Written by Following unrest over the line up for the tennis at the Australian Open this year, there persisted a sour taste in the mouths of some of the female tennis players. The management at World Athletics, however, have got it right and have drawn praise for it.
Olympic and Commonwealth Games medalist, Sally Pearson has commended World Athletics chiefs for their decision to abolish the concept of the final game being played by men. This archaic custom has sustained a chauvinistic culture and the move to allow women to be the ‘main meal’ rather than the ‘entrée’ is progressive and very timely. Acts of misogyny have become accepted practice in many sports, right down to junior level and we have all just taken it as normal procedure, but times are changing.
Pearson refers to this seemingly minor adjustment is a ‘game-changer’ that sends a strong message to the world of how they should view the female contribution to sports. In 2022 in Oregon, the next Athletics world championships, the final event is slated to be the women’s 4 x 400 meters relay. This decision will have a massive impact on sports media alone and how women in sport are to be presented and perceived into the future.
While Pearson acknowledges that her generation didn’t grow up questioning gender equality in sport, she suggests it is now a much more visible issue. Young girls today need to know that their contribution is as important to the sport as their male counterpart’s is. The abolishing of unnecessary traditions is one way to commit to change and equality, but World Athletics has vowed also to empower women in leadership positions. Coinciding with International Women’s Day, it is particularly pertinent that the track and field’s global body promises to promote female athletes and work against the destructive practice of online denigration. Although Pearson presents as an extremely accomplished and strong individual, she openly admits that she was scared to read or engage in social media because of haters, even at the height of her career.
“There’s just people out there who don’t want to see anyone do well, the sort of keyboard warriors determined to bring everyone down.” “That’s not ok because female athletes should be able to freely look at social media and feel confident in what they have to say without having those fears.” – Sally Pearson
World Athletics has guaranteed their commitment to creating ant-harassment policies limiting hate speech, bullying, sexism, and other misconduct. They also have promised to feature the colors of the suffragettes on their digital platforms and provide more female influenced content.
“Gender equality should no longer be a theoretical discussion in any organization … we should all be taking action by identifying barriers, reviewing our policies and practices and creating clear pathways for women to rise, contribute and participate at all levels.” – Sebastian Coe, World Athletics President.
Meanwhile, back at the tennis; Victoria Azarenka has openly criticized French Open organizers over what she believes is a lack of equality, suggesting that apart from the equal prize money awarded, women were not treated as well as men at the tournament.
The torch has been lit and now must be carried to continue to light the fires of gender equality in all sports, and in doing so contribute to a progressive and fair cultural movement in the world in general.
Women’s sport: Sport’s most chauvinistic tradition under fire | The Advertiser (adelaidenow.com.au)
French Open 2021: Victoria Azarenka sexism accusations, Serena Williams result (news.com.au)