{"id":13364,"date":"2025-03-08T00:01:04","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T17:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/development.bwfbadminton.com\/?p=13364"},"modified":"2025-03-21T14:13:02","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T07:13:02","slug":"international-womens-day-sotomayors-military-badminton-vision-for-women-in-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/development.bwfbadminton.com\/es\/whats-new\/international-womens-day-sotomayors-military-badminton-vision-for-women-in-sport","title":{"rendered":"International Women\u2019s Day: Sotomayor’s Military Badminton Vision for Women in Sport"},"content":{"rendered":"

On this International Women\u2019s Day 2025, the theme of accelerating action finds its embodiment in Nikt\u00e9 Alejandra Sotomayor<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/em>. A pioneer on and off court, she has redefined what it means to lead with purpose, breaking barriers for women in sport and carving out opportunities for future generations.<\/p>\n

Sotomayor made history as the first Guatemalan female badminton player to compete in the Olympic Games, representing her country at Tokyo 2020. Yet, her legacy extends far beyond her impressive athletic achievements, which include bronze medals at the 2019 Pan American Games and the 2021 Pan Am Championships. Today, she is a powerful force driving systemic change, using her dual roles as an athlete and sports administrator to reshape the landscape for women in badminton.[vc_single_image image=”13365″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” onclick=”link_image”][vc_column_text]From Player to Pioneer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Transitioning from competitor to administrator, she quickly realised that her lived experience was invaluable. \u201cBringing my administration career along with my sports career was essential to expand my knowledge,\u201d she explains. This dual perspective helped her identify projects where women\u2019s participation could flourish, especially in rural areas where access to less mainstream sports like badminton is scarce. By working directly with local communities, she has been instrumental in developing grassroots programmes, ensuring that young girls are not just introduced to the sport but also empowered to envision a future within it.[\/vc_column_text][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”13376,13371,13370,13367″ title=”Photo credit to: Nikt\u00e9 Alejandra Sotomayor”][vc_column_text]Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges<\/strong><\/p>\n

For many Guatemalan women, systemic obstacles stand in the way of sports participation. The 30-year-old points to socioeconomic disparity, lack of awareness, and entrenched gender roles as major challenges. \u201cIn Guatemalan culture, gender roles play an important role; the trend is that women stay at home to form a family and take care of their husband and children, so practicing sports is not essential,\u201d she explains. In many households, a woman\u2019s duty is still seen as tied to family care, leaving little room for personal aspirations. The Olympian is determined to dismantle such barriers, advocating for equal opportunities, better training for educators, and policies that support women\u2019s dual aspirations as athletes and professionals.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”13366″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” onclick=”link_image”][vc_column_text]Revolutionising Representation: Badminton in the Military<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of her most ambitious initiatives to accelerate change is integrating badminton into Guatemala\u2019s military programme. Recognising the military as a space where discipline and structure could foster athletic growth, she saw an opportunity to promote gender equality from within. \u201cSince the introduction of women in this sector is relatively recent, even fewer practice badminton,\u201d she says. Her project not only brings the sport to a new demographic but also challenges long-standing gender norms, demonstrating that leadership and athleticism are not limited by gender.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The Power of Community and Education<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sotomayor believes that sustainable change starts with education. After attending the BWF\/WAoS Administrator Workshop, she became even more passionate about empowering girls from childhood, promoting sport as a tool for personal and community development. \u201cInclusion of women from childhood to practise sports, and empowerment in rural areas, is essential for creating long-term change,\u201d she emphasises. She works closely with both governmental and non-governmental institutions to implement mass participation programmes, ensuring girls in remote areas can access equipment, training, and mentorship.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]A Vision for the Future<\/strong><\/p>\n

Looking ahead, she dreams of a Guatemala where girls enter sport as easily as boys, with pathways that support both athletic and academic development. \u201cI would like to see more participation of girls at an early age so that they have the appropriate process both athletically and academically to become professionals and high-performance athletes,\u201d she shares. She envisions more women in leadership roles, policy reforms ensuring equal pay and career opportunities, and a culture where female athletes are celebrated not just for their victories but for their resilience.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]International Women\u2019s Day<\/a>,<\/em><\/strong> celebrated annually on 8 March, is a global event that highlights the achievements of women and calls for greater gender equality. It serves as a reminder of the progress made and the work still needed to create a more inclusive world.<\/em>[\/vc_column_text]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On this International Women\u2019s Day 2025, the theme of accelerating action finds its embodiment in Nikt\u00e9 Alejandra Sotomayor. A pioneer on and off court, she has redefined what it means to lead with purpose, breaking barriers for women in sport and carving out opportunities for future generations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2630,"featured_media":13377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[294],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-whats-new","post_format-post-format-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/development.bwfbadminton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/development.bwfbadminton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/development.bwfbadminton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/development.bwfbadminton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2630"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/development.bwfbadminton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13364"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/development.bwfbadminton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13434,"href":"https:\/\/development.bwfbadminton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13364\/revisions\/13434"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/development.bwfbadminton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/development.bwfbadminton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/development.bwfbadminton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/development.bwfbadminton.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}