{"id":545547,"date":"2026-07-17T05:21:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T05:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/545547\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T05:21:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T05:21:08","slug":"europe-is-cracking-down-on-sexualised-broadcasting-in-womens-athletics-australia-must-catch-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/545547\/","title":{"rendered":"Europe is cracking down on \u2018sexualised\u2019 broadcasting in women\u2019s athletics. Australia must catch up"},"content":{"rendered":"

European Athletics has partnered with the European Broadcasting Union \u2013 the world\u2019s leading alliance of public service media \u2013 to launch a landmark publication<\/a> that seeks to prevent women athletes from being sexualised.<\/p>\n

The guidelines encourage broadcasters to avoid voyeuristic body part shots, zoom-ins from behind or underneath competitors and certain slow-motion replays.<\/p>\n

So, why is this needed and is something similar in place in Australia?<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s struggles in sport<\/p>\n

For decades, women have been marginalised and excluded from professional sport due to its systemic patriarchy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

During the 1950s<\/a>, television started bringing women athletes into our homes. This helped showcase their remarkable physical achievements, while powerfully dispelling the archaic frailty myth<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Despite finally breaking into elite arenas, women athletes face a double standard: broadcast coverage that remains both scant and sexualised. <\/p>\n

Men\u2019s sport is prioritised over women\u2019s, implicitly telling viewers that men are superior: in Australia, women\u2019s sports represent only 15% to 20%<\/a> of overall sports news coverage. On average, there are 5.4 pieces of media<\/a> created on men\u2019s sport for every one piece on women\u2019s sport. <\/p>\n

This gender gap is compounded by the disproportionate objectification of elite sportswomen via ingrained and sexist media camera angles<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Due to these ongoing issues, the International Olympic Committee released related advice<\/a>. Specifically, it reminded camera operators: \u201cdo not focus on crotch shots \u2013 common in gymnastics, beach volleyball and figure skating\u201d.<\/p>\n

This advice is highly relevant considering the gendered nature of camera operators \u2013 only 12% are women<\/a> in Australia. <\/p>\n

A long overdue change<\/p>\n

The new European Broadcasting Union guidelines for respectful coverage in women\u2019s athletics target specific, problematic broadcasting habits that add zero narrative value.<\/p>\n

The guidelines identify three main culprits: <\/p>\n

lingering close-ups on specific body parts<\/p>\n

low-angle camera placements for high jump and pole vault events<\/p>\n

excessive slow-motion replays with no storytelling purpose.<\/p>\n

The strength of these new guidelines is they have been developed alongside Olympic athletes and television professionals. <\/p>\n

The decision to involve women athletes in the technical framing of their bodies in motion is the first of its kind \u2013 and long overdue. <\/p>\n

Elite athletes \u2013 including Ivana \u0160panovi\u0107<\/a> (long and triple jumper), Blanka Vla\u0161i\u0107<\/a> (high jumper), and Holly Bradshaw<\/a> (pole vaulter) \u2013 voiced how intrusive camera angles cause discomfort and distract them during competition. <\/p>\n

British Olympic bronze medallist Bradshaw said:<\/p>\n

I have received social media abuse and witnessed inappropriate videos online of myself and colleagues when slow-motion content of us competing is captured.<\/p>\n

Many athletes, myself included, have been in competitive scenarios where they are more focused on the cameras instead of their own performance.<\/p>\n

Our digital age has magnified the consequences of poor camera choices. <\/p>\n

When a visual lingers unnecessarily on a body-revealing angle, that footage is instantly captured, decontextualised and circulated inappropriately across social media platforms.<\/p>\n

This vulnerability is stark given nine out of ten elite sportswomen<\/a> have experienced gendered online harm. <\/p>\n

By cutting these images off at the broadcast source, the guidelines offer vital protection against online exploitation. The framework sets a new global benchmark, championing the acknowledgment of women\u2019s skill and dedication to their sport. <\/p>\n

Now, camerawork must modernise, with the focus belonging on athleticism, not appearances<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In practice, this means prioritising wider angles that capture the full scope of women athletes\u2019 movements, or using innovative technology such as aerial views and educational graphics to explain the mechanics of a jump or throw.<\/p>\n

The document, available for use by any broadcaster, states: <\/p>\n

We hope these guidelines feel less like a set of restrictions and more like the beginning of a conversation between broadcasters, directors, camera operators and athletes, that we can continue together.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s happening in Australia?<\/p>\n

Australia lacks a singular, comprehensive media alliance such as the European Broadcasting Union to enforce a coordinated approach that targets the sexualisation of women in sport across all networks. <\/p>\n

Instead, the domestic landscape relies on a fragmented patchwork of generalised frameworks.<\/p>\n

At a federal level, the broadcast environment is governed by the Broadcasting Services Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Under Part 9 of the act, peak industry bodies are required to develop their own operational codes \u2013 such as the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice<\/a> \u2013 in consultation with the Australian Communications and Media Authority<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While these codes spell out specific protections regarding gender-based hatred and ridicule, sports coverage remains only loosely bound by these broad societal standards.<\/p>\n

A new lens for women athletes<\/p>\n

The importance of the new guidelines extends far beyond on-screen etiquette. It is a courageous validation of the importance of women athletes\u2019 safety and their psychological wellbeing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, the guidelines confront the media to shift its perspective from focusing on women athletes\u2019 bodies to a respectful appreciation of their capabilities and grit.<\/p>\n

It serves as a powerful reminder that if we want to change how society values women\u2019s sports, we must first change the lens through which we see our women athletes in action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"European Athletics has partnered with the European Broadcasting Union \u2013 the world\u2019s leading alliance of public service media…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":545548,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[85,46,105],"class_list":["post-545547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=545547"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545547\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/545548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=545547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=545547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=545547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}