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Central American athlete Yokasta Valle named new United Nations champion for her example in the fight for women's rights
On the occasion of International Women's Day, the United Nations Costa Rica announced boxer Yokasta Valle as its new champion in an event held at the United Nations House. This distinction is awarded to people who are role models in areas such as sports and who promote human rights through their messages.
Yokasta Valle is currently the World Boxing Champion of the 105-pound weight class in both the International Boxing Federation and the World Boxing Organization. Valle was born in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, and migrated to Costa Rica at a young age. Therefore, she represents an example of the struggle for girls, women, and migrant people to achieve their goals.
Allegra Baicochi, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Costa Rica, pointed out that this recognition was given to Yokasta for being an example of struggle both inside and outside the ring. In addition, she expressed that the boxer had to face sexism and patriarchy.
"Yokasta Valle is one of the best athletes in the history of Costa Rica, and for the UN, it is an honor to work with a woman who has overcome great challenges, from adapting her life to a new country as a child, to facing discrimination and exclusion at different times in her life," she said.
The boxer expressed that she is happy about this recognition and hopes to inspire women and girls to achieve their goals and break the gender gap. She also stated that, as an elite athlete who has a positive impact on Costa Rican society, she intends to use her voice and media to boost the Sustainable Development Goals.
Being a UN champion comes with enormous responsibility, and I am willing to assume it. Many of my colleagues told me that if they, as men, could not become champions, even less so could I as a woman. There is nothing that women cannot do. As I always tell the girls: take those speeches of hate and discrimination as fuel to achieve your goals and show the world that our capabilities are limitless, emphasized Yokasta Valle.
The gender dimension in sports is of vital importance to UNESCO. The International Charter of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport, approved by the 38th General Conference of UNESCO (2015), states that "equal opportunities to participate and be involved at all levels of supervision and decision-making in physical education, physical activity and sport, whether for recreation, health promotion, or high performance, is a right of all girls and all women, which must be actively respected".
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