One Year to Go.
The days are disappearing to 2012 but will numbers re-appear for women in sport?
And so we have reached the ‘one year to go’ hurdle for London 2012, a day I’ve been seriously looking forward to because now the real countdown begins; we’re finally talking in days not years, and before we know it Seb Coe will be making his speech at the opening ceremony, the games will be declared open and the British athletes will be on their way to building up a massive pot of gold medals (well that’s the hope).
But today doesn’t just mark the one year point in the build up to the Games themselves; it has the potential to mark the beginning of a whole new profile for women in sport. Past Olympic Games have succeeded in providing inspiration to get involved in sport and for me it was Denise Lewis taking gold in the Heptathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics that sparked my interest; 2012 has the potential to do the same to women and girls across the country.
I’m not alone when I say that the London Olympics will provide the biggest boost for women’s sport in the UK and a window of media and public attention will be opened onto female athletes. Hundreds of journalists and media organisations worldwide will be in London to report on the Games and it’s a platform that should see women receive just as much attention as their male counterparts. Hooray! This will be one of many achievements the WSFF has been waiting and fighting for, but will it have a lasting effect?
Once the excitement of the Games dies down and three weeks have flown by so quickly we’ll be wondering if they actually ever happened, where will women’s sport stand? The WSFF aims to create a nation of active women and raise participation levels that are currently far too low and 2012 could do wonders to help achieve this. After all, more media coverage means more role models and we know that seeing the likes of Jessica Ennis become Olympic Champion will lead to more girls wanting to get involved.
It makes sense to keep our women in the spotlight but how can we take advantage of the Olympics and convert these three weeks into long term celebration & most importantly participation of women in sport… My time at WSFF so far has confirmed my belief that women DO want to be more active but big factors such as its profile in the media and the perception that sport isn’t attractive holds them back. In my view the Olympics coming to London will be the pinnacle of women’s sport in this country in terms of profile but the short term spike in participation will only be maintained if the coverage and support continues with it.
We officially have one year to go until the biggest sporting event lands on our doorstep. I make that one year until women’s sport is thrust into the spotlight and it’s up to all of us to ensure that it stays there.
Blog by Jenna Davies, WSFF Intern and a sports broadcast journalist
