'A shame we still have inequality in sport' - Laura Kenny on International Women's Day

Laura Kenny says she is determined to fight for women’s sport to get an equal footing, calling the current imbalance «a shame». The 30-year-old, the most successful woman in Team GB history with five Olympic golds, said there was still significant inequality across sport. This is also illustrated in her own discipline of cycling.

Ad The inaugural Tour de France Femmes in 2022 saw every minute of the eight-stage race made available for broadcast by organisers ASO, but there remains a prize money disparity. The men’s Tour had a total prize pot of €2,288,450 in 2022, with the women’s race offering up €250,000. Tirreno — AdriaticoTirreno-Adriatico Stage 2 highlights: Jakobsen sprints to win17 HOURS AGO In 2021, Trek-Segafredo made up the difference in prize money for their rider Lizzie Deignan after she win the first Paris Roubaix-Femmes.

Deignan was entitled to €1,535 compared to the €30,000 men’s winner Sonny Colbrelli received. Race organisers ASO responded by increasing the prize money for the women’s race in 2022, with Elisa Longo Borghini scooping €20,000 for her win. It is different in the velodrome, with the UCI Track Champions League leading the way by offering equal prize money for men and women since its launch in 2021.

Kenny raced in the series last year. “I think it’s a shame that within sport we still have inequality,” Kenny said to Eurosport to mark International Women's Day on Wednesday. “We have inequality with prize money, we have inequality with how many events that we have, not showing as much on TV.