Source: Richard Heathcote / Getty
In addition to being concerned about speed, form, and winning, female sprinters have to think about what type of images the cameras will capture.
According to The Daily Mail, several female athletes have complained about the close-up cameras at the World Athletics Championships. The woman claims the camera angles insure that the pictures reveal intimate angles of their bodies.
The women say the cameras make them uncomfortable because they have to climb over them before they begin the race.
A German sprinter, Gina Lückenkemper said she didn’t believe women were involved in developing the camera.
She continued, “I find it very uncomfortable climbing over this camera in skimpy running clothes to go to the starting block.”
Other German athletes have complained about the cameras. Subsequently, members of the German athletics federations have demanded that footage only be shown once runners are on the starting blocks. German authorities also want to ensure that the footage is deleted every day.
According to the the International Association of Athletics Federation, the new cameras were said to grant unprecedented access to audiences.
“Athletics fans around the globe will be closer to the action than ever before.” The IAAF felt audiences were missing a “crucial” moment of the drama of the race by not being able to see athletes faces at the start of the sprint race.
“The new cameras within the blocks will capture that intense moment just before a race.”
According to CNN, after the protests from German sprinters, the images from the cameras will be censored. Under the comprise, the only images that will be shown are the runners crouching over the blocks.
