Dina Asher-Smith praised for shattering ‘massive taboo’ around periods in sport

Dina Asher-Smith’s relay teammates have praised her for shattering the “massive taboo” around periods in sport – and urged the government and sports bodies to invest far more in research to tackle the issue.

Speaking after Britain’s women’s 4x100m women qualified fastest for Saturday’s final, Imani-Lara Lansiquot bravely revealed that she was currently on her on period in Munich – to the surprise of her fellow teammates.

The sprinter then questioned why more money was not being devoted to research to help combat the effects of the menstrual cycle.

“One hundred per cent there should be more funding,” said Lansiquot. “I still think it’s quite shocking that it’s taboo. I’m going through it right now. I’m sure all of us have gone through it at some point but we’ve still not even said anything to each other because it feels like a massive taboo that isn’t discussed.”

Lansiquot also pointed out it was not as easy as taking the pill. “The side-effects of all the medication you can take are still really unknown,” she said. “I would love in five or 10 years’ time for this not to be a hush-hush conversation and for it to be something you can talk about and conquer instead of having to shy away from.”

Ashleigh Nelson, also a member of the relay team who has been part of the GB squad since the Beijing Olympics, was another to speak out. “If this was a man’s issue, we would be dealing with it,” she said.

“It’s very difficult that once a month you have to plan your training, your diet, your life around having a period. There are things you can take to postpone your period but they also have side-effects so you’re in a Catch-22. You can’t win. But it’s part of being a woman and a lot of us handle it very well.”

The women are strong