways of making changes to allow all games to be inclusive. Some of the games are independently run, so we would need to work with them to ensure they see the worth of new, inclusive games in the community.

“This can be easily done by adopting best practice, so it shouldn’t overburden the games. This will allow Scotland to project modern and inclusive values to visitors from all over the world.”

While games receive no public funding at present there is a possibility that when issues are resolved the SHGA could apply to Event Scotland’s Growth Fund, which helps promote Scotland’s national and international events, Mr Rennie said.

Changes would involve training more “handicappers” to allow men and women to compete in the same events, or could see new categories, such as races for women only, the politician added.

An SHGA spokesman said: “We had a good meeting with representatives from Event Scotland, Scottish Athletics and the MSPS Willie Rennie and Maurice Corry.

“The primary purpose was sharing information and best practice. A number of items are being followed up including attracting more visitors to local games events, improving event management, and attracting more athletes to participate, inclusively and equally.”

This will allow Scotland to project modern and inclusive values. WILLIE RENNIE

Picture: Kim Cessford.