She wanted to give powerful officials a leg and unsettled popular sport in the process. Now the Federal Councilor is putting her steep announcements into perspective.
In Viola Amherd’s world, women have to supplant men with their own means.
Viola Amherd is not traveling to the World Cup in Qatar. The sports minister will keep her fingers crossed for the national team from home, says Amherd’s department spokesman for the “Tages-Anzeiger”. He doesn’t say why.
It’s not Covid, the virus just caught her. Nor should it be fear of flying or ecological concerns. Before the Valais woman became a member of the Federal Council, she said she flew to New York, her favorite city, “x times”. Maybe it’s a silent protest against the human rights situation in the emirate, maybe a sign against the patriarchy.
Amherd wants to oust the men with their means
Meanwhile, Amherd has publicly declared war on the men in Swiss associations. As early as March 2021, the VBS boss made it clear in a response to a move by the Greens parliamentary group leader Aline Trede: In future it will no longer be enough for the sports associations to merely “promote” gender equality. By the end of 2024, the proportion of women on the association’s committees should increase to at least 40 percent. If you don’t sprint, you won’t get any more contributions from the federal government. Amherd wants to take the sports associations to the short gender reins, like the federal companies SBB or the post office.
Since then, Amherd has repeatedly let it be known that she is serious about the quota, and also what she thinks of the (mostly male) skeptics in the associations: not much. “The deadline is bothering them,” she said in the “Sonntags-Blick” in the summer, “I then encourage them and tell them that I trust them to solve this task.” In another interview with the “Tages-Anzeiger” this spring, she said that the quota was needed “as an initial spark”. This is the only way that women – as in business and politics – would get into the illustrious circles of functionaries in the first place.
In Amherd’s world, women have to push men out with their own means – with networks, with rope teams, with a careful form of co-pinage, without elbows, but with a lot of brains. She is aware that a women’s quota of at least 40 percent by the end of 2024 represents a sporting challenge for the associations. The Federal Councilor was undeterred: “If they want it, they can achieve it.”
The sentence could also come from the national coach Murat Yakin and be the answer to the question of whether the World Cup title is realistic for the Swiss footballers. For the national sports associations, on the other hand, it is clear that most of them cannot meet Amherd’s quota requirements – whether they want to or not. The consultation on the new sports promotion ordinance, which ended in the summer, was so clear that in sports one would probably speak of an embarrassing defeat for the middle Federal Councilor.
Although the majority of associations welcomed the direction, they consider the mandatory requirement to be “unrealistic”, “too rigid” or even “counterproductive”. This also includes associations that are not suspected of awarding financially lucrative posts to their buddies. Swiss badminton defends itself against the quota, the Swiss swimming association Swiss Aquatics, wheelchair sports Switzerland or also Jubla Switzerland, the association of Jungwacht and Blauring. Amherd wanted to get the men moving and in doing so unsettled the many loyal souls, the “girls for everything” in local popular sports.
With “appropriate specifications” instead of a rigid quota
So time to row back. The passionate amateur athlete has started to retreat on tiptoe. In the autumn session, she responded to the concerned request from SVP National Councilor Stefanie Heimgartner that the increase in the proportion of women was “related to social change” and therefore took time. “Appropriate specifications” will be made, which the sports associations can then implement “with a sense of proportion”. At an event held by her home section, Mitte Oberwallis, she recently reassured that the gender quota would only apply to the national associations, but certainly not to the village associations.
The Federal Office of Sport (Baspo) also wants to keep the ball flat again after the boss’s initial through passes. Reference is made to the proportionality with which the new regulation is to be implemented. In general, it is said that the rules could vary depending on the size and structure of the associations. Entry into force is planned for early 2023. Before that, the Federal Council will decide on any adjustments.
The Baspo is also unable to provide any information on the duration of the possible transitional periods, with which Amherd can continue to signal its goals, but does not have to offend anyone. It remains to be seen whether Amherd will still be in the DDPS or in another department. In any case, the Minister of Sport would have one reason to stay: Amherd would like to bring the 2025 Women’s Football Championship to Switzerland. She could take the train to the games, without any sheikhs, but with one or two quota officials.