Alternative Period Medals league table ranks
track records of countries competing in Paris this summer – and sees sporting
behemoths knocked from the podium
- Limited edition Period Gold Medals awarded to
British athletes who smashed taboos around menstruation in sport,
including Heather Watson, Eilish
McColgan, Dina Asher-Smith and the
Lionesses
- Alternative medals table ranking sees nations that usually hold
top spots, such as USA and
China, languishing at the bottom
of top 20 list
- Extensive research conducted by intimate well-being
brand INTIMINA showed that Switzerland is the most period-friendly
country competing, with the UK in a respectable fifth place.
- Still a long way to go as not one of the 206 countries
heading to Paris next week scored
full marks on the five key indicators of positive support for
female reproductive health
- Areas marked included availability of safe, private toilets;
education; birth control and abortion policies; workplace schemes;
and access to, and affordability of, menstrual products
NEW YORK ,
July 17,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This summer's Games will be the
most period friendly ever: with more research and media attention
around how menstrual cycles affect performance, injury
susceptibility and mindset than ever – with even team kits
modified to allow menstruating athletes greater comfort in
competition.
But for all the headline-grabbing changes, there is still a
long way to go before people who menstruate can feel truly
supported on their sporting careers, as shown by a new study of
reproductive health provisions by women's health experts INTIMINA,
traditions and investment across the 206 countries
participating. The results have been used to produce an
alternative Period Medals table – highlighting the track
records of countries participating in this summer's games.
In a shock rejig, nations which usually hold top spots, such as
USA and China, now languish at the bottom of top 20
list, with just one bronze medal apiece, equal in stature to
Italy, Argentina, Hungary and Germany.
Instead, the table is topped by Switzerland which – thanks to its cultural
attitudes of openness, access to and attitudes around
contraception, public health provision, progressive workplace
policies and comprehensive, integrated education (amongst both
girls and boys) has earned two gold and three silver Period
Medals.
Menstruation in Sport Heroes
To encourage further open, period-positive discussions among the
athletes set to take to this global stage, a limited-edition
Gold Period Medal has been produced by INTIMINA to
recognise British sports heroes who have spearheaded change and
discourse, smashed taboos and inspired a generation of future
athletes to stick with their beloved sports. They were presented
to:
- Heather Watson – the British
tennis player spoke openly about the challenges of performing
whilst menstruating, particularly in the traditional white attire
of Wimbledon; these rules have since been relaxed and players
are now allowed dark undershorts.
- The Lionesses – the team has spearheaded open conversation
about menstruation, pushed their kit supplier to adapt the colour
and design of their shorts and have lobbied the sport to urgently
address the menstrual cycle's links to ACL and other
injuries
- Dina Asher-Smith – smashed a
massive taboo by openly connecting a dip in her performance to her
period, and driving calls for much more investment from sport
science into the issue
- Eilish McColgan – the Scottish athlete is a passionate advocate
of breaking period stigma, having suffered with painful periods
that severely impacted her ability to compete and mentors young
athletes on understanding their bodies without stigma
The six-cm, 18-carat gold-plated medals are engraved with an
image featuring the INTIMINA menstrual cup with enamel red droplet
in place of a torch and flame. Both the droplet and ribbon are in a
Pantone red called Period. The medals were created by jeweller
Geoff Murray, who is no stranger to
producing jewellery for Olympians, having created bespoke
commemorative pieces for swimmer Lizzie
Simmons.
Methodology and worst-performing nations
The research analysed performance in five key areas, awarding a
score for each across:
- access to menstrual hygiene products (including cost, taxation,
range and availability of a private safe toilet)
- stigma surrounding periods (including cultural attitudes and
representation in the media)
- birth control and abortion access (including legislation, ease
of access to birth control and cultural attitudes)
- menstruation in the workplace policies – including sporting
professions (such as sick leave)
- education around menstruation (including access to and
consistency of resources and education policies)
At the bottom of the list was Yemen; with the world's most restrictive
abortion laws, menstrual care product access severely limited and
education around menstruation inadequate and often absent. It was
closely followed by Somalia, where
60% of the population has no access to adequate sanitation
facilities and few NGO-led initiatives mean extremely limited
access to products. Women in most of the countries in the bottom 10
are forced to use alternatives such as leaves or cloths, and a lack
of consistent education means girls in rural areas feel
stigmatised.
Dr Susanna Unsworth,
gynaecologist at INTIMINA, commented, "Although there has been a
refreshing investment into understanding how menstrual cycles
affect athletes, the fact remains there is an urgent need for
change around the world. Nearly half (42%) of female athletes say
their periods were a factor in deciding to drop out of sports
altogether*, and furthermore, UNSECO figures have shown that 335
million girls attend schools with inadequate water, sanitation and
hygiene facilities: stymying their educations and preventing them
from achieving their true potential in life, not just sport. Even
here in the UK, one in 10 girls has been unable to afford
menstruation care products – in the US it is one in five***.
"We should continue to honour and support every athlete who
shows the courage to hold media, sporting institutions and indeed
world governments to account on female reproductive health – for
the good of not just their sport but people who menstruate across
the globe."
To learn more about women's intimate health, visit
www.intimina.com
Photo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2459974/INTIMINA_Period_medal.jpg
Photo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2459973/INTIMINA_Olympic_Ranking_Table.jpg
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/a-golden-period-for-womens-sport-according-to-intiminas-research-302195781.html
SOURCE INTIMINA