Elite athletes unite to tackle body image struggles in youth sport

Elite Australian athletes have joined forces to promote positive body image and mental well-being among young athletes, particularly girls. 

The group has launched an educational program specifically designed for sports clubs to support the young athletes' wellbeing and to encourage them to keep playing sport.

Former Adelaide Crow Sarah Perkins, who endured body shaming throughout her seven-year AFLW career, is one of the athletes on board the Activate Masterclass program.

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"People started looking away from me as a human and the skills I had on the football field to the shape of my body," she said.

Research indicates that girls commonly drop out of sports around the age of 15 or 16, with changes in physical appearance during adolescence a primary reason.

"In particular for young girls more than boys, they start to feel a little more on display as they move into adolescence, and that is one of the main reasons they might drop out of sport," Dr Ivanka Prichard, a body image researcher at Flinders University, said.

Activate Masterclass offers free educational videos that address crucial topics such as language around diet, body shapes, and the significance of considering diverse uniform options.

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Olympic gold medallist Libby Tricket is also promoting the program.

"As a swimmer, it can be incredibly confronting, growing up and going through puberty and wearing very little clothing to do the sport I loved," she said. 

"As I got older, there were so many instances of people commenting on my body."

Trickett said she hopes the program will improve kids' experiences in playing sport.

"I want to create an environment where kids can participate in sport without being scared of having comments about their body, and hopefully, that means they go on to have a lifelong affair with physical activity and moving their bodies," she said.

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.