The guidelines are based on feedback from athletes who said certain camera shots can cause discomfort and distractions.<\/p>\n
European Athletics and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) have introduced guidelines aimed at preventing the sexualisation of female athletes through camera angles and the use of replays.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe development of filming guidelines is a crucial step toward eliminating harmful portrayals of women in our sports while maintaining the highest level of storytelling and technical excellence,\u201d European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The guidelines, titled \u201cRaising the Bar\u201d, follow feedback from athletes who said certain camera shots can cause discomfort and distractions by drawing attention away from their performances.<\/p>\n
Broadcasters are advised to avoid prolonged close-up shots of specific body parts, low-angle views filmed from behind or beneath athletes, and slow-motion replays that do not contribute to the understanding of the sporting action.<\/p>\n
The guidelines aim to ensure coverage remains focused on athletic performance and reduce the risk of footage being taken out of context and shared inappropriately online.<\/p>\n
The organisations also encouraged production teams to use wider camera angles that capture the full scope of an athlete\u2019s movement and performance.<\/p>\n
Former world long jump champion Ivana Spanovic said broadcasters should use innovative camera angles, including aerial views, and educational graphics to help explain various aspects of athletic performances.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur sport offers numerous opportunities to showcase technique and the beauty of movement, like displaying slow-motion shots that highlight technical precision, such as the take-off moment or the perfect stride,\u201d the Serbian added.<\/p>\n
The guidelines share animated visuals for filming high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, and running events through \u201cpositive\u201d and \u201cnegative\u201d angles, which are marked with a checkmark or cross, respectively, and accompanying explanations.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_0560-1784136333.jpeg\")
A screengrab from the recently issued guidelines from the European Broadcasting Union on respectful coverage of women\u2019s sport [EBU Sports]![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_0561-1784136336.jpeg\")
A screengrab from the recently issued guidelines from the European Broadcasting Union on respectful coverage of women\u2019s sports [EBU Sports]<\/p>\n
In high jump, for example, \u201ca low camera angle underneath the athlete has a high chance of generating compromising images,\u201d the guidelines read, adding that \u201cslow-motion replays of the athlete clearing the bar diminishes technical insight and may produce compromising images.\u201d<\/p>\n
The guidelines also explained that while certain shots are zoomed in, the replay does not offer anything to the commentator or the audience.<\/p>\n
Explanations were also provided for how to effectively and respectfully capture athletes\u2019 emotions, celebrations, and\u00a0interactions with coaches.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sexualisation of women athletes through selective camera angles and editing choices continues to be a significant concern across many sports broadcasts,\u201d said Glen Killane, executive director of EBU Sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cLingering shots on bodies, low-angle cameras that capture revealing views, and excessive slow-motion replays that serve no technical or storytelling purpose are among the issues observed in the media coverage of women\u2019s athletics competitions today.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese choices carry profound implications. They shape audience perception by diverting attention from the remarkable achievements and technical skills of women athletes, and risk perpetuating harmful stereotypes,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The document, which is available for use by all broadcasters, said: \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The guidelines are based on feedback from athletes who said certain camera shots can cause discomfort and distractions.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":95357,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[49723,4,15,702,7275],"class_list":["post-95356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-europe","tag-athletics","tag-europe","tag-european","tag-sport","tag-women"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95356\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}