My teammate would eat an apple. [00:16:37] But its early days but theres no doubt that what were seeing now is instead of the why we used to there would have been a lot of the why why should we fund womens sport or why women arent as good as men. So those kinds of images have far more reach than one could ever imagine. Lets say my former sport cycling incredible para cycling bombs as by Australians in the last world championships. On 22 January 2016 O'Donnell broke the Womens UCI Hour Record at the Adelaide Super-Drome. Now shes a young AFL footballer playing for Carlton who has not only incredible strength and agility but she has this kicking style thats very characteristic for her. They were married in the 1940s and went on to have six children and eight grandchildren. First, she worked as a medical practitioner. Number two increasing the number of girls and women but mostly women in leadership positions in sport more CEOs but even more importantly more umpires coaches referees visible leadership of women on fields with whistles telling people what to do is an extraordinarily powerful debunking of this myth that women dont know how to rally a team or they dont know how to be harsh or they dont know how to be assertive and firm or they dont know how to bring together twenty five guys to get them to do something thats thats a complete myth as we all know. But, like so many young women I would encounter in my time racing, she would only allow me to be a doctor on her terms. Copyright 2017 All Rights Reserved. [00:05:55] Well I was active as a kid but I wasnt good at anything and we certainly had a bit of a culture of high achievement when it comes to sport and particularly we know this from from the data that girls who are really great at sport get supported and cultivated not only by their parents but by coaches by schools. Our guest this week is Dr. Bridie ODonnell who is head of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation in Melbourne Australia and she is here to discuss the issues affecting women and girls from her perspective. And of course here in the States so many are owned by my wealthy people you know of the Womens Soccer League here in the States. You know we have a really a problem in Australia against violence against women. Yes absolutely and weve covered them here on WiSP Sports going back to whats on your desk now. [00:10:12] So what did being a professional. Our guest this week is Dr. Bridie O'Donnell who is head of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation in Melbourne Australia and she is here to discuss the issues affecting women and girls from her perspective. Bridie what what did your main focus in the big to dos because you know youve got a huge huge agenda. Or you can post your comments on our social media at Facebook Instagram and Twitter or LinkedIn. About so many things I could have done better. Brady thank you so much for taking time to come on the show today. What would she save in a fire, whats her most useful object? Bridie was appointed the inaugural head of the Office for Women and Sport and Recreation by the Victorian Government and in May 2018 she published a life and death a cycling memoir about her experiences as a professional cyclist in the international peloton. I can tell you that. You know we had yes we had the Olympics in 1956 we had the Sydney Olympics in 2000 we were one of the first countries in the world to have an institute of sport. Theres no way were going to get that across the line. Chris its great to be here. She is quite reserved. Its not actually how well am I getting along with my family my children my wife my husband my parents. You fail a lot. The rigors and sometimes the bullying and abuse that comes with professional sport. And if I had had men in the public service say youll never be able to be this boss of this office and run this budget do make this change because youve never done it before then. And when it is provided to them in a really classy package if you like it at the best stadium with the greatest amenity and the best TV coverage and free to air they will watch it. You know these are the things that shape us for when were sitting in a very difficult meeting with difficult personalities or when we have staff who are feeling unrecognized via a process thats happening whether thats in government or in medical industries and as I said Ive been a doctor for a very long time. It blew my mind. I discovered this when I was a professional cyclist, and realised it was the only way to be comfortable while squished in the back of a team van during the long 14-hour road trip all the way from central Italy to northern Spain for a bike race. But what were seeing now is many more questions about how Okay okay we get it but how are we going to do it. Is that we achieved our board quota deadline on 1 July of this year where sporting organizations that are funded by the Victorian Government acknowledging that for your listeners that Victorias is one of the states of Australia. Bridie was the first woman to join SBS Cycling to commentate the Tour de France, covering the race in 2020 and 2021. Now if we come back to Australia and we look at the WB ls a great example we have the fourth season of The Womens Big Bash. [00:25:24] Look at the proof of how thats raised the profile of womens soccer in this country because thats now on free to air TV and you can find that on the networks every week during season some of the coaches say oh sorry to interrupt you but I was just thinking about a lot of the coaches will say high performance coaches will say they still want to see people at games and that Lisa Alexander talks about this with netball and the super nimble coaches will say we want you to come. Thats where all of our networking events support it. Its all of the things that I experience which is you lose a lot. I bought it on holiday in Antibes in France, and it made me feel very European, mon cheri. Search Log In Sign Up Bridie We could talk for much longer but Im mindful of your time there is there really so much to cover and Yep things keep coming