In the piece, where she mourns the cultural-annihilation San Francisco has faced since the birth of Big Tech, she quotes PayPal founder Peter Thiel who wrote in 2009, “I stand against confiscatory taxes, totalitarian collectives and the ideology of the inevitability of death of every individual.” 

Thiel recently demonstrated his libertarian agendas by signing on as an investor in the privately funded drug-friendly sports contest, The Enchanted Games.

The competition, which describes itself as “the modern reinvention of the Olympic Games that does not have drug testing,” is headed by Aron D’Souza, Thiel’s former lawyer. The backers of The Enchanted Games believe athletes should be allowed, encouraged even, to use every advantage they can to secure success: they should take as much performance enhancement drugs as they want — all in the name of becoming better, stronger, faster. They believe that banning performance enhancements is stifling scientific innovation. 

The Games will not test athletes for drugs or any performance enhancers at its events, because it “embra[ces] ways science and technology can enhance human performance,” D’Souza, president of the Enhanced Games, said in the statement. 

“The Enhanced Movement believes in the medical and scientific process of elevating humanity to its full potential, through community of committed athletes.”

“[We] see the vision of a new model of sports, that openly celebrates scientific innovation and honestly represents the use of performance enhancements in sports today.” 

The Games will focus on individual sports across athletics, aquatics, combat, gymnastics and strength. 

“By focusing on world records in popular sports such as track and field, swimming, gymnastics, weight lifting and combat sports, we can eliminate wasteful infrastructure spending and reinvest to fairly pay all athletes,” D’Souza said. 

“In the era of accelerating technological and scientific change, the world needs a sporting event that embraces the future, particularly advances in medical science.” 

But what’s really going on here? Who are the people behind this contest? And what are they really trying to do? 

It’s a men’s club

The Enchanted Games is backed by the world’s richest venture capitalists. We have Peter Thiel, the conservative tech billionaire and founder of companies such as Palantir, which monitors immigrants for the Department of Homeland Security in the US. Thiel has had a long history of defying public safety and policy regulations. He was also one of the early investors of Facebook. 

There’s Christian Angermayer, founder of Apeiron Investment Group — a private investment company with a biotech portfolio that includes Atai Life Science, who are currently developing a rapid-acting anti-depressant for home use. Atai has backing from Thiel. 

Angermayer is a big name in the psychedelic industry — he’s been open about how taking mushrooms since 2015 has changed the course of his life. 

He described The Enhanced Games as having “forward-thinking ethos”, and one that “…improves the safety and fairness of competition but also stimulates scientific breakthroughs and nurtures human advancement.”

“The Enhanced games will undoubtedly inspire the public’s imagination and reinforce the profound impact of science on human progress,” he said in a statement. 

Then we have Balaji Srinivasan, a cryptocurrency investor and former CTO of Coinbase, who has been described as a polymath and angel investor who believes that tech has the power to eventually initiate a nation-free world. 

Out of the eleven individuals on the leadership team, there’s one woman — Jodhi Ramsden-Mavric, who is listed as a creative assistant, and who has a background in the film industry. The six people on the company’s Scientific and Medical Advisory Commission come from various backgrounds, including a Harvard professor, a co-founder of OxWash (sustainable commercial laundry service-providers) and a naturopathic doctor. Two are women.

Thomas Rex Dolan, the 19-year old Victorian and Gen Z Party founder and president, is listed as head of executive operations. According to his LinkedIn page, Dolan is D’Souza’s godson. 

The Athletes Advisory Commission consists of five men and just one woman. On the games website, it explains that they “embrace[s] the inclusion of science in sports” and is “unencumbered by anachronistic legacy systems.”

I wonder how they can do this with an organisation that clearly lacks the most basic form of diversity?

Sketchy on the details 

Since the games started making headlines last month, many people have been left scratching their heads. The organisation hasn’t been clear about some details. 

For one, it has declared that it will pay the athletes who compete in the games, but it hasn’t said exactly how much. 

Athletes will be paid a base salary and will compete for additional prize money. According to the website, a prize pool and compensation model will be announced later this year. 

Who gets to compete?

Calling themselves the “most inclusive sports league in history,” the organisers said all adults are eligible to compete in the games regardless of whether they are “natural, adaptive, or enhanced, an amateur or a former Olympian.” 

Registration is set to open later this year, though the actual dates for the contest have not been announced. 

It’s dangerous for the athletes 

The Games insist they will be the “safest international sporting event in history” and will ensure every athlete undergoes full medical screenings to monitor any risks.

But critics believe the competition’s agenda will risk both athletes’ health and sport itself. Two experts from the University of Canberra feared that athletes will turn into “injectable avatars” who will endanger their health by taking medicines that have been approved for human use.

