Louise Martin: Andy Gray and RIchard Keys are wrong: Sport has nothing to do with gender

This week's media storm surrounding Andy Gray and Richard Keys has left a bad taste in the mouth. Not withstanding the fact that they have both since apologised, the suggestion that a professional female referee doesn't know the offside rule is ludicrous and indicative of a disrespectful and outdated way of thinking. Officials, and indeed all sports people, should be judged on their performance. Not gender.

However, the incident has brought the woman's role in sport sharply into focus. All my life I have been involved in sport; as a competitive swimmer and a gymnastics team manager, with Commonwealth Games Scotland and the Commonwealth Games Federation, and more recently as chair of sportscotland.

Luckily I've never come up against prejudice or sexism but I've witnessed it. In my early career, sport was male dominated; some even harboured an unspoken view that sport just wasn't for women. Fortunately, times and attitudes have significantly changed but as highlighted by the remarks of the former Sky Sports presenters, there remains a minority who cling to outdated values.

Sport has nothing to do with gender. It is about the individual qualities of the participant. This must be recognised to ensure the industry can thrive competitively at an international level. Indeed, it is not just about men's attitudes towards women in sport. For in certain sports, there may be prejudices against men. Dance and cheerleading are traditionally girls' sports but the increasing number of males participating can be subjected to ridicule by female peers.

The best way to change attitudes is to educate children at a young age that sport is not gender specific. The younger that boys and girls get involved in mixed sport, the more acceptable it becomes. After all, in many of today's schools, it's perfectly normal for pupils to play mixed rugby and football. From around the age of ten, differences in physical strength see the activities split along gender lines but at least by then, mixed gender participation is considered normal.

I would like to think that in 15-20 years, those in the influential sports shoes once worn by Keys and Gray, will have long accepted that women in football is simply a fact of life.

This week's rumpus is particularly sad at a time when Scotland continues to grapple with its obesity problem and young girls shy away from school PE and after-school sport. That said, we are making progress to reverse this trend. In 2009, sportscotland committed to the development of the Women in Coaching programme. In year one, 28 joined the programme. By the end of 2011 we expect to introduce up to 100 new female coaches across the country.It's vital Scotland's women take on this responsibility, so they can inspire and motivate the next generation of females and help improve the physical and mental wellbeing of Scottish girls.

While encouraging young girls into sport is a challenge, we also lead (with Youth Sport Trust) on a programme called Fit for Girls. This is designed to engage 'hard to reach' teenage girls in school PE and after-school physical activity. The programme, adopted by the majority of Scottish secondary schools, empowers the girls to offer their own suggestions on the types of activities they would like to undertake in PE class.

With the 2014 Commonwealth Games on the horizon, the next few years are set to be some of the most exciting for Scottish sport. They have to be embraced by all walks of life regardless of gender, age or race.

• Louise Martin is chair of sportscotland