up that Id like to bring up but I going to let you go and get on with your day because I know your day is starting but maybe we could circle back some time and continue this conversation because I think its I would love Aston and yes I could talk about this stuff. [00:22:31] And she said well you know what I did some digging and I found out that everyone checks their responsibility or their part to play in the way. [00:19:16] Managing their social media accounts and to make it very clear that this is a powerful image that needs to be shown and and it became an accelerated image the world started talking about this. Has this been a lifelong passion and did you. While working in Intensive Care and studying for physician exams, Bridie competed first in rowing and Ironman Triathlon. In 2006, she finished Ironman Austria, Ironman Hawaii and rode a bike course record at Busselton Ironman. Thank you for listening and turning up the volume on womens sport. When I was a rower, there were two weight categories for elite competition. [00:07:56] But I was a very academic kid and so I studied really hard through high school and I was completely mediocre at team sports and I wanted to be a leader like I was so desperately trying to be the best athlete and I just wasnt I didnt have enough speed I didnt have enough agility and all those things that you do when youre playing netball and touch football and some of the sports that have really big in teams here in Queensland. And if youd like to find out more about Bridies work and the organization you could find a link in the show notes accompanying this episode at WiSP Sports dot com. It wasnt until I made the move across to road cycling that I encountered so much discussion of power-to-weight ratio, a topic preoccupying riders, coaches, and the DS of any team. They could do it five years ago they would probably struggle and so well I think we need to determine the barriers. In 2015 there was an inquiry into women and girls in sport and active recreation here in Victoria which was actually initiated by the then opposition government and then implemented by the current government. And since Title 9 in the United States were seeing now a third generation of girls and women benefiting from legislation that allows them to receive the same financial support at universities. Where should there be time slots in broadcast opportunities and how can we get the free to air channels to show the nipple World Cup or why. We know that not all violence against women is due to environments that people grow up in but it all starts from a lack of respect. What were seeing now is those people are being left behind. [00:34:19] And how about the increase in female coaches. It has the largest population and the City of Melbourne as its capital has a barometer Metro Melbourne has a population of around six million. And what Im asking them to do is think differently about something and that can be for some of them deeply threatening. Because Im most curious about this you know being in the media for as long as I have. And then about nine months later they announced that there would be a campaign sort of suite of initiatives called change again. O'Donnell is a world champion road cyclist, a former rower, and triathlete. These werent really. And I think also our sporting nature nation culture is a bit is a bit mythical. Just a little over 18 months I want to dig a little bit deeper into what youre working on now because Australia of course seems in many ways to tell us and the rest of the world is one of the leaders when it comes to womens sports in terms of equality and opportunity facilities and so on. Womens educations and capabilities are not a problem. How do they respect and talk about women in their privacy of their own home. Weve had a multibillionaire man invest in the NBL here and he owns the league and a couple of teams but no multibillionaire is common said. It has the largest population and the City of Melbourne as its capital has a barometer Metro Melbourne has a population of around six million. You know how to deliver you keep going when youre tired you keep going when youre annoyed when it rains when its windy. It was free to air on Channel 10 Channel 10 did an amazing job not only of broadcasting it but as you know the power of social media of retweeting great little clips of some of the really strong athletic performances of women batting and bowling etc. And we have seen a huge shift in the way Paralympic sports and pro athletes are being invested in here and of course we saw Dylan all cult winning at Wimbledon and the US Open in the mens wheelchair tennis but still no womens wheelchair tennis categories and that what I would argue is probably through a couple of the Normal barriers around a lack of depth of athletes those athletes havent had anywhere near as much support both financial emotional and logistical support to become wheelchair tennis players. Theyre powerful for women and theyre equally powerful for boys and men. In 2014, she took on an inaugural role as a breast physician at the Epworth Breast Service. And when it is provided to them in a really classy package if you like it at the best stadium with the greatest amenity and the best TV coverage and free to air they will watch it. From 2007 to 2016, Bridie competed in road and track cycling. Although many cyclists used all sorts of methods to lose weightsome dangerous or highly questionable, others under the supervision of a qualified dietician or coachthis was clearly not a new strategy for her. Given that most of the mid-season races on the womens calendar were between three and four hours long, and involved circuits with long climbs and technical descents, riders who had been on a bike for decades and were not only fearless and desperate, but quite literally, hungry, were potential winners. Bridie returned to full-time work in 2013 at Epworth HealthCheck and teaching doctor-patient communication at Deakin University Medical School. Were seeing this more in the year in the UK and in parts of Europe with the different networks too. Last week