Sprinter Lisa Mayer: “Women need to be in all sports – even in positions of power”

How can we drive this change even further?

It is often said that men are more interested in sports. And yes, that may be the case. But then you have to start at the bottom and ask yourself: How do we get young girls into sports, get them excited about sports and then, in the long run, make sure they keep to him. At the same time, I think it is important to create a safe space in sports, especially for female athletes – sexual violence is more than ever – and this also gives a – to have more women in all areas of sport, including positions of power and decision-making.

The treatment of athletes is sometimes very different – reports often refer to the appearance of women, while for men the focus is on performance. You once said in an interview that “less (clothing) brings more clicks,” which means more attention and therefore more chances to get sponsors. In terms of equity, how are you feel about this issue?

Overall, women’s sports are underreported. The last time we saw him was at the men’s European Football Championship: he was ubiquitous! But about the Women’s European Football Championship… when was that? Where was she? How did we finish? Not much has been reported about it. And yes, women aren’t always represented based on their performance, but there are always comments about their looks – and that’s a shame because we do the same thing as men. Maybe even more when I think about periods, pregnancy and motherhood. At the end of the day, the focus should always be on performance. Unfortunately, this is not always true. Also regarding sponsorship contracts. Of course, it won’t work without performance, but a nice look often makes it easier. And that’s a shame. The focus should be on people as individuals with all the aspects that make them up – and not just their looks.