“There’s no shortage of evidence demonstrating the dangers of pharmaceutical abuse for performance enhancement, let alone what might happen when used in experimental combinations and dosages,” Professor Catherine Ordway said last week.

“Elite sport is not conducted on a level playing field. Access to money, knowledge, power and technology already gives some athletes an edge over others, and the Enhanced Games would exacerbate these inequalities.”

Travis Tygart, CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), called the games “farcical,” and that it would be “a dangerous clown show, not real sport.” 

Jamie Crain, CEO of Sports Medicine Australia, took aim at the games’ PR material, which runs on the “anything is possible with science” ideology, pitting “science” as the gateway towards human progress and excellence.

“Science is the process of experimenting and observing and recording results and adjusting accordingly to get a certain outcome or just to understand a topic,” Crain told the ABC.

“And in this context that means they’re going to be giving otherwise fit people experimental substances to see what the outcomes is in the hope it might make them faster or stronger. Is that good science? If it produces a fast athlete who ends up with medical complications down the line, you would argue, no, it is not good science.”

Former Olympic swimmer Kieren Perkins said he could not see “any responsible and ethical person thinking the Enhance Games is even remotely sensible”.

“As soon as you start to go down the murky slope of allowing these sorts of drugs to be involved in the system you are completely setting aside the athlete’s physical and mental wellbeing and prioritising commercial gains and that’s not a place we want to be,” Perkins, now the CEO of the Australian Sports Commission, said.

Last week, retired Olympic swimming medalist James Magnussen announced he would compete in The Enhanced Games to try to break the 50m record for a reported $1.6 million. 

His reason? Money. 

“To be completely transparent, the money is a huge part,” he told News Corp. “A $1.6 million Australian dollar prize is hard to ignore.”

They’re out to make money

The carefully worded PR materials from the games’ website spruce their mission to enhance the “the medical and scientific process of elevating humanity to its full potential.”

But clearly, when you’ve got the world’s richest men backing this, it’s clear the end game is generating money. According to some media reports, D’Souza has plans to hold the games annually and stream it on platforms like YouTube to garner revenue. 

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The 28-year old former W Series racer joined the Aston Martin F1 Team in 2021 as Driver Ambassador and is expected to drive for Aston Martin’s entry in the all-female F1 Academy racing series next year. 

Hawkins, who made the historic session last week, thanked her AMF1 Team for “having the trust in me, believing in me, and for giving me this opportunity.”

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“It’s taken me every bit of blood, sweat and tears to get here,” she said. “When I first heard it might be a possibility, I could hardly believe it. I’ve had to keep it secret for months now, which was pretty hard. It’s been absolutely worth it and it’s given me really valuable insight.”

The British racer, who has also worked as a stunt driver, said she was proud of her performance, adding, “Nothing will compare to the acceleration and braking of a Formula 1 car.”

“Getting to drive the AMR21 has been a dream come true for me and one I’ve been ready to fulfil for a long time. I’ll keep pushing for more and, in the process, I want to inspire other women and let them know they should follow their dream no matter what it is.”

Aston Martin F1 team principal Mike Krack, described Hawkin’s performance as a “special moment.”

“We were really impressed by Jessica’s preparation for the test,” he said. “She worked incredibly hard with our simulator team and that made it an easy decision to put her in the AMR21.”

“Jessica approached the opportunity with great maturity; she was up to speed quickly and found a nice rhythm. This has been a hugely significant moment in Jessica’s journey with AMF1 Team and I am pleased we could give her this next step in her development journey by testing a modern Formula 1 car.”

Despite this latest news, there’s no suggestion that Formula 1 will include women at a F1 starting grid anytime soon. 

The post Jessica Hawkins becomes first woman to race F1 car in five years appeared first on Women's Agenda.

Assefa, a former 800m champion, becomes the first Ethiopian woman to hold the world record for women’s marathon, and the first woman in history to break 2 hour and 12 minutes in a marathon race.

The 26-year old raced through the Brandenburg Gates in Germany’s capital to reach the finishing line on Sunday morning, completing the 42 kilometres race in a time of 2 hours 11 minutes and 53 seconds. 

“It’s the result of hard work which I’ve put in over the last year,” Assefa said post-race, via an interpreter. “I didn’t expect to break the record by such a margin, but I did think I could break it.”

Assefa was so far ahead of her closest rival, Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui, who came in second place in a time of 2:17:49 — finishing more than five minutes after Assefa; while third place went to Tanzania’s Magdalena Shauri with a time of 2:18:41.

Astonishingly, Assefa only ran her first marathon last year — at the inaugural Riyadh marathon in Saudi Arabia, finishing with a time of 2 hours, 34 minutes and 1 second. 

