Showcasing a Gendered Environmental Approach to Female Athlete Health
A thought-provoking and immersive research project that explores the environmental factors contributing to female sports injuries has been selected to be publicly exhibited at the British Academy’s Summer Showcase.
More Than Medals: Gendered Environments of Sports Injury Uncovered – a collaboration between the UK Sports Institute (UKSI) and the EDGE in Sport & Physical Activity Lab (University of Nottingham, UK & University of Manitoba, Canada) – generates insight into how modifiable environmental factors contribute to gender disparities in sports injury risk and, in turn, develops resources to support sports in applying those insights to optimise the conditions in which female athletes train and compete.
Through funding from a prestigious British Academy Innovation Fellowship, Dr Stephanie Coen (University of Nottingham) and Dr Joanne Parsons (University of Manitoba) worked with members of the UKSI Performance Innovation Team (Dr Victoria Downie, Lucy Follett) and Athlete Health Team (Steve McCaig) to develop this unique initiative. The Innovation Fellowships scheme supports social scientists to collaborate with non-academic partners in addressing societal challenges.
In the More Than Medals exhibition, visitors are invited to look, listen, or read along as the stories of gendered environmental challenges experienced by female athletes are told through original poems constructed entirely of direct quotes from athletes, narrated by actors, and illustrated through original artwork.
Using creative formats to centre female athletes’ voices, the exhibition delivers key findings from our in-depth qualitative research into the injury experiences of retired female athletes, recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The goal is to support sport system stakeholders in reflecting on their role in the gendered environment, reconsidering what they know about women’s sports injuries, and feeling more ready to resist stereotypes.
The UKSI recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Dr Coen and Dr Parsons’ EDGE in Sport & Physical Activity Lab to continue to grow the More Than Medals suite of resources to support sports in applying a Gendered Environmental Approach in the future.
Members of the public will have the opportunity to explore the exhibition, and meet members of the project team, at the British Academy’s flagship event that opens the doors of the Academy’s headquarters in central London on 20-21 June 2025.
The Showcase is free, but tickets are required: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/summershowcase/
