'That’s not storytelling': Olympians hope proposed guidelines eliminate sexualization on broadcasts

When Kate Van Buskirk made her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2021, she clocked her second fastest time in the women’s 5,000 metres in a sweltering 41 C.

It was a massive feat, and afterward, she collapsed onto the track to soak it all in. 

Five years later, Van Buskirk recalls the moment to be the most “egregious” time she was captured on camera, with photos posted online of her “sprawled out” on the track from extremely invasive angels.  

“I've just finished the biggest race of my life … I just remember looking at those and thinking, ‘these live on the Internet forever,’” Van Buskirk said, adding that there were other photos of the moment that didn’t show her inappropriately. 

Instances like this aren’t rare in women’s sports. 

A report from The Representation Project from the Tokyo 2021 Olympics found that women were sexualized nearly 10 times more than male athletes at the Games, despite Olympic broadcasters encouraging "sport appeal, not sex appeal" to camera operators ahead of the competition.

“It should be about performance, not appearance,” said Van Buskirk, who has since retired and works as a track and field analyst. “Even if it's passive and unintentional, there should be thought put around how we position photographers so that we're not giving them just that one angle.” 

For decades, women’s sports uniforms have been a point of conversation regarding coverage and fit, such as the controversy ahead of Paris 2024 when Nike unveiled its new Team USA track and field kit for women as a high-cut bodysuit. 

Van Buskirk refers to her track uniform as her “equipment,” opting for bottoms called “bunners.” 

“I want to wear as little fabric as possible while still feeling like I have the dignity to do what I'm doing and be taken