How the health crisis has made sport for women invisible

This is the sports editorial of Virginie Phulpin.

An editorial for sportswomen this morning, on the occasion of Women's Rights Day.

For you, the development and recognition of women's sport remains a daily battle. 

At the start I said to myself ok, it's March 8, but why should I necessarily talk about women's sport today, I do it regularly so there is no reason why , it is a moral obligation.

It shouldn't be a duty of good conscience like "it's okay I talked about women for their day, can we move on?"

But in fact I was wrong.

Every occasion is good to talk about sportswomen.

Media coverage plays an essential role.

It is also part of our responsibilities in the media to strive for equality.

There have been great changes over the past ten years in the development of women's sport.

We already say female sport, and more female sport, as if it were a slightly different sport.

The words we use matter.

There are a lot of women's competitions that have been very successful, which have broadened their audience.

Now, to go further, management teams must become more feminine.

Otherwise, we will stay on an old model of sports bodies led by men, and therefore more towards men.

Of the 115 federations approved by the ministry, only 13 are headed by a woman.

So, of course, quotas have been introduced, but that remains timid.

That said, for the election at the head of the CNOSF, the French Olympic committee, in June, there are 4 candidates.

Two women and two men.

Emmanuelle Bonnet-Oulaldj and Brigitte Henriques are engaged, we are on the right track.

But it remains fragile, these advances.   

Women's sport has suffered a lot for a year.

Women are the first victims of the health crisis in sport.

They have become invisible.

It has been a year since reflections have been initiated on the sport afterwards, on the necessary changes in the economic model.

But what model are we talking about?

Men's sport.

Nothing about sport for women or almost.

I find that quite telling.

And then we stop competitions much more easily for women than for men.

Watch the Six Nations Tournament.

From the beginning of January, the Women's Tournament was postponed until the spring.

While we did everything to ensure that the Men's Tournament took place on the scheduled dates.

Two economic weights, two measures.

In fact, when all is well, we pride ourselves on doing everything to develop women's sport.

But as soon as something does not turn out well, the sport falls back on its ancestral base, the male professional sport.

And the rest no longer exists, we'll take care of it when things get better.

In January I spoke about Alice Milliat, the main ambassador of women's sport a century ago.

His statue will be unveiled today at the CNOSF.

It must remind us every day that the struggle continues.

And that March 8 is not the only occasion to talk about sportswomen.