Cape Town – The countdown has begun for the two-day Durban Open Women’s Beach Volleyball tournament, which starts tomorrow on the Durban beachfront.
Volleyball South Africa and sponsor Lux will host the event, which is the South African leg of the Change the Angle initiative. The aim is to highlight sexism in sports and challenge the media to shift the focus of female sports coverage to sporting prowess and achievements.
While female inclusivity and transformation in sports have made significant progress globally over the years, resulting in the growing popularity and support of professional and amateur female athletes, much of the media coverage of women athletes still misses the mark, focusing on female bodies rather than sporting achievements.
KwaZulu-Natal Volleyball president Aadil Khan said the event will celebrate the "Year of Women in Sport".
"As KZN Volleyball, we are proud to have the opportunity to host the first women’s volleyball beach tournament in South Africa with our sponsor LUX," said Khan.
"The Durban Open Women’s Beach Volleyball tournament is a huge step forward and does much to celebrate the year of Women in Sport, and we hope this is an annual event going forward.
"We are very pleased to have a sponsor that supports the cause against the objectification of women. We support the call for media to change the angle of female sports coverage and encourage the greater stakeholder community to rally behind the initiative."
Lux global brand vice president Severine Vauleon said the time had come to reframe the female narrative in sports coverage.
“Women in sports are 10 times more likely to be objectified by camera angles that focus on certain body parts compared to their male counterparts," said Vauleon.
"As a beauty brand that celebrates the strength of women’s beauty, we have to leverage our scale as a female-centric brand to help reframe the female narrative in sports coverage.
"What better way to do it than through one of the most sexualised sporting codes with stakeholders and athletes who have first-hand experience of this prejudice."
IOL Sport