The Paris Olympics is welcoming athletes who are mothers, by taking inclusive measures that prove women don’t need to stop competing just because they give birth.
Although going back to work after giving birth can be daunting, there’s many unexpected joys of returning to work after kids – if you’re an athlete, that could mean heading off to the Olympics with medals in mind. For women who’ve trained hard and want to continue in their sporting field, getting back to competing after having a baby is something they are finding easier to do thanks to thanks to allowances being made for their bodies to heal and recover and an understanding that pregnancy doesn’t impact their ability.
Witnessing their balance of motherhood and being a world class athlete can be part of important conversations to have with your kids while watching the Olympics, and how being a mum doesn’t need to hold you back.
These athletes provide the perfect role model for showing kids what resilience and hard work can achieve, and showing how the world can make it easier for women to exist as more than just parents.
This year, the Paris Olympics are taking incredible steps to be inclusive to mums by introducing measures not seen before in the games. For 2024, the Olympic Village will feature a nursery, and special hotel rooms will be made available for French athletes who are breastfeeding.
“I think it really tells women that you can choose motherhood and also be at the top of your game and not have to miss a beat.”
Allyson Felix
According to The Washington Post, nursing mums will have access to a dedicated breastfeeding space at a hotel near the Olympic Village. During the Paralympic Games, athletes with babies under the age of one will be issued ‘guest passes.’
This offers their infants access the Olympic Village twice a day to breastfeed. If a child has special needs or disabilities, they’ll be granted access to the Village until up to the age of three.
Allyson Felix is the most decorated track and field athlete in history, and is also a mother. She’s been particularly vocal about increasing the level of support for Olympic mums when the Games take place.
Speaking to CBS, Felix said “I just knew how difficult it was to compete at the top level after I had my daughter, and some practical things were really hard. And so when I joined the Athletes Commission of the IOC, I really wanted to be that voice for athlete moms, and just take away one less thing for them to worry about in the pressure of competition.”
She concludes “I think it really tells women that you can choose motherhood and also be at the top of your game and not have to miss a beat.”
For more on parenting and sport, a study reveals why you might want to hold your tongue when watching kids play sport, and the game changing words to use when your child wants to give up their chosen sport. We also share our thoughts on why sports day shouldn’t be non-competitive.
