Loss of sight of sporting performances, reinforcement of gender stereotypes, misuse of images to sexualize athletes on social networks… The way of filming women during competitions, different from that of men, has serious consequences.
To address these challenges, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has published new guidelines for filming women’s athletics. The twenty-page guide, written in collaboration with the European Athletics Federation and several athletes, aims to avoid sexualizing women’s bodies during competitions. The recommendations will be implemented for the first time during the European Championships in Birmingham, from August 10 to 16.
“Lingering shots on bodies, low-angle shots revealing suggestive angles and excessive slow motion – devoid of any technical or narrative justification – are among the problems observed in current media coverage of women’s sporting competitions,” notes Glen Killane, executive director of EBU Sport, in the report.
“Poor camera positioning”
“Certain camera angles not only cause discomfort and unnecessary distractions for athletes; the way the tests are delivered can also have serious long-term impacts on their mental health. Sometimes, poor camera positioning can even present a risk of injury, especially during warm-ups,” underlines Serbian long jumper Ivana Spanovic, bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, in the guide for directors.
Discipline by discipline, the guide lists good and bad practices in terms of framing. Low-angle shots or shots from behind, close-ups on certain parts of the body and slow motion shots should therefore be avoided, which are “crucial to review before broadcast to ensure the absence of compromising images”.
These recommendations also aim to highlight the performances of female athletes, sometimes relegated to the background because of the choice of camera angles. “In high jump, the position above the bar is the direct consequence of the run-up. Success depends on respecting the right rhythm, maintaining a high position of the hips during the run and the impulse, good negotiation of the turn and an impulse triggered at an ideal distance”, recalls for example the Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic, Olympic vice-champion in 2008.
Instead of maintaining a tight shot of the athlete crossing the bar, which reduces the scope of the technical analysis, the guide encourages the cameramen to film this shot from the side. A way to avoid capturing “compromising images”, but also to show “why the bar could have fallen” or, if it was crossed, “what margin remained”.
Put an end to the sexualization of athletes
The new recommendations issued by the EBU follow on from those of the Paris 2024 Games. A few days before the competition, Yannis Exarchos, the boss of the official Olympic broadcaster, asked his cameramen to film all the athletes in the same way, in order to avoid “stereotypes and sexism” appearing on screen.
These initiatives, although laudable, are not enough to put an end to the sexualization of female athletes. Clothing remains the other big battleground. During the Paris Olympic Games, that of American female athletes was strongly criticized for its shape, very indented at the crotch level.
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“If this outfit really promoted physical performance, men would wear it,” denounced former runner Lauren Fleshman: “It’s not high-level athletic wear. It is a costume born from patriarchal dynamics that no longer has a place – and is no longer necessary – to draw attention to women’s sport. »
