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South Australian government’s announcement hailed by this year’s winner Amanda Spratt as ‘a huge step forward for equality’
Riders in the Women’s Tour Down Under will receive the same pay as their male counterparts for the first time, the South Australian government has announced.
On Monday the state government announced that from 2019 it would increase the prize pool in the women’s cycling event by about $90,000, putting the competition’s prize pool on par with the male event.
The initial women’s prize pool had been about $15,000.
“These athletes are at the top of their game, displaying professionalism, determination and skill during every stage of the hard-fought race,” the South Australian sports minister, Leon Bignell, said.
“It’s only fair the prize money they receive is on par with their male counterparts for each stage as well as the general classification.”
Australian Amanda Spratt won this year’s Women’s Tour Down Under, as well as the Queen of the Mountain prize for best climber. She called the decision “a huge step forward for equality”.
The Women’s Tour Down Under race director, Kimberley Conte, said the move would “elevate this race and recognise the skill and efforts of our riders”.
“We have women coming from all over the world for the Women’s Tour Down Under,” she said.
“Having equal prize money will result in even more interest from top international female riders and help take this race to the next level.”
The pay gap between genders in professional cycling has come under increasing scrutiny as women riders begin to speak out about disparity in the sport.
The UCI – the world governing body for sports cycling – has introduced equal prize money for men and women at its world championship and world cup events, but unlike men, women cyclists still do not receive a minimum wage.
In January last year the former Olympic and world champion cyclist Nicole Cooke told a British House of Commons inquiry into doping in the sport that cycling was “a sport run by men, for men”.
She pointed to a number of examples, including the 2006 British cycling championships, in which the women’s event was given “token” support.
“I was significantly the most high-profile and highest-attaining [British entrant],” she told the inquiry at the time.
“British male success on the international circuit at that time was nonexistent and previous British winner, David Millar was still serving his ban for doping.
“[Yet] the prize purse for the women’s race was a tiny fraction of that for the men and the pre-race publicity was all about the male race with a token mention of the women’s race.”
(GUARDIAN)