She followed this up six months later at last year’s Berlin marathon (widely considered to be the quickest course on the circuit) with a time of 2 hours, 15 minutes and 37 seconds. 

After beating the women’s world record on Sunday morning, which was previously held by Kenyan long-distance runner Brigid Kosgei, fans have been talking about Assefa’s running gear, specifically — the recently released Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1s she was wearing — which Adidas said is “enhanced with unique technology that challenges the boundaries of racing”. 

The shoes, priced at €500 ($AUD827), are made from a special foam that apparently provides greater energy return for runners, and a special outsole feature for optimum traction at a significantly lower weight.

Before recently, Assefa was known as a star middle-distance runner. She made her international 800 metre debut at the the African Championships in 2014, before competing at the 2016 Olympics in the same event, where she represented Ethiopia.

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After an Achilles injury forced her to move to road running in 2018, Assefa was unable to compete during 2020-2021, a period which proved difficult to train in Ethiopia due to the global pandemic, according to her manager, Gianni Demadonna. 

Assefa will be a likely competitor (and medal-holder) at next year’s Paris Olympics marathon event.

The post Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa smashes marathon record by more than two minutes appeared first on Women's Agenda.

The pair had been jumping for “such a long time”, Kennedy said after the event, and “pushing each other to the absolute limit.”

Kennedy had already broken two national records, clearing 4.85m and 4.90m to secure a silver medal. 

She had to keep competing against Moon if she wanted that gold. 

But then the former Commonwealth Games gold medalist and her competitor, a Tokyo Olympics gold medalist, was given a choice by the officials: they could keep jumping — (called a “jump-off”) continuing their attempt at clearing 4.95m before the bar was dropped to 4.90m to find a clear winner— or they could both decide to share the gold medal. 

“Katie is the world champion, she is the Olympic gold medallist, I didn’t think she would want to share it,” Kennedy said after the event. “I thought we might need to keep jumping. But I kind of looked at her and said ‘Hey girl, you maybe wanna share this?’, and the relief, you could see it on her face, and you could see it on my face, and it was mutual.”

“I said, ‘Are you sure you want to do this? Yes? OK’, so we did it … I was like, ‘Girl, are you sure? You’re the bloody GOAT [greatest of all time], are you sure?’.”

“My legs were cramping, I had never done a competition so long and so intense before, and she felt exactly the same, so we were so happy to stop,” she continued. 

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“It took us a while to decide and all the cameras were around us and the officials were around us, but you could see the relief in our faces.” 

Kennedy told reporters she was reminded of the occasion in 2021, when Qatari athlete Mutaz Essa Barshim and Italian Gianmarco Tamberi became the first pair to share a gold medal at the high jump finals at the Tokyo Olympics, when the new rules to allow competitors the opportunity to split the medal was first introduced. 

Kennedy is now now equal ninth on the Top Ten all-time Pole Vaulters list.

The post Pole vault star Nina Kennedy shares gold medal at World Athletics Championships appeared first on Women's Agenda.

As a kid in the late 1990’s/early 2000s I answered “Sports Tonight” as my favourite show in my friend’s bright green and pink Groovy Chick BFF book when everyone else put “Home and Away”. I had every Syd, Ollie and Millie stationary item in 2000 and I took the stats in the Footy Record at West Coast Eagles games. Suffice to say I grew up a bone fide sports fan and played as many sports as I could. 

At university I joined the Australian New Zealand Sports Law Association, chose sports law as an elective and continued to be a glorified spectator (aka benchwarmer) in the State Basketball League.

But after university when it came to working in sport because I was making decisions affecting the male code, my knowledge of the sport was always questioned. It was apparent from this announcement that I needed extra justification to ensure I would be accepted as qualified.

“Do you even follow it? Did you play? Do you even know the rules?” were questions I have been asked too many times to count. Of course, I earnestly answered each one because I wanted to be part of it. But to be deemed credible in my field, I needed to prove I knew as much, if not more, about the game as the men in the room.

My experience is not unique here. Ask any female sports journalist, administrator, sports doctor or physio who entered the sports industry ten to twenty years ago. 

The underlying tone of these questions to some extent also applied to being a female fan of men’s sport too. If you wanted to join in the water cooler chat on a Monday morning about the game on the weekend, you needed to know your stuff. 

Which brings me to a very positive note, and the overwhelming response to the on-field success of the Matilda’s we’ve seen. What I love most about the fanfare (pun intended) is that no one needs to justify their knowledge of the game to be deemed a worthy fan.

In fact, it’s quite the opposite. People embracing their naivety to the rules is endearing. It shows that everyone can share the unbridled joy of cheering people on to see them succeed and relishing in the unscripted drama of a penalty shootout.

The swarms of new fans prove that women’s sport is more approachable and inclusive. 

With so much to love about women’s sport it’s the lifelong, overqualified sports lovers like me that wants to welcome every new fan into the fold.

If you skipped phys ed class in school because you told me it was a waste of time, said that football players were overpaid for just “kicking a ball around” or never knew what the big deal was with the Olympics, and you want to jump on the bandwagon now, I say go for it! Yell, scream, buy the merchandise and enjoy. 

Even better still, if you want to start playing again, coach a team or consider a career in sport, know that you will only be encouraged, not questioned. 

You don’t need to know the rules. Everyone is welcome to women’s sport.

The post ‘Do you even know the rules?’ The questions I faced working in sports law appeared first on Women's Agenda.

Women’s health, safety, comfort and performance have long been overlooked and sidelined in product design, with research and testing focused on the male form. 

And the same is true in footy boots and sports uniforms, which are often developed to fit male players or otherwise with a greater emphasis on women fitting a certain look and bodyshape, than on comfort and confidence. 

Sidelining the needs of women may well be contributing to injuries and sport, and could be turning girls and women off participating in the first place. 

Indeed, research shows female football players are between two and ten times more likely to suffer an ACL injury than their male counterparts, according to data by Yale Medicine that first started being recorded in the 1990s. A number of exceptional players are currently sidelined from the FIFA Women’s World Cup due to ACLs, including Beth Mead, who won the Golden Boot at the Euro 2022, as well as her teammate Leah Williamson. Other big names out of the Cup due to ACLs include Catarina Macario, and Canada’s Janine Beckie. Australia has also seen several star players sitting out over the past year due to the devastating injury. 

Overall, at least 25 of the best female football players in the world are missing the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, due to ACL injuries.

Meanwhile, research also shows a connection between girls and women continuing to play sports, and just how comfortable they feel in sports uniforms, according to the Institute of Health and Sport at Victoria University. 

So what can be done to work towards injury prevention in female athletes and to enable more confidence and comfort for girls and women of all levels when training and competing? 

Sports brands can play a significant role, not only in elevating great talent through the athletes they sponsor but also by investing in research and product development to better support and protect women and girls. 

PUMA is one such brand demonstrating the active role major apparel brands can and should engage with to get more women and girls playing sport – and support comfort, injury prevention, and safety in the process. And they have just unveiled plans to do much more. 

PUMA has been investing in researching and collecting data on the role of sports uniforms – thanks to a partnership with Victoria University – aiming to identify the aspects that make girls feel comfortable, confident and ready to play sport. 

Meanwhile, PUMA became the first brand to offer football boots with a women-specific fit across all three of its collections in 2021, which has since been adopted by more than 95 per cent of PUMA-sponsored professional female players. 

Surveying 3221 girls across eight countries, including Australia, 84 per cent of them were “active,” meaning they participated in at least one sport and/or physical activity. They found that almost half (43 per cent) of the active girls believed their uniforms made them feel conscious about their appearance – with 16 per cent saying their uniforms restricted movement while playing sport or being physically active. 

As for ‘inactive girls’, the survey found that 25 per cent would participate in sport or physical activity if they could wear their preferred sports uniform. 

In line with the opening days of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, PUMA announced a further comment to player health and safety, announcing an investment into a research study to explore ACL injuries in women’s football players. The outcomes will support the brand to develop further women-specific football groups which look at the unique risk factors behind ACL injuries in women’s football. 

Sharing the announcement during a panel session at Cockatoo Island in Sydney, in front of a specially designed PUMA pitch to support the brand’s initiatives during the World Cup, PUMA’s Chief Product Officer Maria Valdes said the research will go beyond the pitch. “We’re aiming to understand the risks, develop training programs, and enhance our women’s fit football boots. We’re dedicated to nurturing athletes, driving innovation, and ensuring player health and safety.” 

The brand will invest in health and safety research to determine more about what’s behind the greater risk of ACLs in female athletes while also aiming to pioneer innovative women-centric product design. 

From the panel, former New Zealand team captain Rebecca ‘Bex’ Smith commended the move, highlighting the number of athletes missing from the World Cup due to ACLs and how devastating an injury can be for a player’s career. 

She spoke about the need to open a link between female-specific research into such injuries in women, and supporting athletes in preventative and proactive measures for preventing them. 

“When you think about all the research that’s been done into football, it’s been done by men, for men, for male players – the concept of thinking the research by women, for women! It shouldn’t be creative, but it actually is. 

“There is research out there, but there is that link between the research and to get it to the right people. To implement into the clubs, to get players to do the prehab training, and to help prevent the injury in the first place. That’s the missing link.” 

Harry Raddick, a Man City Women’s FC physiotherapist, also highlighted the need for more research, especially as the game grows internationally, and the intensity and speed even further increases. 

“We know that relatively speaking there is a high risk in women’s football – there are considerations around the female athlete, which may have implications,” he said, noting hormonal fluctuations and that biomechanically, there are greater risks for women for injuries below the knee.

Indeed, PUMA’s senior product line manager for women’s football boots, Stephanie Vieria, told the panel that the women’s fit that PUMA launched in 2021 came from the rapid increase in women’s football and requests from athletes to ensure they had the right offerings. She noted three clear differences for female athletes based on several published studies. 

“As a team we came together and said, do we have the right offering for female footballers out there? We went through the research that was published out there around the differences between male and female feet to see if there were relevant differences there – and indeed, we found they were.

As for getting girls playing football in the first place? There are further opportunities there also 

Professor Clare Hanlon, the lead researcher examining the link between uniforms and participation from Victoria University, noted the role of sportswear and uniforms in encouraging and sustaining participation for girls and women. 

“We know that when you buy something you don’t feel comfortable in, it goes to the back of your closet. But we are expecting girls who don’t feel comfortable in a uniform to turn up every week wearing it.” 

A significant comfort issue concerns white clothing, particularly white shorts and pants. Several teams have moved away from white shorts in recent years, including the full AFLW competition in late 2022. However, this may not have trickled down to club level. Meanwhile, further opportunities exist to support additional period products to support girls’ confidence. Modibodi has developed several products along these lines, initially starting with leak-proof undies, to swimwear and other items. Modibodi also recently partnered with PUMA on specific product lines featuring period support. According to research by Modibodi and PUMA, three in five girls are skipping sport while on their period, over concerns about leaking and being uncomfortable in their outdated uniforms. 

“Body dissatisfaction is common in adolescent girls. There is the fear of judgement, and concerns about feeling self conscious about their appearance. Sports uniforms have a big role to play in order to encourage girls to continue playing sport,” Hanlon said. 

“73 per cent of active girls believe that if they wore they preferred uniform, it would increase their confidence and comfort

“But 25 per cent of inactive girls agreed that if they could wear their preferred uniform, they would start sport. That’s the influence sports uniforms have,” she said.  

This new announcement on further research comes as PUMA has made several other commitments accelerating the women’s game, in line with the FIFA Women’s World Cup, centering around an immersive experience on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour, including a purpose-built pitch. 

They have brought the original Australian and New Zealand women’s teams – the first to represent their countries in 1975, at the Asian Cup – together for a rematch and a series of recognition initiatives in Sydney, while also selecting 23 athletes for the PUMA Accelerator program, flying them to Sydney to participate in a series of education and learning events. 

What do girls want from sports uniforms? From the research, girls were identified as having different preferences but several key themes, preferring uniforms that: 

• Allow them to focus on their performance 
• Have breathable fabric that hides sweat and fits them well 
• T-shirts for upper body clothing 
• Generally tighter fit 
• Sports bras that are the same colour as their tops
• Options for a second layer of upper and lower body clothing 

See the full Research Report here. 

Women’s Agenda has partnered with PUMA for the 2022 and 2023 editions of the PUMA Accelerator programs. 

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New research by the European Clubs Association found that up to 82 per cent of female players at 16 top-tier European clubs have reported suffering regular discomfort from wearing boots that compromise their performance.

More than a third of female players said they felt discomfort specifically in their heel.

Twenty per cent said they have been ordering customised boots, with many saying they insert specialised insoles given by podiatrists and even cut holes in their boots to improve comfort and prevent blisters. 

Claire Bloomfield, the ECA’s head of women’s football, said the results from the study was “staggering”.

“We knew we were going to find something but those numbers really did shock us all,” she said. 

“It highlighted the importance of this work and why it needs to be done now. The end goal is about inspiring industry change. It is highlighting a really key area in neglected research.”

The ECA research also found a startling divide when it came to players from different races: a higher number of black football players reported discomfort with their boots compared with white footballers. 

“The area that generally had the highest issue was the heel of the foot which caused discomfort and pain,” sports rehabilitation lecturer Dr Katrine Kryger told BBC.

“When we looked at it from an ethnicity perspective, it was 48% of black players who had heel discomfort. That highlights the fact that one size doesn’t fit all and ethnicity plays a part in that too.”

The ECA research found that two fifths of players said the current range of football boots on the market did not offer good injury prevention.

“It was all around the foot, really highlighting that the shape of a football boot isn’t suitable for women and it’s not just an easy fix,” Dr Kryger said. 

Sports kits gender discrimination 

For years, female sports players have called out the sexism of sports kits being designed only for the male body — putting women at risk of injury and discomfort. 

Sports scientists and advocates have been calling for sports kits to cater to women’s needs and their various body shapes — for instance, in the case of boots – men heels and arches are shaped differently to women’s. 

England hockey player Tess Howard carried out research earlier this year that found sport uniforms brought on “identity tensions” in teenage girls, making them feel “sexualised” and causing them to drop out of sports.

“No person should be put off participating in any sport based purely on what the uniform requires them to wear,” Howard said. “We must put the purpose of sport first and enable individuals to enjoy being active for all the clear benefits.”

“Women’s bodies are incredible and complicated,” said Lynn Le, the founder of women’s boxing gear and sportswear brand Society Nine. Le has been trying to design gloves and shin guards suitable for women, because the current available gear are designed to fit men’s hands and knees.

“[Women’s bodies] are way more different in variability than men’s bodies,” she said. “That’s the number one thing I’ve learned.”

“[In combat sport] your first line of defence is creating that shock absorption through the power of your own body, which is compressing your hand into as close of a perfectly formed fist as you can. If you’re wearing a glove that’s two sizes too big, how on earth can you possibly do that?… You want to enjoy what you’re doing, and to enjoy what you’re doing, you want to wear things that are comfortable, support you and help you prevent injury.”

The world’s top female cyclists have had to endure saddles that did not have their body’s features considered when they were designed.

“Nobody has ever systematically and scientifically documented the problems women on the saddle can face,” cyclist Hanna Dines, who is also a competitive surfer, wrote in an op ed for The Guardian in 2019.

“The male-anatomy-specific-saddle hadn’t received such a lack of research and design development as to be laughable. While the valuable parts of the male genitalia can be moved out of the way, female cyclists sit right on the money.”

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Fortunately, several companies around the world are tackling this sexist design issue and making sportswear designed to fit the plethora of female body shapes. 

In cycling, Selle Italia designed a saddle that is made of softer material and has a cutout in the middle of its saddle for extra comfort.

In 2018, Laura Youngson founded IDA, a footwear brand that sells boots designed specifically around women’s unique feet shape. 

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Canberra-based company, even playing field, was formed by Helen Ritchie in June 2019 that offers female specific sportswear and equipment to girls and women.

She spoke to the ABC about the importance of keeping young girls in sport and to “give them stuff that’s not going to make them feel self-conscious.”

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 “My passion is about getting things that fit girls and women properly,” she said, adding that the sports gear her company offers “makes a big difference to injury rates, especially around knee and hip injuries.”

“My daughter wears them, and she trains a lot, but she never complains of sore feet or legs anymore. I don’t want her being put off by the time she’s 14 or 15 because she feels uncomfortable; these girls are going through puberty.” 

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Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) released a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that included an increase in payments for all centrally contracted cricketers, and a 66 per cent pay rise for female players. 

Players with state and Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) deals will receive an average pay package of $151,000. 

For the first time in history, most dual-format female players will receive six figure packages (in excess of $100,000) while minimum state contracts will be set at roughly $60,000. The lowest-paid WBBL player will receive close to $20,000. 

Match payments have been increased to just over $2,000 per day played —the highest in any women’s team sport.

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Cricket Australia said it plans to spend another $53 million on the women’s game and increase the WBBL salary cap by 50 per cent. 

Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said he is excited about this latest boost for women’s cricket. 

“Cricket now clearly offers the best earning opportunities of any team sport for elite female sportspeople,” Hockley said in a statement.

“I am particularly pleased this MOU represents another major step forward in the rise of women’s cricket with significant increases in remuneration for the inspirational role models of the world champion Australian women’s team and the WBBL who are driving substantial growth in female participation.”

“We are delighted to have reached an agreement on behalf of Australian Cricket that fairly rewards professional cricketers, while aligning with our strategy to grow and nurture the game at all levels.”

“We’re on a journey. We have seen an overall 26 per cent increase in player pay, but a 66 per cent increase in payments to our female players.” 

Hockley stressed the importance of continuing to work towards closing the gender pay gap in the sport. 

“We are on a path, we are not there yet,” he said. “But we have taken a major step forward in closing the gap. We have recognised the need to ensure that the BBL remains highly competitive in a changing global cricket landscape. We’re confident this agreement will help maintain its place at the heart of the Australian summer.”

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The WBBL salary cap has now been doubled to $732,000 — a decision that both CA and the players’ union believe will keep the best overseas talent here in Australia. The decision also ensures Cricket Australia matches the pay conditions of the women’s Hundred in England, India’s WPL and other overseas franchise leagues.

Former Australian cricketer Rachael Haynes is optimistic about these latest decisions. 

