Peter J. Pereira Gray DipPropInvest FRICS FRSA FInstCPD reposted this
I don’t share what I’m up to outside of the energy start-up world here - while many of you know I love running and track, it’s lesser known that I am the reigning world champion and American record holder for the Icosathlon (aka the double decathlon - a 20 event track and field competition https://lnkd.in/gcDpAc6r). I am sharing now, though, because I need your help: I and my other female competitors are currently being denied the right to participate in the 2023 Icosathlon World Championships. I got into track and field after a background in competitive gymnastics. Having intended to compete on MIT's gymnastics team, I switched to pole vaulting on the track and field team when the gymnastics program was cut. I quickly progressed, graduating from MIT as a 3-time All-American. I became interested in decathlon when I started coaching male decathletes during graduate school at Harvard and became frustrated that I, as a woman, was not allowed to do the event (https://lnkd.in/gTrudBEX). When I heard about Icosathlons, and how women were similarly not allowed to compete in them, I knew I had to try to change that (https://lnkd.in/g7bj8s76). That’s when I started spending the majority of my free time training for an event women are not allowed to do. In 2021, I successfully petitioned to have a women’s Icosathlon contested at the World Championship event where I and three other women competed. I won the world title, set an American record, and nearly broke the world record. However, the 2023 World Icosathlon Championships to be held in Belgium in July is denying women the opportunity to compete. After literally using me as the poster child of the 2021 event (https://lnkd.in/gdh2k3bT), I’m now being told I can't compete. The reason cited is that the Vlaamse Atletiekliga vzw will not allow men and women to compete together due to World Athletics rules. This ignores the fact that just two years ago men and women did indeed compete together, let alone that the Icosathlon is not an official event recognized by World Athletics. Even just adding an additional heat for the women would be a simple solution, but the organizers have not accepted that as a possibility. I am asking for help in overturning the decision to deny women entry into the Icosathlon world championship. I have three specific areas where I am looking for support 1. Provide connections with key sponsors such as Nike, ASICS Corporation, Vermarc Sport, Allianz, and Eurovision Services. If you have any leads please let me know. 2. Share this with your network. The more people that are aware of this injustice, the higher the chances that those in power do the right thing. 3. Follow my fight on social media. I’ll be posting daily updates on Instagram (https://lnkd.in/gB77qsE8) as I work to allow women the chance to compete. It’s 2023. Women can do 20 events in a double decathlon. They can do 10 in a decathlon. It’s time we let them.