Raising the bar: The European Broadcasting Union’s guidelines to prevent the sexualization of female athletes

Co-authored by Gowling WLG summer law student Jordan Sweeney.

On July 16, 2026, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) published a 23-page document titled “Raising the Bar: Guidelines for Respectful Media Coverage in Women’s Athletics,” developed in collaboration with European Athletics and with input from Olympic Athletes. The guidelines set out practical camera, editing, and replay standards designed to eliminate sexualizing portrayals of female competitors in live athletic broadcasts. While the document is currently framed as a set of recommendations rather than enforceable rules, it represents a detailed broadcaster-driven style guide on how women’s athletic events should be filmed.

Origins and rationale for the guidelines

The motivation for “Raising the Bar” arose from long-standing concerns expressed by female athletes about how they are being filmed during competitions. Athletes reported that certain camera shots caused discomfort and served as distractions that drew attention away from their respective performances. The EBU’s Executive Director of Sport, Glen Killane, identified the core problem, namely that the sexualization of women athletes through selective camera angles and editing choices “continues to be a significant concern across many sports broadcasts.”[1] Killane mentioned lingering shots on bodies, low-angled cameras that capture revealing views, and excessive slow-motion replays that serve no technical or storytelling purpose as practices of concern.[2]

The consequences of these filming practices extend beyond audience perception. Athletes arriving at major competitions reported becoming more focused on camera positions than on their own performance or worried about how the footage might later be misused online. Killane emphasized that such coverage shapes an audience’s perception by diverting attention from the achievements and technical skills of women athletes, and risks perpetuating stereotypes.[3] The guidelines represent a direct response to ongoing concerns around what the EBU characterizes as the misrepresentation and objectification of women’s athletic performance on screen.

European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov framed the framework as part of the federation’s broader “Race for Respect” initiative, calling it “a crucial step toward eliminating harmful portrayals of women in our sport while maintaining the highest level of storytelling and technical excellence.”[4] He further stated that the federation is committed to ensuring sports are presented in a way that respects and empowers all athletes regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic background.[5]

Consultation process and stakeholders involved

The guidelines were developed through a collaborative process involving multiple stakeholders. The EBU worked directly with European Athletics as its primary institutional partner in producing the document. Additionally, current Olympic athletes were able to input information about their firsthand experience to shape the document.

Three Olympians are credited as principal contributors: British pole vaulter Holly Bradshaw; Serbian long-jumper Ivana Španović; and Croatian high-jumper Blanka Vlašić. Bradshaw provided testimony about her personal experiences, including that she “received social media abuse and witnessed inappropriate videos online” of herself and colleagues when slow-motion content from competition is captured.[6] Furthermore, Španović contributed feedback about how certain camera angles combined with gender stereotypes cause discomfort and distraction during competition, noting they have serious long-term effects on athletes’ mental health, and that poorly placed cameras can even pose injury risk during warm-up.[7]

The EBU also engaged broadcast directors, camera operators, and video tape operators who are responsible for live production decisions. Karamarinov thanked “all directors, camera operators and athletes for their involvement,” noting that “the only way forward is through collaboration, dialogue, and mutual understanding among all stakeholders.”[8]

Specific sports and events covered

The guidelines are tailored to the specific technical and visual challenges presented by different athletic disciplines. The document provides sport-by-sport analysis with distinct recommendations for high-jump, pole vault, horizontal jumps, and running events. Specifically, for high jump and pole jump, the document warns that low camera angles placed underneath the athlete have a high chance of generating compromising images. The guidelines also include detailed illustrations drawn from real broadcast coverage showing which camera positions and shot sizes are appropriate and which are not. For example:

For running events, the guidelines instructs camera operators to stay in front of athletes where possible and to avoid very tight shots during starting-line preparations and moments of fatigue after the finish. Across all disciplines, the organizations encouraged production teams to use wider camera angles that capture the full scope of an athlete’s movements and performance.

Implications for future sports broadcasting

The publication of “Raising the Bar” has several forward-looking implications, whereby the first test of the guidelines will come at the European Athletics Championships in August of 2026. The guidelines establish a clear benchmark that could serve as the foundation for binding regulations if the World Athletics or other governing bodies choose to adopt them more broadly. The initiative also signals a potential expansion into other sports. While this publication focuses exclusively on athletics, the principles and methodology could readily be adapted for gymnastics, beach volleyball, tennis, swimming and other sports where similar concerns have been raised. 

For production professionals, the document represents a rare instance of a broadcaster organization publishing a detailed shot-by-shot guidance on editorial decisions. Whether working on a major international production or with a small crew, the guidelines offer what the EBU describes as “a clear, shared standard for broadcasters, directors, and camera operators for the athletes they cover.”[9] This standardization could influence training programs, production manuals, and rights-holder requirements going forward. 

Conclusion

The guidelines' immediate practical significance lies in the sport-specific detail, covering high jump, pole vault, horizontal jumps, and running with illustrated examples of acceptable and unacceptable camera positions. The publication’s status as recommendations rather than binding rules means enforcement will depend on voluntary adoption by production teams, though the EBU's extensive membership network gives the document considerable reach. The ongoing debate about whether sex-specific guidelines achieve equality or inadvertently reinforce differential treatment remains unresolved and will likely continue as the guidelines are applied in practice. What is clear is that the document has succeeded in making camera choices in women's athletics a subject of institutional attention and public discourse at a level not previously seen in sports broadcasting.