Dr O'Donnell was inducted into the 2021 Victorian Women's Honour Roll under the 'Change Agent' category. I think no go do the deal with our channel 7 9 or 10 or ABC or SBS which are our national broadcasters because its not good enough anymore to just say oh thats not our job. Her legs already had veins showing, which is a sign of limited body fat; I was struggling to determine where she was going to lose nearly 10% of her body mass. 2018 saw ODonnell publish Life and Death, a memoir detailing her experiences as a cyclist in Europe. [00:11:35] So all of those things are challenging. And the other beautiful thing that sport teaches you is just how good you can be at something when you focus on it. Were making sure we support every organisation and their attacks on. Once, an Aussie teammate had to be given a break from racing to allow her to gain some weight. Where are you. We had a team of champions and let me tell you we did not translate into a champion day. So what did being a professional. There are still definitely haters and trolls and people who are abusive. Shes very tall incredible flexibility of this photograph of her kicking so her legs completely apart almost 90 degrees flexible hips incredible flexible flexibility and strength. Because Im most curious about this you know being in the media for as long as I have. In 2007 she began road cycling and in 2008 after winning the national time trial title she raced on the Australian national team and then professional teams in Europe and the United States representing Australia at three world championships. At times it turned into a battle not only against the worlds best cyclists but of also shutting out the voices bluntly telling her she was too old, too fat and too slow. CEOs and board directors and the stats are mind boggling 96 percent of women in leadership positions across all industries have been competitive athletes. [00:08:28] A friend of mine was doing a triathlon Id never ridden a bike before and Id never done a running race and Id only just swum for you know learning that school. And these images and these these styles of leadership also show us that being a coach or an umpire or CEO or a president does not have to be one way doesnt have to be delivered one way by one type of old authoritative suit wearing table thumping man. The dilemma for me was obvious: my concern for her health, and my medical knowledge about the long-term effects on her body and her mind, let alone her career, were constantly in my thoughts. So we all bore the moody behaviour for the good of the team. And were seeing this more in the States. They just often win because theyre the fastest. We don't have much information about She's past relationship and any previous engaged. Bridie O'Donnells income source is mostly from being a successful . So theres a couple of prongs to this attack if you like. How should where should the money be directed from. Now how do you do you have any thought so. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. And we do look forward to continuing the conversation with you so thanks again and well stay in touch. Six years of med school was helpful but actually following around the senior doctor and thinking Okay heres what being a surgeon involves. And I look back now and even though that was painful and it made me feel disappointed I realised that shaped an enormous amount of my persistence and that I was never in an environment where I was the best athlete ever and it took me until you know when I was 42 and I broke a world record to be the best in the world at something and thats a long time of trying and I do think that some people who peak early theres a sense there of complacency or perhaps perhaps even a lack of strategies on how to win. [00:36:52] We now had over 100 women last 18 months benefit from our scholarship program where they apply through a competitive process to get to five or ten thousand dollars to seek out an educational opportunity to advance their sporting career or their administration career whatever it is they do in sport and rec but we also know that systems need to change and thats where board quotas support it. So sports shapes you in all of these ways and you you I guess you have this benchmark and you think you know what I have done harder shit than this. I really do appreciate it. , money, salary, income, and assets. And we have nowhere near enough adult women participating in organised sport. My sessions were always prescribed by Donna [Rae-Szalinski]; they were time trial-specific, and often focused on flat roads, whereas my teammate would put in four or five hours of slow pedalling, then maybe some climbs, usually across the highway towards Sienna. But if youre just mediocre as a girl you tend to drop out whereas boys who are mediocre keep going. Weve seen as we said three seasons of AFL W and yet in this third season 0 teams of the 10 were coached by women which is mind boggling. You know we see the increase in pay for professional cricketers for example. Thats a powerful image of a man who knows her sport. She represented her nation at the 2008, 2009 and 2010 UCI Road World Championships. The two women who coached in the first season got and McCown one of whom won the premiership cannot get a job here. Is that we achieved our board quota deadline on 1 July of this year where sporting organizations that are funded by the Victorian Government acknowledging that for your listeners that Victorias is one of the states of Australia. Bridie O'Donnell Net Worth Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. 