ASULIS Discourse, Dialogue, Democracy Laboratory under the auspices of Hrant Dink Foundation held a panel discussion titled “Sports and Gender Discrimination” on December 8, 2016 in the Havak Hall of Anarad Hığutyun Building. The panel discussion was moderated by Itır Erhart, who is a faculty member of Bilgi University Department of Communication studying and teaching on gender, human rights, sports and media. Gedik University faculty member İlknur Hacısoftaoğlu, who studies on gender and sociology of sports; board member of Association of Sports and Physical Activities for Women (KASFAD) and research assistant at Hacettepe University Department of Recreation Pınar Öztürk; and Nazlı Cabadağ, who is the founder and player of Altetik Dildoa playing in Tatavla football league spoke at the panel discussion.

Speaking first, İlknur Hacısoftaoğlu talked about the ways in which sportswomen are represented in media based on her research carried out on internet with keywords. Stating that sports in Turkey are quite male-dominated and this fact is directly reflected on media, Hacısoftaoğlu said that media portrays women fragile and sensitive on one hand and sexy, inviting and attractive on the other hand in accordance with the desires and interests of men. However, she also pointed out that sportswomen are always in a negotiating position and accordingly, the women who are frequently faced with the myth of “a woman engaged in sports is like a man” are constantly trying to prove their femininity and heterosexual identities.

Pınar Öztürk discussed women's representation and problems in football. Stating that participation in sports and physical activities is a human right that is protected by the constitution in many countries, Öztürk said that women and children's level of participation in sports is very low in Turkey and the state should do something about it. Speaking about football, she pointed out that it is perceived as a single-sex sport worldwide, UEFA under the umbrella of FIFA is a men's league and there were times in the history when women were prohibited to participate in organized football. Lastly, Öztürk stated that NGOs in Turkey have the responsibility to encourage equal participation of women in sports and physical activities, prevent discrimination in this field and help women to claim their rights.

The last speaker at the panel discussion was Nazlı Cabadağ and she told about LGBTI football team Atletik Dildoa's story and her experiences concerning football's relation to sexism and heterosexualism. Stating that they decided to establish a football team consisting of Tatavla residents after a match organized as part of 2015 Pride Week, Cabadağ also told about their experiences concerning the teams of alternative leagues. Cabadağ talked about the alternative methods they are using in the face of implicit sexism in the field and noted that she witnessed queer struggle in football field as well.