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Feminism: Sex & gender discussions

Elite women athletes called 'fat' by senior UK Athletics officials

69 replies

FairPhyllis · 25/05/2012 17:30

The Telegraph is reporting that the heptathletes Jessica Ennis and Louise Hazel have been criticised by senior people within UK Athletics for being fat. This comes the day after former world junior triathlon champion Hollie Avil announced her retirement following an eating disorder. FFS! How hard and utterly depressing must it be to be a woman athlete if your own governing body snipes about you to your coach?

I also see that the BOA is trying to get athletes at the Olympics to sign a good behaviour contract - perhaps officials at UK Athletics should be forced to sign an agreement that they won't spend the build-up to a massively important championship maliciously attacking their own women athletes and disrupting their preparation?

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kim147 · 25/05/2012 20:03

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thechairmanmeow · 25/05/2012 20:35

they certainly dont look fat to me !

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FairPhyllis · 25/05/2012 20:44

I agree. Calling the world no 1 fat just shows up fat comments for what they are - woman hating.

Fortunately Ennis and Hazel seem to have their heads pretty well screwed on about it, but they deserve better than this - why do UK Athletics employ people who just want to beat women up over their bodies?

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hellhasnofurylikeahungrywoman · 25/05/2012 20:48

Those types of comments are exactly why a young Hollie Avil (triathlete) developed an eating disorder. It is wrong and coaches should know better.

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FairPhyllis · 27/05/2012 19:47

And ... Ennis has just broken the British record. So she must be doing something right!

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tribpot · 27/05/2012 19:55

I think that just means all the other British competitors are fatter, that makes perfect sense Hmm.

I cannot fathom these comments. I would expect any athlete, male or female, to have their weight monitored as part of their fitness regime along with BMI, blood pressure and 700 other things. There are different body shapes that work better for different sports (which is why I think gymnasts over the age of about 12 find it hard to compete with the pre-pubescent, no-hips brigade?). However, the comments (unless misreported) don't seem to have been concerned that Ennis' weight was sub-optimal for her sport, just that she had once been observed eating a pie, or something equally fatuous.

It's on a par with 'the linesman doesn't know the offside rule' gaff, and the coaches should be treated accordingly.

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NicholasTeakozy · 27/05/2012 20:00

I think words have been twisted here. The 'official' actually said she was carrying too much weight, not that she was fat. This is still a fucking appalling statement to make, as muscle, necessary for Jess' and Louise's chosen sport, is heavier than fat. They need muscle for the 'power' disciplines, like the sprint, javelin and discus.

Having said that, Jess Ennis is the best all round athlete in the world.

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sarahtigh · 27/05/2012 20:18

loads of super atheletes have BMI over 25 as muscle is dense and heavy also depends on sport, marathon runners tend to be much leaner than 100m sprinters and they are leaner than rugby players / disco throwers

BMI is not the best indicator of health and certainly not for atheletes

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FairPhyllis · 27/05/2012 20:18

It certainly suggests that there are people in UK Athletics who do not understand that different sports = different body shapes that excel at them. In which case, why are they working for UKA?

Whoever said this needs to back down and let Ennis and her coach get on with it - they seem to know what they are doing and Ennis has now shown herself to be on excellent form.

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ArielThePiraticalMermaid · 27/05/2012 20:19

Jess is 5 ft 4 and 9 stone which is heavier than I am at 5 ft 7. However she is a toned, muscular athlete in superb condition, whereas I am not. Absolutely ridiculous, depressing comments.

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EightiesChick · 27/05/2012 20:31

On that basis (the stats posted by ArielTPM above) she has a BMI within normal range anyway, surely? Weight Watchers would give you a range of around 7 and a half to 9 and a half stone for a similar weight. And the muscle would account for her being nearer the top end than the bottom. Who do these people think they are? (And any bets on how much excess weight they're carrying)?

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PollyMorfic · 27/05/2012 21:01

People have weird attitudes to women's sport in general, as witness the fact that 9 times out of ten a newspaper article on women's olympic sports will be illustrated with a picture of the beach volleyball or the synchronised swimming teams. Just to give readers the heads-up that women in sport is a bit silly really. Hmm And if women are actually good enough at a serious sport (ie. one that men do too) to challenge that viewpoint, then we can always criticise their weight or bodyshape. Cos, y'know, it's not okay to have any body fat (you might look like a woman) or breasts (ditto) or too much muscle (you might look like a bloke).

