EBU and European Athletics release new production guidelines to curb sexualization
The European Broadcasting Union and European Athletics have published a technical production guide aimed at reducing the sexualization of female athletes during broadcast coverage. The 23-page document provides production teams with specific recommendations on camera angles, shot composition, and replay usage to prioritize athletic performance over appearance.
Key Takeaways
- Identifies three primary production risks: low-angle cameras, lingering body close-ups, and slow-motion replays without technical value.
- Developed in coordination with Olympic medalists Holly Bradshaw, Ivana Španović, and Blanka Vlašić to ensure athlete-centric standards.
- Recommends wider shots for pole vault and high jump that capture the full run-up, take-off, and clearance sequence.
- Advises production teams to avoid tight shots below the pelvis at starting blocks and during periods of physical exhaustion post-finish.
- Guidelines are non-mandatory, leaving adoption to individual broadcasters and production directors across the EBU’s 112 member organizations.
Why It Matters
The immediate implication is a shift in technical production standards for live athletics, moving from aesthetic-driven framing toward performance-based storytelling. This initiative connects to broader industry efforts to professionalize women’s sports coverage and mitigate the risk of broadcast footage being misused in non-consensual online contexts. For broadcasters, these voluntary standards represent a benchmark for rights-holding members to align with evolving social expectations and athlete safety protocols. Watch for the level of adoption during the European Athletics Championships in August to see if directors shift away from traditionally problematic high-repetition replay sequences in technical field events.
Additional Context
The EBU’s 'Raising the Bar' guidelines arrived shortly before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) implemented similar directives for its global feed. Per The Guardian in July 2024, OBS CEO Yiannis Exarchos explicitly instructed camera crews to apply the same editorial standards to both men and women to eliminate unconscious bias and stereotypical framing. This broader movement follows high-profile pushbacks from athletes regarding competition attire and broadcast portrayal, such as the German gymnastics team opting for full-length unitards at the Tokyo Olympics to protest sexualization. More recently, Nike’s high-cut Team USA track kit drew significant criticism in early 2024 for prioritizing aesthetic over athletic function, per Runners World.
Technically, the EBU guidelines advocate for replacing low-angled or behind-the-athlete cameras with side-on perspectives and aerial views that better illustrate biomechanics. This shift is designed to be informative rather than restrictive; for instance, European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov noted that focus on the 'final six strides' of a vault provides more technical value for commentators than close-ups of an athlete landing. Furthermore, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) updated its Portrayal Guidelines in June 2024, emphasizing that the focus should remain on performance to maintain gender-equal representation. These converging efforts from the EBU, OBS, and IOC suggest a standardized transition in sports cinematography toward technical transparency.
Read full article at insidethegames.biz
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