"The summer of sport has been amazing, there are always spikes in participation that follow but you have got to have more than just the inspirational moments, you have to have programmes behind it, she said. What's really important is that we have a generation of fit and healthy women, and 80% are not fit enough to be healthy and that's because of all the barriers to participation we know about."
"Over half have issues with their breasts when undertaking physical activity, be that pain, movement or fear of judgment; 40% of girls during puberty have urinary stress incontinence. You ask girls to use their bodies and then their bodies do things that don't feel like they work with sport; like having a period, like developing breasts, like leaking urine when you're jumping around. But we don't create an environment that says this is"
"Challenges around physical safety and the continuing rise in abuse of professional athletes are large-scale issues that influence the problem, Lady Grey-Thompson said."
Taboos around women's bodies cause many girls to abandon sport by the end of puberty, with surveys showing 64% give up. A complete change in understanding of how sport affects female bodies is required to build a generation of fit and healthy women. Barriers include concerns about physical safety, rising abuse of athletes, menstrual stigma, breast pain or movement, and urinary stress incontinence. Over half of girls skip sport during their period and 40% experience urinary leakage in puberty. Inspirational elite success increases interest but needs sustained programmes and supportive environments to secure lifelong participation.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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