The European Athletics Championships just kicked off in Birmingham with something huge: brand-new filming guidelines for broadcasters. This isn’t just a minor tech update, folks. This is a massive shift, aiming to ensure athletes are covered with way more respect and to finally put an end to the sexualization of women’s sports on screen. It’s about darn time, honestly.
The ‘Not OK’ Problem That Was Hitting Athletes Hard
How many times have we seen some absolutely wild camera angles out there, seriously? It’s not just annoying, it’s straight up harmful, according to athletes like British Olympic bronze medallist Holly Bradshaw. She’s been sent social media abuse and seen inappropriate videos of herself online because of those revealing angles during live coverage. She put it perfectly: “How our sport is displayed during live broadcast can be incredibly powerful, yet sometimes harmful to the women competing and the women [and] girls watching.” Bradshaw even said she, and many others, were more focused on the cameras than their performance. Imagine that! Hannah England, a former middle-distance athlete who helped craft these new guidelines, didn’t mince words either: “To be blunt, if you go on the internet and search certain athletes, you get bombarded with clips of them competing in compromising positions. That’s just not OK.” Yeah, you heard that right. Not. OK.
Finally, A Sensible Decision for Athletes to Just Compete
So, what’s changing? The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) stepped up, developing these guidelines after real talk with female athletes, including Bradshaw, Serbian long jumper Ivana Spanovic, and Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic. They’re telling broadcasters to ditch those low camera angles, especially in events like high jump or pole vault, which have a “high chance of generating compromising images.” No brainer, right? Molly Caudery, a two-time world indoor champion in pole vault, absolutely nailed it when she told BBC Newsbeat, “It’s not controversial, it’s a very sensible decision. It is a positive guidance and change.” She’s lived it, saying, “I have experienced it.” For her, and for the next generation of athletes, this is huge: “It will hopefully lead to everyone just focusing on performance.” Hannah England, who helped develop the guidelines, acknowledged how tough broadcasting athletics can be, with unexpected movements. But for her, guidelines are “100% the way to go.” It’s about respecting the athletes and letting them do what they do best: compete.
This is a massive step forward for sports coverage, period. It’s about putting the athletes first, letting them shine without the worry of inappropriate footage floating around online. You love to see it. The European Athletics Championships are just getting started at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, and with these new guidelines in place, here’s hoping we see nothing but incredible athletic performances, captured with the respect these competitors deserve.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply