WATCH “MISSING OUT” NEW CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT WOMEN’S SPORT IN SPAIN

A NEW campaign has been launched to encourage better media coverage of women’s sport.

The initiative, called #ThoEstàsPerdent, has been set up by the Catalan Audiovisual Council (CAC), which is the authority that regulates audiovisual communication in Catalonia, with government sports agencies, the Catalan Institute of Women (ICD), and the Catalan Media Corporation (CCMA).

Presentem la campanya #ThoEstasPerdent per reivindicar la presència de l’esport femení als mitjans de comunicació.
Si no veus esport femení, t'estàs perdent la meitat de l'espectacle. I tu, te'l seguiràs perdent?https://t.co/jdVCVqNhgc#ThoEstasPerdent #esportfemeni #esportcat pic.twitter.com/Ihm0l5NVqB

— Esports (@esportcat) January 24, 2020

The campaign aims to promote a greater coverage of sportswomen in the media and has seen the collaboration of top female athletes participating in the initiative which seeks to help progress towards full equality, while breaking gender stereotypes in the industry and society.

Some of the names of the top Spanish and Catalan sportswomen include the Olympic, world, and European champion swimmer, Mireia Belmonte, motorcyclist Laia Sanz, footballer for FC Barcelona Alexia Putellas, basketball player Laia Palau, and holder of the U18 World Best in heptathlon and pentathlon, as well as the senior Spanish national record in pentathlon and heptathlon María Vicente.

The ads will appear on 86 media outlets around the country, including television channels, radio stations, news agencies, and both the general and sports press, with the aim of showing that women’s sports are also capable of attracting large audiences.

The #YouAreMissingOut ad shows the female athletes cover half their faces, which is the campaign’s symbolic gesture to highlight that not following women’s sport means many people are missing half of the sports coverage, hence the hashtag #ThoEstàsPerdent (YouAreMissingOut).

The campaign’s was launched last Friday where Laia Palau, three-time European basketball champion, took the opportunity to state “it’s important to back the creation of female sporting examples,” adding that “when I began, I didn’t know I could be a basketball player and earn a living from it.” A positive message to many young girls who dream of sporting success also.

The institutions behind the campaign have contacted sports clubs and federations and athletes, both male and female, to call on them to adopt and promote the gesture as a way of lending their support to the initiative which hopes to take steps towards equal coverage of male and female sports, and avoiding gender stereotypes in sports coverage.

This very weekend has seen the Spanish Water-polo Team claim the gold medal at the European championship with a team that does not stop adding titles to it’s name. The Spanish goalkeeper Laura Ester is considered the best player of the continent in the last year. Unfortunately the gold medal has not received the media coverage it deserves and #ThoEstàsPerdent (YouAreMissingOut) hopes that with time, and preferably sooner rather than later, this will change.