My oldest dd does competitive sport at national level, and some of the stupid comments you get from well-meaning acquaintances and relatives just make steam come out of my ears ("oh, she'll have to be careful she doesn't get too muscly"; "are they all really hefty?"; "Wow, has she got really enormous muscles?").

There just aren't enough Hmm Hmm Hmm for the attitudes that come crawling out of the woodwork when people are confronted with the notion of a woman or girl being good at something that involves strength and speed.

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ArielThePiraticalMermaid · 27/05/2012 21:07

The attitude of many men towards successful women in sport was demonstrated to me by the barrage of hatred directed at Paula Radcliffe when she was at her best and GASP....went to the loo by the side of the road. Would there really have been that much kerfuffle if she had been a man? Er...no. But as a girlie, she was expected to find a portaloo and give up her lead.

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ivykaty44 · 27/05/2012 21:08

BMI is totally useless in this case as she doesn't have an once of fat on her - if you do you don't get to see a six pack - and hers is showing, which is incredibly hard for a woman.

Never underestimate the stupidity of some people and in this case it is a stupid remark from an ignorant person who has no idea of the damage his remark can make Angry

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ivykaty44 · 27/05/2012 21:14
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GnomeDePlume · 27/05/2012 21:53

I'm not sure that this is simply a female problem. I suspect there are a lot of body image problems in sports. IMO it is a fairly widespread sports issue. There can be a lot of pressure to look the part. The problem is that when someone says 'I think I need to lose a few kgs/put on a bit more muscle' everyone around them will offer suggestions on how to do it, nobody will say 'no, you dont need to'.

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toomuchmonthatendofthemoney · 27/05/2012 21:59

If there was one body in the world I would love to swop into, it would be Jess Ennis. She is all round amazing at what she does, and stonkingly gorgeous to boot.

I think that official is a misogynistic fart who should be ashamed of themselves.

go Jessica!!

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bobbledunk · 27/05/2012 22:00

She's got a perfect physique, I look at her and want to exercise.

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geegee888 · 27/05/2012 22:25

I wonder whether Chris Hoy gets the same remarks from British coaches...

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ArielThePiraticalMermaid · 27/05/2012 23:06

Yes, I bet Chris Hoy's BMI is over 25. Actually I think just one of his thighs would have a BMI of over 25.

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toomuchmonthatendofthemoney · 27/05/2012 23:10

Mmmmm the real McHoy as he is known up here in Scotland is another example of fine athletic hotness musculature.

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PuffPants · 27/05/2012 23:18

I wish I was as fat as her...

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mathanxiety · 28/05/2012 03:29

Tis BS. DS is not a lot taller than me and weighs 40 lbs more, and the difference is all muscle. DD1 gained just over a stone of pure muscle her first year of competitive swimming and she needed it all.

Gnome, that is why I never let DS do wrestling in the football off-season. He lifted weights instead and ran.

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Thumbwitch · 28/05/2012 04:49

I have a vague recollection that years ago they were having a pop at Fatima Whitbread and Tessa Sanderson for their size as well - I don't really understand why it matters. If the woman is doing well, which all mentioned here are/did, then WTAF does it matter if they're a little outside of some narrow-minded bigoted moron official's range of acceptable?

I find it really appalling that comments like this are not met with some kind of disciplinary, especially with the sad case of Holly going on as well - of course many people will ignore the aspersions and carry on but there is always going to be a subset of people who take them to heart.

I was at school with a girl who competed at county level in swimming - she had big muscular shoulders and was an excellent swimmer. But, someone somewhere made fun of her size - within a couple of years she was stick thin through anorexia and couldn't swim anything like as well - I believe she actually died of it a few years after that. :(

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TreacleSoda · 28/05/2012 08:02

The badminton player Gail Emms was on the radio talking about this the other day and was saying that during her most intense training she was being monitored by some sports scientests or something, and that even when she was world number one, they kept telling her that she would be much better at badminton if she lost some weight. She said she was in her late 20s at the time (I think) and feeling confident enough to say to them that as she was already the best in the world, it could hardly make her all that much better, but that she dreaded to think what comments like that would have done to her if she had been ten years younger. She said that it was constant, not just a one off comment. Its so depressing and it makes me so so Angry

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