Monday, Sept 30 2024

Slow progress on female athletic attire – Winnipeg Free Press

By A Mystery Man Writer

Clothes don’t make the athlete. Yet, there is nary an Olympics that goes by without commentary or controversy over what the best female athletes in the world are wearing — or, rather, not wearing. This year, however, the issue of uniform inequality seems to be gaining purchase with the media and sport-loving public. | The disparity is greatest in such sports as beach volleyball, gymnastics and track and field, where many female athletes compete in bikinis, high-cut leotards and scant, tight-fitting tunics. Compare this with the knee-length shorts and full-coverage tanks worn by their male counterparts, and the sexualization of women in sport becomes glaringly obvious. | The International Olympic Committee has attempted to address the issue in recent years. Ahead of Tokyo 2020, the IOC released an updated set of portrayal guidelines for broadcasters, aimed at improving gender-equality and inclusive representation at the games — a tagline of which is “sport appeal, not sex appeal.” | The head of Olympic broadcasting, Yiannis Exarchos, told CBC News earlier this week that “We in media have not done all that we can do” when it comes to showing sexualized images of female athletes. This is the second such handbook released since 2018; directives include focusing on the athleticism of female athletes instead of looks and avoiding use of video that lingers on intimate body parts.
Clothes don’t make the athlete. Yet, there is nary an Olympics that goes by without commentary or controversy over what the best female athletes in the world are wearing — or, rather, not