Jumping for recognition: Women's ski jumping viewed as a struggle for rights

Female performance in skyrunning: biological and psychosocial aspects

BACKGROUND

Skyrunning is a running sport performed in a mountain environment, characterized by reaching an altitude of at least 2000 meters above sea level, where symptoms of acute mountain sickness can appear. This sport has recently gained significant popularity, with an increasing number of participants. The purpose of this study was to analyze female performances in the different subdisciplines of skyrunning.

METHODS

The study considered official results of 173 races of the Italian Skyrunning Federation held in 2021 and 2022. Female and male biological sexes, as well as age and race time of 13,850 participants who crossed the finish line were analyzed.

RESULTS

Female athletes represented 16% of finishers and showed a preference for competitions of medium distances (skyrace and skytrail). They were younger and more self-selected among the most talented in terms of performance compared to males (P<0.001). Males showed significantly faster race times than females in all the competitions (P<0.05). Race times of female winners were on average 123-144% higher than those of male counterparts. In both sexes, winners were predominantly young; female winners were more represented among the older age-groups in skyrace and vertical kilometer (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Regardless of biological differences affecting female sporting performances, gender inequalities are still widely present despite the progress made in every sport. Since gender equality in sports cannot be separated from gender equality in the sociocultural sphere, it is necessary to invest economically and take proactive measures to achieve real equity, both in the macro-social and sports contexts.

Classification in sport: A question of fairness

Competitor classification schemes have been a part of sport since its origins. Eligibility criteria have developed towards inclusion and increasing diversity. The pool of competitors has expanded from the ancient Olympic Games, eligible only to free Greek men, via nineteenth-century English sport favouring primarily the upper class of so-called gentlemen amateurs, to the current global and diverse pool of men, women, children, and able-bodied as well as disabled persons. Hence, the challenge of sound classification schemes has increased. This article examines the principles of fair classification of athletes. With the help of normative theory as well as practical examples, a fair equality of opportunity principle for sport (FEOPs) is formulated. It is demonstrated how sound classification schemes combine the normative backing from FEOPs with relevant scientific insights. Current classification challenges and possibilities for change are discussed. It is suggested that in several sports, biological sex classes can be abandoned, and that in some sports, sex classes can be replaced by body size classes. It is argued, too, that sports in which body height exerts a significant and systematic impact on performance should classify accordingly. In the final part, classification is discussed in light of new techno-scientific possibilities, among them the possibility of innovative performance-enhancing prosthetics.