During the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, Canadian Olympian Kate Van Buskirk ran the women’s 5,000 m in sweltering 41 °C heat. After finishing, she collapsed on the track, and broadcasters captured her from invasive angles. She later described those images as the most egregious moment of sexualisation she experienced.

A report by The Representation Project found that women were sexualised nearly ten times more than men at the Tokyo 2021 Games, even though Olympic broadcasters had urged camera crews to focus on sport appeal rather than sex appeal.

In July 2026 the European Broadcasting Union and European Athletics released new guidelines that target lingering close‑ups, low‑angle shots and excessive slow‑motion replays that add no narrative value to women’s athletics coverage.

Elissavet Arapi, women’s sport lead for the European Broadcasting Union, warned that a single frame can be clipped, zoomed and shared worldwide within minutes, attracting sexualised comments and abusive behaviour online.

Michele Donnelly, associate professor of Sports Management at Brock University, criticised the guidelines as only recommendations. She urged the International Olympic Committee to turn them into a binding policy.