Paris Olympics Gives 'Special Allowances' to Breastfeeding Athletes

Image source: Shinnosuke Ando via Unsplash

It was announced last week that breastfeeding mothers will now be given 'special allowances' at the Paris Olympics - designated spaces in a hotel near the athletes’ village have been allocated for them to feed their children. While all the recent pregnancy-related changes in sport (London marathon and other races have bought in deferral policies following years of campaigning) can only be considered a good thing, I find it frustrating that something so simple has taken so long to implement. Retailers like John Lewis and airports across the world have had designated feeding spaces for many years, but in the sports world we seem to only just be recognising the need. 

I believe that a lot of this is down to the fact that we have been conditioned to write off sportsmen and women when they reach a certain age - for women this is usually when they have kids. There’s an assumption that at that point there is a switch in both physical ability and mindset that doesn’t allow them to continue. However numerous athletes have proved again and again that they are still at the top of their game after having children. Laura Kenney won her 4th gold at Rio a year after giving birth. Elina Svitolina made it to the Semi-finals of Wimbledon when her baby was less than a year old and in 2022 six out of the top ten female finishers at The New York marathon were mothers. These accomplishments are huge achievements in their own right, but even more incredible if you think about what these women have been through physically in the months and years before - pregnancy, birth, possible surgery, and often being the sole nutritional source for a child - all while getting their bodies back to the athletic standard required to compete at the very top. 

If anything, these athletes should be given every bit of support and help we can think of in order to be able to compete. Multiple press articles describing this change for the 2024 Olympics as a ‘perk’, rather than recognising it as a necessity, do little to help change mindsets or push further change. Going forward let’s keep our eyes on the bigger picture and remember that anyone utilising these ‘special allowances’ have accomplished a lot more than a qualification standard to be there.