“If we unlock commercialisation, that’s the key,” Haynes said. “If we do that, I think we will get parity.”

“Enabling players more time to invest in themselves and their game, naturally that will help them get better.”

Professional female cricketers contracts have already increased from 15 to 18, plus two additional contracts assigned to each state side — bringing a total of 130 professional female cricketers in Australia. 

The announcements on Monday were part of a $634 million five-year MOU reached by CA and ACA after some negotiation.

ACA CEO Todd Greenberg was excited to announce his first deal with CA, which represent a 26 per cent pay rise for all players across the sport. 

“There is enormous capacity for growth right across the women’s game, as well as the BBL, both of which we believe have enormous untapped potential,” Greenberg said.

“Our men and women will benefit from significant investment into the BBL and WBBL, which will help ensure we have the best players playing.”

“I think we’ll have a few of millionaires in the next few years. And so they should because they’re the best in the world at what they do.”

“Unashamedly we stand here and want them to be remunerated at the levels that we are talking about. That is a wonderful thing, not only for those athletes but for every girl who wants to make a choice of what sport they want to play. Cricket is that choice and it’s where you can achieve those things.”

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With the announcement of the new deal, cricket is set to become the first major Australian sport to achieve pay parity at a domestic level, though the numbers still leave retainers in women’s state contracts at 70 per cent of male players. 

How are other sports faring? 

The latest deal elevates cricket above other Australian women’s team sports. Super Netball has a minimum salary of $43,000 and maximum of $75,000.

In the AFLW, players have a minimum wage of roughly $40,000 and a maximum of $47,000. In May 2022, it announced a new average salary increase to $46,280. 

Last month, NRLW announced plans to allow teams a salary cap of $900,000 for this season at an average of $37,500 per player. In comparison, the average salary of a top five five-eighth male player last year was $764,460.

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The Saudi Arabian Football Federation published the list of new referees just days after the conservative kingdom announced it had nabbed five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo to play for the Saudi Pro League club, Al Nassr. 

Anoud al-Asmari told the AFP news agency she is “happy to be the first Saudi female referee to receive the international badge in the history of Saudi sports.” 

The 34-year old began her career as a referee in 2018 – a few months after the kingdom announced it was changing its laws to allow women to drive and obtain driver’s licences.

In February last year, the National Women’s Team made their international debut in the Maldives, after the first edition of the Saudi Women’s League (which had eight clubs) concluded in 2021.  

The kingdom has made strides to change its culture and laws regarding gender inequality since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman came into power in 2017. 

Last August, Somalian-British featherweight boxer, Ramla Ali and Dominican boxer, Crystal Nova participated in the kingdom’s first women’s professional boxing match. 

In the last five years, female participation in the workforce has almost doubled, with more women assuming jobs given exclusively to men and migrant workers. 

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Saudi Arabia has applied to hold the Women’s Asian Cup in 2026 and is also bidding for the men’s Asian Cup in 2027.

It is also teaming up with Egypt and Greece for a joint bid for the 2030 World Cup. 

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The 54-4 victory proves Australia’s dominance of the women’s game on the international stage. 

The first try of the match was secured by Jessica Sergis at the sixth minute, before Isabelle Kelly scored, followed by Julia Robinson, then Kelly again.

By the halftime mark, Australia was leading 20-0. 

In the second half, tries were also made from Tarryn Aiken,  Emma Tonegato, Evania Pelite, and a double from Kennedy Cherrington. 

Veteran halfback and co-captain, Ali Brigginshaw was awarded Player of the Match. 

“That was unbelievable from all the girls,” Brigginshaw said after the win. “It was defence focused and I’ve never been part of a group that can defend like that, that was special.”

“We never rest in defence, we let them cross once and we’re kicking ourselves about that. All the people that said I was too old I’m still here and I’m going to play (at the 2025 World Cup) in France. We’re going to celebrate this one tonight.”

New Zealand’s coach Ricky Henry told reporters after the match the game had been “a tough one”. 

“To Australia’s credit, they played really well today. It’s a big stage and a little bit of a learning experience for us,” Henry said. “We’ve got a young squad and I hope in 2025 they’ll be better prepared to have a crack at it.”

“You’ve got to be ruthless, and that’s what they were — we didn’t have that. We’re proud of what we did prior to this but they showed a different class today.”

Commentators believe Australia’s excellent performances are due largely to the country’s domestic competition, the NRLW, and the increasing funding it’s received in the past several years. 

By contrast, not a single player in England’s Women’s Super League was paid in 2022, though Leeds Rhinos has announced plans to change this next year. 