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Just go to the listen tab on the main menu at the top there and drop down to transcending sport and youll find all previous episodes of this show too. [00:26:32] No absolutely thats a copout. So these are things like nipple Victoria hockey Victoria swimming Victoria and three years ago before I even started they were instructed that there would be a board quota. Teach you about what what it requires to be a woman in leadership and sport in Australia. When teammates wanted free advice, or an answer to support their theory, I was of use. [00:38:38] Its my life you know. [00:34:33] They came away from the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games last year with some pretty sobering data. She was a champion rower and ironman triathlete before swapping to cycling in 2007, when the Australian Sports Commission was looking for sportswomen to compete as cycling time trialists. Now we didnt see an increase in broadcasting of womens professional sport on Foxtel over that time and there was definitely some rattling of cans and people saying hang on a second. And so whilst were not where we need to be in terms of pay equality and the number of women in leadership positions and the doors that are open to girls and women of all abilities and all genders and all racial backgrounds we are certainly much in a much better position than we have been even two years ago. Usually former players umpires referees presidents etc. Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. And we have nowhere near enough adult women participating in organised sport. I think no go do the deal with our channel 7 9 or 10 or ABC or SBS which are our national broadcasters because its not good enough anymore to just say oh thats not our job. I had some staff by the time we got to April 2018 and so weve been up and running. So being active playing sport engaged in it in their life. Whats that look like for you now. They would lament conspiratorially how irritating it was that an idiot old lady with no authority, who was not a world champion, was telling them what to do. We don't have much information about She's past relationship and any previous engaged. And that I think has been the extraordinary difference for professional womens sporting leagues and teams is that theyve had to grow and blossom and be criticised in the most ridiculous level of scrutiny both on social media from anonymous abusers but also from just you know male commentators saying this is boring I dont like watching this and it wasnt that long ago that I was commentating Road World Cycling Championships and we were hearing commentators from other countries saying this is a boring race nothings happening with therefore womens cycling is boring without any insight into the idea that these women are not only different physiological beasts but its a different race with different team numbers. The third thing that was really vital for us is access to facilities. [00:18:56] And interestingly the response by the AFL media was to remove the photo and then the Internet responded even more vociferously people in support of her and of womens sport by saying this is not the solution removing womens images from public spaces is not the way to silence critics. I was going to get your reaction to that the topic of equality in sport as far as women are concerned now we wed look maybe at Australia maybe rightly or wrongly from here as being somewhat advanced you know making more strides shall we say than than they are than they are then there is happening elsewhere in the world and certainly keeping up with it. So learning that online is not good enough. And she said well you know what I did some digging and I found out that everyone checks their responsibility or their part to play in the way. However, there was one heck of a roller coaster ride before she got there. So you know there are opportunities out there. And when Peggy talks people listen. There was definitely a bumpy start and Im sure that the governing body the AFL they did receive criticism. The third thing that was really vital for us is access to facilities. That photograph was circulated by a very well-known AFL photographer here Michael Wilson whos received awards for the photo. For six years, she travelled the world racing in the Australian national team and Italian professional squads. Head Coach - Rowing South Australian Sports Institute Aug 2022 - Present5 months Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Head of Rowing Xavier College Aug 2020 - Aug 20222 years 1 month Senior High. At 48 years old, Bridie O'Donnell height not available right now. And if youve said to me a year ago that Id be sitting down with other jurisdictions and talking about how important it was that we are going to bid for the Womens World Cup football in 2023 to host that in four years time I would have thought Id. And so whilst we are we have scholarship programs that are offered. There and can use those facilities and feel part of a club. One of them is being done by the Australian Institute of Sport led by Kate Palmer CEO. What were seeing now is those people are being left behind. One of them is being done by the Australian Institute of Sport led by Kate Palmer CEO. During my first week riding in Italy, after the team presentation and before we embarked on the season of racing up north, one of my teammates insisted she had to lose 5kg, otherwise everything would be very, very bad. You can imagine there were dozens or they said to me you know 100 women and men applied for this job. Women and what they when they dug down into these. Systems are the problem. Bridie graduated as valedictorian from the University of Queensland medical school and won the G R S last prize for the most outstanding intern in 1999. And of course theyre related. [00:25:13] And of course here in the States so many are owned by my wealthy people you know of the Womens Soccer League here in the States. Now if we come back to Australia and we look at the WB ls a great example we have the fourth season of The Womens Big Bash. And one of the things that were actually really reassured. Weve seen as we said three seasons of AFL W and yet in this third season 0 teams of the 10 were coached by women which is mind boggling. Bridie welcome to the program. You know all those generalised resistance statements that a lot of people have which is Im okay with girls playing footy but I dont want to watch women doing it on TV. You dont get what you want a lot. "In cycling it's known as this ultimate test of endurance and mental fortitude," she