Track Champions League star Sophie Capewell urges people to 'talk about' periods in sport and 'empower a change'
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Updated 15/11/2022 at 11:26 GMT
"It was always taboo," Sophie Capewell told Eurosport when discussing the impact of periods for women in sport. The British cyclist is a big supporter of a campaign that seeks to ensure that people are honest, open and understanding about the issue. Capewell would like to see more knowledge going forward in terms of what can be done to better support women in sport.
'It was always taboo' - Capewell urges people to 'talk about' periods in sport
British cycling star Sophie Capewell has urged people to "talk about it" when it comes to periods in sport.
The 24-year-old wants to help "empower a change in knowledge and understanding of the effect it can have for women in sport" and wants young girls to "know that it is normal".
Capewell does not want "euphemisms" to take away the significance of the issue and would love to see everyone show greater understanding, particularly when it comes to young women participating in sport.
"It was always taboo," Capewell told Eurosport's Orla Chennaoui in an in-depth and open discussion at the Track Champions League event in Mallorca. "When you were a junior and you were on your period, no one does talk about it.
"Then it becomes this horrible 'oh, what happens?' I used to swim and no one used to speak about it. That is another thing in itself because you have to use a tampon when you are swimming.
"If more people can talk about it, hopefully, young girls growing up will not drop out of sport because there is a high percentage of girls who drop out, I think between the ages of 14 and 17.
"If we can keep them in, and it is not because of a period problem or because of anything to do with growing up, that is huge.
"I was contacted by another athlete about a campaign that is 'call it what it is, and say period'. It is taking away the stigma of the word 'period' and what it means.
"If we use euphemisms, it takes away the power that it has. Young girls will know that it is normal, and we can empower a change in knowledge and understanding of the effect it can have for women in sport."
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Capewell, who is going to keep Eurosport updated during the month-long event to continue to bring awareness to the issue, spoke from her experience about what women have to go through when trying to compete or train during their periods.
"It is not as straightforward as with the guys, unfortunately. I don't think they can track us in a straight line," she said.
"I think there are certain times in the month when we are more susceptible to injury. When people are on their period, it can mean that training is harder or you feel the effects more.
"There has not necessarily been the same amount of research done as there should have been.
"We would like to see more knowledge and power going forward in what we can do as female athletes and how we can train better because of our periods."
Given the fact that the Track Champions League runs over the course of a month, it is inevitable riders will be on their periods during competition time. Capewell explained how it is likely to impact her performance and shared how she will be hoping to combat her symptoms.
"I struggle to brace my core more the week before my period, and then I have a lot more fatigue the week of my period," she said.
"So there are a lot of feeling factors going on there as well as physical ones that we can hopefully get some research on going forward.
"Ibuprofen can be your best friend! Anti-inflammatories, and always having a hot-water bottle to hand is my go-to."
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After a great debut season, the UCI Track Champions League is back for season two, with Laura Kenny joining the party. You can watch it all live and on demand on discovery+. We also have extensive coverage across eurosport.com.
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