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The Women’s Sports Network will broadcast original programming centred on women’s sports, as well as live game action from the world’s biggest sporting organisations including the Women’s National Basketball Association, Ladies Professional Golf Association, U.S. Ski and Snowboard, Premier Hockey Federation, United States Golf Association, the Women’s Football Alliance, and World Surf League.

The channel is the third streaming network belonging to LA-based media production company FAST Studios. 

FAST Studios CEO Stuart McLean, said the channel will offer viewers content that champions female athletes both on and off the field, diversifying the sports and entertainment industries.

“As we have seen repeatedly, women’s sports don’t get the coverage they deserve,”  McLean said in a press release.

“We have an opportunity to leverage the new FAST landscape to become a part of the solution. At the Women’s Sports Network, women’s sports are primetime, all the time.” 

“We’ve been listening to athletes, fans and our incredible league partners, and we know there is a tremendous need for a network that is committed to women’s sports coverage, storytelling and content.”

“We see women’s sports as a great business, and we want to create better access for the fans and brands who want to see more.” 

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“We’re excited to be able to add to the growing momentum in women’s sports, and become a part of the solution these great athletes have worked so hard for by leveraging our expertise in the new FAST landscape. At the Women’s Sports Network, women’s sports are primetime, all the time.”

The channel has so far secured the support of twelve professional women’s sports leagues and sports media companies including the U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Athletes Unlimited, GoodSport, Octagon, Quattro Media and Empower Onyx. 

It is hoped that the channel will create more commercial opportunities for female athletes, their leagues, and the entire industry. 

Carol Stiff, an Executive Women’s Sports Media consultant, said now is the time for women’s sports to take centre stage.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…the time is now,” Stiff said. 

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The channel will feature a primetime in-studio show, Game On, which will cover the latest in women’s sports news, trending topics, and sports pop culture content. It will be hosted by Crissa Jackson, Taylor Felix, Jenna Bandy and Jess Lucero. 

Mollie Marcoux Samaan, Commissioner of the Ladies Professional Golf Association, said the network is exactly what athletes, fans and sponsors have been asking for. 

“It’s so exciting to see this dawning era in women’s sports, and I was honored to be one of the early guests on GAME ON, speaking with such powerful and impactful women in this industry,” she said. 

“The Network will not only amplify our tournament coverage but will also provide an inside look at the Tour, our athletes and leadership, all at no additional cost to our fans. The LPGA prides itself in being a leader in the movement to elevate women’s sports and we believe the time is right for the Women’s Sports Network.”

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Basketball champion, A’ja Wilson called the channel a “huge and long-awaited win for female athletes and fans of women’s sports.” 

“The numbers don’t lie – we know that fans want to see more women’s sports and the Women’s Sports Networks creates a unique platform for our fans to connect with the sports they love in ways that haven’t been available to us as female athletes,” she said. 

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On the campaign trail in the marginal seat of Gilmore on Monday, the PM used the occasion to back the views of Tasmanian Liberal Senator Claire Chandler who has spearheaded a private member’s legislation which would enable sporting groups to exclude transgender people from single-sex sports.

Morrison commended Chandler’s “bravery” in putting forward the bill, and also endorsed the shared position of Liberal candidate for Warringah, Katherine Deves, who co-founded the Save Women’s Sport organisation.

“I share their views,” Morrison told reporters in Nowra on Monday.

“I welcome Katherine’s selection, pleased to play a role in that, I think she’s raised very important issues.

“I think Claire Chandler has also been outspoken and brave on these issues.”

He also declared he’d have “more to say” on the issue, triggering concern from a string of moderate Liberals like Andrew Bragg who suggested the issue was moot given the Sex Discrimination Act already contained caveats for strength and stamina.

“The law already addresses this issue and I’m not aware of any evidence that the law is deficient,” Bragg told Guardian Australia. “I think it is working well.”

Sitting member for Warringah, Independent Zali Steggall, slammed the PM’s inflammatory comments, suggesting he supported “discriminating, intimidating and excluding some of the most vulnerable in our society.”

Others were quick to suggest the PM’s motives lie in attempting to appease religious groups who were left angered and disgruntled when the controversial Religious Discrimination Bill was set aside earlier this year.

Trans footballer Hannah Mouncey derided where the PM’s focus lies, saying “that of all the issues he could act on to “help” women as PM, apparently trans people playing sport is it???”

“Of all the concerns women have and are passionate about, this is not one of them,” Mouncey added to The Daily Telegraph.

“I am exhausted… if it’s good enough for the Olympics that we play, it should be good enough for Scott Morrison.

“We just want to be allowed to play.”

Equality Australia CEO Anna Brown said it was a “disappointing” response from the PM.

“We need our politicians to stop using trans people as political footballs and start being leaders for all Australians, including LGBTIQ+ people,” she told SBS News.

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