Venus Williams Joins Dove and Nike to Launch the Body Confident Sport Coaching Program to Help Build Body Confidence in Girls Globally

For the first time ever, Dove -- the world's largest provider of self-esteem and body confidence education, has teamed up with Nike -- the biggest champion of athletes and sports, to launch the Body Confident Sport coaching program. It's the first-of-its-kind, scientifically proven set of coaching tools to build body confidence in kids ages 11-17. Tennis champion and entrepreneur Venus Williams has joined Dove to help raise awareness of the new program . The initiative spurred from a recent survey conducted by the two brands found that 45% of teenage girls drop out of sports globally -- at twice the rate of boys -- due to low body confidence as the most prominent factor. The survey also found that 83% of girls in the U.S. say their coach was the reason they felt more confident, and 61% of girls would be interested in hearing from coaches about body confidence education. Further, 69% of girls said they would be more body confident if they had stayed in sports longer. Co-developed by the two brands, in partnership with world-renowned experts, including the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) and the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, Body Confident Sport addresses new findings on how the sports environment impacts girls' body confidence and self-esteem. The Body Confident Sport online coaching tool is proven to reduce self-objectification and increase body esteem. It will be delivered through a global network of organizations in schools and sports clubs. Dove says they are proud to team up with a like-minded brand like Nike to take action towards a more equitable future for girls -- on and off the field. To learn more, visit dove.com/confidentsports .