Blogging has not happened recently and I mean to blog more regularly from now on (about the only New Year's resolution I'm actually planning to keep this year).

In the meantime, here are some brief thoughts on recent news involving women in sport:

IAAF Ethics Commission

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) elected two women to its Ethics Commission for the first time last week. South African judge Mrs Justice Catherine O'Regan and Singaporean lawyer Annabel Pennefather are the two women joining the commission, bringing total numbers to nine. They bring impressive CVs with tons of legal and sporting experience, and I'm sure having a female voice on the commission will be a massive positive, especially at a time when the IAAF finds itself under serious attack. The only question is, why has it taken this long?

England Women's Rugby

England Rugby issued a statement last week announcing that the Women's Premiership final would for the first time be played at a Premiership ground - Twickenham Stoop. And it'll be broadcast live (on Sky Sports 5), after a Harlequins match. I hope the match is a good one and that enough people who have access to Sky Sports watch it so it's not a one-off.

Varsity Rugby

The Oxford/Cambridge women's Varsity rugby match also got improved profile when it took place in December, being played at Twickenham Stadium itself for the first time. This was on a Thursday morning, ahead of the men's match a bit later, and it ended up a bit of a one-sided affair with the Light Blues dominating 52-0. Nevertheless, in the same way as the Boat Race last year, it is great to see women's events being given almost equal status with their male equivalents.

However it's disappointing to see the spin several of the papers gave to it. Seizing gleefully on the fact the Oxford women produced a naked calendar for charity, several popular titles went for headlines such as "Oxford's naked calendar girls exposed by Cambridge" (Daily Mail ). A pity.

The Guardian's ones to watch

In less positive news, The Guardian published a list of 12 sportspeople to watch in 2016. It managed to find just one women out of 12 - tennis player Johanna Konta. One of the things I'm aiming to blog about is other women to watch this year; any suggestions, let me have them!

Clare Balding

Finally, here's a great column by presenter Clare Balding in Glamour. She says:

It's time to make ourselves heard. How? If you keep picking up the paper and seeing zero coverage of women's sport, say something. If you're listening to sports bulletins on the radio that are male-only, Tweet them, write to them or call and ask: why?

If you believe, as I do, that it's not enough to clap politely from the sidelines, and think how lucky we are to get any coverage at all, then calmly but firmly say so. The challenge is to capitalise on the progress that's been made.

To that I say a hearty "hear hear" and plan to continue trying to do my little bit in 2016. Happy New Year.