Olympics camera operators told to avoid ‘sexist’ filming of women

The official Olympics broadcaster has urged camera operators to film men and women athletes in the same way to avoid “stereotypes and sexism” creeping into the coverage, its CEO said Sunday.

The Paris Olympics are the first in the 128-year history of the modern Games to reach gender parity among athletes, with women’s sport also given more prime-time broadcast spots to help raise its profile.

With the games now in full swing, the head of Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) said his organisation had updated its guidelines for camera operators, most of whom are men.

OBS is responsible for the TV coverage of the Olympics, with its images shared with rights holders around the world.

“Unfortunately, in some events, they (women) are still being filmed in a way that you can identify that stereotypes and sexism remain, even from the way in which some camera operators are framing differently men and women athletes,” Chief Executive Yiannis Exarchos told reporters in Paris.

“Women athletes are not there because they are more attractive or sexy or whatever. They are there because they are elite athletes.”

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“Unconscious bias” in the media

He said the problem was mainly down to “unconscious bias”, with camera operators and TV editors tending to show more close-up shots of women than men.

A number of scheduling changes have been made by Olympic organisers in Paris to boost women’s sports. The women’s marathon is set to be the final event of the Games instead of the men’s race.

“The schedules of sporting events have traditionally been biased towards highlighting men’s events,” Exarchos said.

“Traditionally, in team sports, you have first women’s finals, and then the men’s final… In strength and combat sports, traditionally you have women’s competitions in the morning and men’s competitions in the afternoon.”

Men and women flag carriers

Marie Sallois, director in charge of gender equality at the International Olympic Committee, said the Paris Games were “de facto the world’s largest platform to promote gender equality in and through sport”.

She pointed to “symbolic moments” in the opening ceremony on Friday which saw almost all delegations have a man and a woman flag carrier, while the artistic show paid tribute to influential women in French history.

When the ancient Greek Olympics concept was revived by French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin in the late 19th century he saw it as a celebration of gentlemanly athleticism “with female applause as its reward”.

In 1924, the last time the Olympics were held in Paris, just four percent of competitors were women and they were restricted to sports considered “suitable” for them, such as swimming, tennis and croquet.

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Commentator removed for sexist remark

Television broadcaster Eurosport on Sunday removed a commentator from its Paris Olympics coverage after he made a sexist remark during the swimming competition.

Bob Ballard made the comment about Australia’s swimmers after they won the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay gold on Saturday.

In a clip which went viral on social media, Ballard said: “Well, the women just finishing up. You know what women are like… hanging around, doing their make-up.”

Ballard’s co-commentator Lizzie Simmonds called the remark “outrageous”.

“During a segment of Eurosport’s coverage last night, commentator Bob Ballard made an inappropriate comment,” Eurosport said in a statement.

“To that end, he has been removed from our commentary roster with immediate effect.”

There was no immediate reaction from Ballard.

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