The hour of the siesta by Felipe Gutiérrez: It is the reality, but it is difficult to understand

Felipe Gutiérrez talks about the discrimination of girls in sports

I still think that although triathlon fills our mouths with saying "in this sport there is equality in everything," same prizes, same routes "... and many remain so wide with such affirmation," we women "we know that in many cases in this sport as in others there is always a point of discrimination.

When I talk about "We the women"I write it and there is no doubt that I am a man, I want to put in my affirmations what I often hear and speak among my athletes, among my triathlete friends and even among others who practice other sports.

The truth is that I believe that still more valued male sport than the female and even if they have to do at least the same efforts in training, at work, in day-to-day life and in most cases in the family that many times "they" do not hit (us) or veneer "

So I can not close my eye on this Wednesday afternoon and my head is spinning on these issues that it seems will never have a solution if we do not all put a little on our side.

There are many cases today that can attest to this discrimination and so that we do not go far on dates at this time, the Women's World Cup in Canada and almost certainly many @ s have not heard. Yes, soccer girls are playing that world cup and for the moment if they win tonight (Wednesday) they will be in the second round. I will continue the match against South Korea.

Surely if you know that Piqué has not said what ... or that Casillas is going to I do not know where ... or that Ramos has cut his hair as in his day already said Mireia Belmonte when asked about his successes in the world swimming and matizo : "People have to know that behind that success there are many hours and the lack we have of everything. Yesterday it came out that the football players were going to spend many hours on a plane for a game, but they go first and surely they are accompanied by 100 people between doctors and physios. I am the first woman to lose eight minutes in the history of swimming, but the rumor of a signing or the hair color of Sergio Ramos is more important "

Yes, it happens in all sports and let's not say that in the triathlon there are no such things as discrimination.

A few days ago an Olympian in swimming in Athens 2004 and currently doing triathlon, in his facebook social network makes some reflection that I imagine does not dare to say it clearly so as not to "offend" any class.

Sara Pérez Sala (I steal your "complaints" with your permission), commented: "Sometimes I think about it, and I wonder if the organizers of the triathlons will realize what it means to the girls that swim in front of 1 or 2 min behind the boys. The truth that until last week had not fallen, and although I was angry I tried not to give importance.

When the girls left with so little time of the boys, a few meters we started to overtake the last ones. I personally try to bother as little as possible, because I understand that there are people who are not very close to the water and it can be a stress that almost passes them by. That in turn is a waste of time for my career, but I do not care.

I still have not had the opportunity to give this same situation leaving the boys 2 minutes behind us, why will it be?

Well it turns out that last week at the Cáceres Triathlon (10 Triathlon) the girls came out before the boys, in the beginning they were 10 minutes, but I think it was something less. There were two laps of swimming, which in the first buoy of the second round was already advancing, but I thought it was great that they left a large enough margin so that we could swim calmly.

My question is ... Why do not you look for a solution so that, like the kids, we can swim without getting around people and not bother or bother us ?, I do not think it is so complicated to give the outputs a minimum of 5 minutes (in a sprint). Anyway, it's just my opinion "

Yes, if we do not listen to the girls and fundamentally I mean the organizers or federations, we are discriminating and the wisdom of an Olympic swimmer and arrival rather shortly triathlon is the same as I think when I go to some tests where "anything goes".

Sara and her reflections via Facebook are a wonderful source to see how someone with years in the world of sport thinks. A few days ago he brought to light the complaint of "chupe de rueda" in the tests where it is not controlled where the girls who come from behind looking for the head are.

Sara says: "Why are the race judges or the rules if when someone violates (or so it seems), and above the judges corroborate, nothing is done even having to pay 20 euros (this seems to me like a joke) to put a claim for something that should already be sanctioned, the rules are for everyone the same, not only for those who carry the motorcycle at the head of the race, there is something more important than being sanctioned or not, and it is to have a clear conscience.

So that all this does not happen the federations or organizers should put more control so that their rules are respected, for example putting some more race motorbike, because 2 motorcycles for 400 triathletes ....

Exposed this I can only say that this year all the federations are showing off! "

I fully support what Sara says and many triathletes. Very recently in the Casa de Campo test some relatives "told each other" defending themselves against accusations that their daughter was going to wheel "and you more" ... the problem of when women leave when ...

Well at least the elite in Pontevedra in Spain sprint will have their own race without men in between, but the same is not true for those who run in age groups.

Solution? Well listen to the athletes who compete, or at least see the evidence where they do it, there you learn a lot.

Some years ago we had a rotating shift for the order of masculine and feminine outings in the championships of Spain and national events, one year "women" went out early and other men, so they never got up so early ... they had to " throw down ", complained some clubs, some triathletes, some councilors ... and even some federative directive (I attest to that) and it was argued that they were less. Now we will have to defend it again, the girls are already many and very good both nationally and internationally.

I hope that the Committee on Women and Sport begin to demand it because there are also people with a lot of experience and very demanding.

Come on, Ana Burgos, now it's your turn to fight in the offices!

Felipe Gutiérrez

Photo: mizonatv