France: “We need a fair representation and no gender bias during the Olympics,” says IFJ

The Olympics sporting action will start on 24 July and the Games will run until 11 August in Paris, France. Ahead of the Olympics start, the IFJ encourages the International Olympics Committee (IOC) and media organisations to promote a zero tolerance policy against any form of violence, harassment and discrimination during the Games and encourages media professionals to promote fair and unbiased reporting.

In a lettersentto the IOC's President Thomas Bach on 4 July 2024, the IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger and the chair of the IFJ Gender Council Maria-Angeles Samperio have raised the need to prevent all forms of harassment or violence against women, both journalists and athletes, during the Games, and called for the adoption of protocols to facilitate reporting and resolution of such incidents.

In its response to the IFJ sent on 12 July, the IOC President Bach confirmed the importance to ensure "the safety and well-being of all participants at the Games" and said that any incidents could be reported via the 'IOC - Integrity Hotline'which also has a press report option intended solely for journalists and media representatives reporting on the Olympic Games "who may have experienced a violation of their freedom or harassment, and wish to make a complaint to the IOC "

The IFJ strongly encourages media organisations to make these procedures known to their staff reporting on the ground ahead of the Games' opening.

Acknowledging that there are still some fundamental differences in how sportswomen and women's sport are portrayed in comparison to that of men in the news, the IOC has informed the IFJ of the updating of their Portrayal Guidelinesfor gender-equal, fair and inclusive representation.

The IFJ Gender Council has reviewed these guidelines and strongly encourages media professionals to use them.

The guidelines include the definition of key terms,practical suggestions and examples of how to overcome bias across the various aspects of portrayal, and checklists to facilitate implementation across all forms of media and communication. They are available in 6 languages.

"We call on world media who are sending staff to Paris' Olympics to take all precautionary steps to ensure journalists are fully aware of procedures to ensure their safety and provide them support in any difficulty they may face, including discrimination, violence and harassment," said IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger.

"Sports coverage shapes the public's perception of how sportswomen perform. This year we hope to see news coverage that truly reflects equality, diversity and inclusion, focusing on sportswomen's achievements and providing equal airtime and space to women and men sports players. We need a fair representation, without gender bias during the Games," recalls IFJ Gender council chair Maria Angeles Samperio.