Birmingham (United Kingdom) (AFP) – New guidelines to prevent broadcasters sexualising coverage of women athletes will come into place when the European championships start in Birmingham on Monday.

The new guidelines have been drawn up by the Geneva-based European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the world's leading alliance of public service media, with 115 member organisations in 57 countries and an additional 33 associates in Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Americas.

The EBU said it had worked with women athletes to develop the guidelines, "which aim to avoid sexualising the action with unnecessary camera angles".

Several women athletes have been called in to best advise the EBU, among them British Olympic pole vault bronze medallist Holly Bradshaw, ahead of the August 10-16 European champs.

"How our sport is displayed during live broadcast can be incredibly powerful, yet sometimes harmful to the women competing, and the women and girls watching," Bradshaw said.

"I first-hand have received social media abuse and witnessed inappropriate videos online of myself and colleagues when slow-motion content of us competing is captured.

"Many athletes, myself included have been in competitive scenarios where they are more focused on the cameras instead of their own performance.

"On too many occasions cameras are zoomed in, showing super slow-motion action replays of athletes in undignified positions."

French pole vaulter Marie-Julie Bonnin added: "I'm doing sport and I don't want them to film my bum!"

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