![\"Sydney](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/women-track-runners-competition.png\")
\n\t\t\t\tSam Barnes\/Sportsfile via Getty Images\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tSam Barnes\/Sportsfile via Getty Images\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Female athletes are usually more heavily criticized than male athletes for decisions they make, especially when it comes to their sport. That\u2019s not all \u2014 they also face more criticism and comments about their bodies<\/a> while competing. And much of this is coming from social media. Research shows that the ways these women are portrayed in the media may be opening them up for additional abuse. So the European Broadcasting Union has worked alongside female athletes to create new guidelines for the way they\u2019re filmed<\/a> for television. And while there are people praising the changes, many people are proving why they\u2019re necessary.<\/p>\n The decision was a collaborative effort. The European Broadcasting Union and European Athletics worked alongside three female athletes who participate in track and field events to create these new guidelines<\/a>. According to the guidebook, \u201ccoverage should reflect the skill, dedication, and excellence that define athletics, and uphold the trust placed in us by audiences and competitors alike.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe sexualization of women athletes through selective camera angles and editing choices continues to be a significant concern across many sports broadcasts,\u201d EBU Sport executive director Glen Killane said in the guidebook.<\/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.\u201d<\/p>\n Killane also pointed out the camera angles \u201ccarry profound implications,\u201d and \u201cshape audience perception by diverting attention from the remarkable achievements and technical skills of women athletes, and risk perpetuating harmful stereotypes.\u201d<\/p>\n One athlete has been very outspoken about the harm created by these camera angles. Holly Bradshaw, an Olympic bronze medal winning British pole vaulter, was one of the athletes who worked with the EBU on the new guidelines.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI first-hand have received social media abuse and witnessed inappropriate videos online of myself and colleagues when slow-motion content of us competing is captured,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n In a 2023 interview<\/a> with Olympics[dot]com, she spoke about the ways social media has negatively impacted her throughout her athletic career. \u201cI had people calling me fat on social media. It was really, really hurtful,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s sad that athletes are having to take time-outs from social media sites because of how negative they can be,\u201d she added, saying that the closer she gets to competition time, the more she disengages from social media.<\/p>\n A study conducted<\/a> by World Athletics during the Tokyo Olympics was released in November 2021. It showed that female athletes were the target of 87% of all abuse, and 65% of all the abusive posts required intervention from social media platforms.<\/p>\n Bradshaw said she \u201cwasn\u2019t shocked\u201d by the outcome given the \u201camount of abuse\u201d she and other female athletes she knows have received.<\/p>\n Commenters mostly had nothing nice to say about the decision.<\/p>\n The ratings bout to hit an all time low.<\/p>\n \u2014 Zihlus \/\u30b6\u30a4\u30e9\u30b9 (@Zihlus) July 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/European-Broadcast-Union-guide-example-1024x576.png\")
EBU Sport<\/p>\n![\"Holly](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/europe\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-13365544651-1024x683.jpg\")
Tim Clayton\/Corbis via Getty Images<\/p>\n
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EBU Sport<\/p>\n