Women's Bodybuilding Is Back In The Tampa Pro

 

It was announced that women's bodybuilding was being omitted from the Tampa pro. Fans were vexed and disappointed. Through the efforts of Jake Wood and Alina Popa it was added back to the contest. The IFBB appears to want to sabotage the division's growth. The Tampa pro takes place between July 31 to August 2. Athletes can now look forward to competing. This could have caused complications for some who do meticulous preparation. Travel, hotel accommodations, and other expenses are taken into consideration for athletes. Athletes  who changed there plans when cancellation was announced are in a more frustrating position. There still remains time to change plans. The Tampa pro is three months away. The unprofessional conduct directed at athletes should not be tolerated. Removing women's bodybuilding should not have happened to begin with. Women's bodybuilding has an improved status with the return of the Ms. Olympia. Other cases it seems more precarious. Alina Popa no longer competes, but has made a name for herself as a promoter. Popa should be thanked by all women competing in the Tampa pro. More promoters should make it possible that the women's open class bodybuilding class remains active.     

Flexing Females # 7

The 2023 Women's World Cup Begins

 

The Women's World Cup has began. The host countries are both Australia and New Zealand. This is the ninth competition to be held since 1991. The competition will go from July 20th to August 20th. The final match is going to held in Sydney Olympic Stadium. Fans can watch the Women's World Cup on FOX, FS1, and the FOX Sports App. It will also be available on their website as well. The opening matches were between Australia and Ireland. This was flowed by New Zealand and Norway. Nigeria will be facing Canada. The Philippines will go against Switzerland followed by Spain and Costa Rica. Vietnam will compete against the United States. Megan Rapinoe announced she will retire after this Women's World Cup. US Women's Soccer has won many victories and her contribution cannot be underestimated. The athletic talent is expanding in women's soccer. As more nations send there athletes having one nation become dominant is not ensured. The unusual aspect of the Women's World Cup is that two nations are acting as hosts. FIFA has run into controversy considering when Qatar did hosting duties. Some female athletes might not approve of   the Gulf monarchies having a high level of financial influence on soccer. The objection comes from the fact women's rights  in those nations are limited. The hope is that the 2023 Women's World Cup does not come with massive controversy. Some countries are going to absent. Afghanistan was developing a women's soccer team, but Taliban rule has stopped that. Russia has been banned from the Women's World Cup. This is unfair, due to the fact athletes did not develop policies for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. These two issues cannot be ignored no matter how much sports reporting tries to omit them. Despite these concerns the hope is the competition will generate high TV ratings and ticket sales.   

The W Series Funding Challenges

 

The W Series announced that its season has been cut short. Funding issues are cited as a reason. The women's only  motorsport competition was designed to get more women involved. There are some criticisms about the W Series. There is no reason that women cannot compete with men in other established races. Physical fitness such as strength and running speed are not major factors. The sport is non-contact. The physical challenge is the amount of G-force present and being skilled with the car. The great aspect of this is that a large number of female athletes in motorsport are together. The other dimension is unnecessary sex segregation. A man would not be allowed to participate in the race. If there was an official rule to keep women out of racing the objections would be numerous. Motorsport does not need a women's only gym. The motivation is understandable, but there are issue that come with that. Perhaps the W Series could be a training ground for female athletes to compete in Formula 1 or NASCAR. The races could be used to increase skills and develop new talent. Jamie Chadwick has shown promise winning three championships. Although the W Series  can be criticized, one should not hope for its failure. Sponsorship and fundraising efforts must increase to save the W Series. Then ticket sales must increase, along with building a fan base. Funding challenges are one of the biggest obstacles to women's sports. CEO Catherine Bond Muir must develop a new business model based on these solutions. What can be speculated is that the W Series in the 2023 season will have fewer races.