Tackle menses issues boldly to enhance female athletes’ welfare

Earlier this week, while speaking with French news outlet AFP, World Athletics (WA) President Seb Coe revealed that they have begun investigating the impact of menstrual pain on the performance of female athletes.

Coe said they are reviewing every past research into how monthly periods affect athletes’ performance in training and competitive settings.

As a member of WA, at Athletics Kenya (AK), we agree that this is an issue has been a long time coming as far as the welfare of female athletes is concerned.

We agree with the president that this should no longer be a taboo subject, in this day and age, rather it is an issue that needs to be tackled head on at all levels of the sport.

It is one of the major efforts towards achieving gender equality in sports by eradicating such barriers that inhibit female athletes’ ability to realise their potential.

Various sportswomen have come out to narrate the challenges they encounter in training and competitions while on their monthly periods.

Briton marathoner Eilish McColgan recently revealed she had to pull out of competition twice in her career owing to the fact that she was undergoing her periods.

Her fellow countrywoman, Dina Asher-Smith, had to bow out of the European Championships in Munich due to the same problem.

Here in Kenya, many female athletes have opened up regarding their tribulations with menstrual pain.

In December last year, AK conducted a series of consultative forums with stakeholders around the country during which everyone was afforded the opportunity to outline any challenges affecting the sport and recommendations on how to resolve them.

Menstrual cycle was a topic that emanated from many female athletes most of who said they are often psychologically affected by period pains, which subsequently hinders their performance on the track, field or road.

Most athletes come from poor backgrounds, and as such, may not be able to afford sanitary pads regularly.

Without resources to purchase this essential commodity, such athletes are compelled to skip training or drop out of competitions.

Some female athletes find it uncomfortable to tell their coaches—especially male ones —that they are going through their periods and hence choose to suffer in silence as their performance and fitness levels dwindle.

The time is nigh for us to explore ways in which menstrual cycle will not be a hindrance to female athletes fulfilling their talent.

This is a discussion we are looking forward to as a federation and are ready to provide recommendations to remedy the same.

Most importantly, we hope that as many female athletes as possible will contribute their voices to this initiative that heralds a new dawn for them in athletics.

[email protected]