Climber receives apology after inappropriate images of her shown on TV

This is the second time inappropriate images have been shown of the athlete at a competition

Sarah Rendell
Tuesday 21 September 2021 05:10 EDT
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Johanna Farber has received an apology
Johanna Farber has received an apology (APA-PictureDesk GmbH/Shutterstock)

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The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) apologised to climber Johanna Farber after inappropriate images of her were shown during the World Championships in Moscow.

It was reported last week that the event’s broadcaster aired a close-up replay of the Austrian athlete’s bottom during the boulder semi-final.

In a statement, the IFSC wrote: “The IFSC condemns the objectification of the human body and will take further action in order for it to stop, and to protect the athletes.

“After meeting with representatives of the Austrian team, IFSC President Marco Scolaris issued the following comment: ‘How many times will things have to be done wrong, before we learn how to do them right?’”

This is not the first time inappropriate images of Farber have been shown at a competition as similar shots of Farber were broadcast at the World Cup in June. The IFSC’s host broadcaster ORF issued an apology at the time and Farber released a statement to Instagram.

She said: “Having this slowmotion clip shown on national TV and YouTube live stream is so disrespectful and upsetting. I’m an athlete and here to show my best performance.

“To be honest I do really feel embarrassed to know that thousands of people saw this. We need to stop sexualising women in sports and to appreciate their performance.”

Farber is yet to comment on the latest incident that was also streamed on YouTube.

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