Marina Izidro: United Kingdom publishes guide to support athletes who want to get pregnant

If you know any woman who was completely reassured when she told her boss she was pregnant while building her career, introduce me. The stories I see are far from such a dream of motherhood.

I’ve heard reports of those who were afraid of being considered without professional ambition; was cited in a meeting in front of everyone as a bad example; was fired after maternity leave. Self-employed people need to work as quickly as possible. Many postpone and some give up on being mothers. None of this is surprising and if you’ve never heard cases like these, just be curious to ask.

In sports, the pressure is greater. The career is short. Planning family life according to Olympic cycles makes the margin for error minimal. Afraid of losing contracts, athletes hide their pregnancy or return to competition before their time, increasing the risk of injury.

But this week, UK Sport, the British government body that coordinates sport in the UK, published something unprecedented: a pregnancy guide for athletes and organizations.

The recommendations focus on the well-being and career of the mothers-to-be. The level of detail is impressive. The document guides when to break the news –ideally, as soon as possible– and how federations and clubs should react and plan training sessions, competitions and trips. Managers must create a welcoming environment until breastfeeding and reduce risks: is the training site too hot or too cold? Can she fall, will she stand for hours, lift too much weight? Is there a bathroom nearby?

It also teaches not to exclude the athlete in the final stretch of pregnancy: if you can’t train, can you watch it, go to meetings? It talks about the importance of postpartum performance goals, but without undue pressure that affects physical and mental health. It has list of websites, apps, podcasts and educational books and government support programs.

In addition, athletes who receive financial support through UK Sport will be entitled to the benefit for up to nine months after the baby’s birth. The authors remind that the guide must be adapted according to the modality and type of pregnancy and is not limited to Olympic and Paralympic sports (managers, here’s a tip: everything is on their website).

The publication is an advance and at the same time it reveals how there is a delay in the way of dealing with the subject and how little is said about it.

Sponsors and clubs still reduce or suspend contracts with athletes who become pregnant, sending the wrong message that if they have children, they are worth less.

Sports stars have been the voice of the unheard. In Brazil, Tandara was a pioneer in obtaining labor rights related to motherhood in court. In the United States, sprinter Allyson Felix picked a fight with her sponsor who wanted to reduce her salary and denounced a culture of silence in athletics: “Got pregnant? Hide.” Thanks to her courage, other athletes shared their stories and the company improved practices.

After having a daughter, Felix won a gold and a bronze at the Tokyo Games. With eleven medals, she surpassed Carl Lewis and is the most victorious Olympic athlete in the history of North American athletics.

Women can be mothers and have professional success. It is unfair to punish and place the onus of the decision to have a child on them. In this sense, athletes who fight for these rights are perhaps leaving an even greater legacy than their brilliant careers.