BEYOND THE LENS

WHEN Dominica’s Olympic champion Thea LaFond and Trinidadian journalist Dennis Allen first discussed the new European broadcast guidelines, they pointed out a tricky puzzle: While tight, suggestive camera angles objectify female athletes, those same viral moments often help competitors build a following and secure paying sponsor deals.

Published by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and European Athletics, the Raising the Bar guidelines instruct camera operators to avoid extremely low-angle shots from behind, limit unnecessary slow-motion replays during athlete preparations, and use wider shots that focus on technical execution over physical body parts.

For the women inside and around the sport every day, this debate goes much deeper than camera angles. It touches on what they describe as a frustrating double standard — a female athlete’s financial survival often depends on her looks, even when her hard work and talent should be doing all the talking.