Telegraph Women’s Sport: Celebrating five years of agenda-setting journalism
Sixty-one supplements produced, hundreds of interviews conducted, more than 5,000 women’s sport articles published, millions of readers engaged…
It was on March 18, 2019, that The Telegraph made a commitment to address the under-representation of women’s sport with increased editorial coverage, and those figures illustrate how we have delivered on that promise.
As well as celebrating successes on pitches, tracks and courts – England’s European Championship triumph in 2022 and Emma Raducanu’s US Open win the previous year standouts from the past half-decade – TWS has also campaigned on key issues, like prize money and closing the gender sports gap in schools.
Our women’s sport coverage has also shone a spotlight on many hitherto taboo subjects: the fears over period leaks in white kit (the Lionesses have now switched to blue shorts); the risk of incontinence and pelvic-floor dysfunction; the challenges around body image and eating disorders.
Plus, our investigations have uncovered serious problems in women’s sport, from sexism being prevalent in Irish rugby to the gymnastics abuse scandal.
So what next? Telegraph Women’s Sport will continue to set the agenda in this space. We will celebrate the phenomenal female athletes and their achievements, bringing you exclusive interviews, in-depth analysis and unprecedented live coverage. We will focus on highlighting important issues specific to women’s sport, particularly around female health, and holding those in positions of power to account. We will work to inspire girls and women to participate in sport and ensure that they have equal access to sport, from the grass roots to elite level.
The revolution started in 2019 but it has not stopped.
Here, we look back at what Telegraph Women’s Sport has done over the past five years
2019
One size does not fit all. That was the coverline on the August 2019 supplement and illustrates how body image has always been a subject that Telegraph Women’s Sport has covered, from some athletes suffering eating disorders to others finding confidence in sport.
The Girls, Inspired campaign launched that April and aimed to close the gender gap in school sport. Soon after, a new School Sports and Activity Action Plan was announced by the Government.
2020
Sport, like everything else, was impacted by Covid-19, with months-long shutdowns at elite level and even longer for grass roots. TWS looked into how the pandemic had led to a widening of the gender activity gap.
Dina Asher-Smith also led our coverage around racial equality and Black Lives Matter. As she said in her June column: “We can all bring change – speak out, be anti-racist.”
2021
The year kicked off with Naomi Osaka guest editing the January supplement. She explained why she uses her voice to fight for equality and her transformation from introvert to activist.
Then came the delayed Tokyo Olympics, with Laura Kenny, Bethany Shriever, Hannah Mills and Lauren Price amongst the women to win gold for Team GB, and Emma Raducanu’s stunning US Open triumph.
2022
Record crowds and an historic trophy: England’s European Championship win delivered the country’s first major football trophy since the 1966 World Cup and an explosion of interest in women’s football.
Alongside that, TWS raised awareness of the “shocking disparity” in prize money awarded to men and women in sport, and explored the thorny issue of trans athletes.
2023
The Women’s World Cup dominated last year, with the Lionesses’ run to the final and also that kiss. Luis Rubiales’ gave Jenni Hermoso an unsolicited kiss after Spain’s triumph – an incident that highlighted the sexism and misogyny so many women in football experience.
We launched the Telegraph Women’s Sport Podcast, too, which discussed topics such as periods, motherhood and ACLs.
Future
We want to know what you want from Telegraph Women’s Sport and next month we will be launching a survey so you can share your feedback – keep your eyes out for it.