said. So I was appointed after a very long process. And so I would say that the London Paralympics was probably the best broadcast and profiled Paralympics weve seen and as you know so much investment went into the campaign that amazing ADVERTISEMENT Whether you loved it or not it was memorable in reminding us of the extraordinary abilities of all of those athletes that were going to Paralympics. Another of my pro teammates restricted her carbohydrate intake for the eight weeks leading into a major race, losing 20% of her body weight, and she placed third overall, securing herself a strong result and a bonus from her bike sponsor (bonus is probably too strong a word for it; when women cyclists get a bonus from a bike sponsor, it tends to be $500 or $1000, for men it might be a million Euro for a Tour de France win). Now how do you do you have any thought so. And what was what followed was a real a real moment in time because of revolting abuse ensued of people sort of objectifying and making really disgusting sexist comments about her about the physical position she was in. Organisations that deliver Sport and Recreation to Victorians that are funded by government. She would say why dont the race organisers just mandate to you know Euro sport that they have to show 30 minutes and they would say well you need to pay us and then say Okay fine. Ive been an athlete than a successful athlete. Pic: Collingwood FC/Instagram. You have to work with people of varying abilities different types and motivations and you have to rally them all you have to have a plan and b c and d when things dont go your way. As a young girl growing up in a house with no electricity and television, Dr Bridie O'Donnell had no idea she would one day be a world champion cyclist. Where did that money go and why are we not seeing as much content as we would like and the WNBA is a great example. My most useful object is definitely my pillow. Bob Marleys daughter who owns the Jamaican womens team the Thai billionaire who has funded the Thai womens team you know. And I think that is a conundrum too about you know we do need bums on seats and we do need the women to be attending sports events and filling these stadiums too. The citation noted Dr O'Donnell's extensive work as a physician, professional athlete and gender equality expert, becoming the inaugural Director of the Victorian Government's Office for Women in Sport and Recreation . With power-to-weight ratios being such an important factor, the female athlete has a far greater risk of suffering eating disorders than does her male counterpart. Usually former players umpires referees presidents etc. We know in many cases that can lead to violence. "It makes you very proud not just of myself, but all of the wonderful people who supported me.". I still miss that swimsuit. But Im curious as to where you see the progress that youre making. During her residency she was a rower and then an Ironman triathlete, and finished the Ironman Hawaii World Championships in 2006. It meant I was surrounded either by taller, heavier womentheir physical prowess enviableor small, wiry and dynamic lightweights, who were always adding a run or an extra ride to their countless on-water sessions. Shes an expert shes respected shes hard. Its where May speaking it you know over 120 events panels conferences et cetera in the last 18 months supports that is driving that message home that leadership can look different. Bridie O'Donnell was born on 29 April, 1974 in Australia. Peggy is an amazing trailblazer here in Australia and she chaired and there were some very important influential powerful athletes and administrators women and men involved in this inquiry that published a report at the end of 12 months and what they had looked into were some specific data around a number of women girls participating in sport access to facilities that these women and girls have number of women in leadership positions in sport. [00:22:49] Well why doesnt the UCI the governing body say if you want to hold a rice race licence you have to broadcast X amount and you have to provide the footage and everyone would pass the buck and say its not their job. So youre right were seeing enormous change and you mentioned the M O U the memorandum understanding the Cricket Australia finally succumb to with the male and female cricket players here and look at the impact thats had on our Australian women. Thats sort of resistent attitude. In road cycling, where images of men with lean, tanned legs and hollowed cheekbones had been emblematic of true professionalism, most teams aspired for the same appearance for their women riders. Id like to own the WNBA and Id like to purchase a team for my daughter and we see that happening a lot is that sport is propped up by benevolent donors passionate fans people buying teams for their sons thats happening in this country and yet its not happening for womens legs and I mean how was it blown away by some of those stats from the Womens World Cup. So youre right were seeing enormous change and you mentioned the M O U the memorandum understanding the Cricket Australia finally succumb to with the male and female cricket players here and look at the impact thats had on our Australian women. Weve had a multibillionaire man invest in the NBL here and he owns the league and a couple of teams but no multibillionaire is common said. But I think thats a long conversation and when I do that we can solve it here now. How we overcome this hurdle of you know challenging the networks to make this free to air and satisfying the sponsors and getting the coverage that women need in the media. [00:29:45] Organisations that deliver Sport and Recreation to Victorians that are funded by government. The two women who coached in the first season got and McCown one of whom won the premiership cannot get a job here. And then when theyre not the fastest anymore they dont know what to do next. [00:03:39] And then what needed to come from that and there were nine recommendations that came from this report and the Victorian Government committed to implementing all nine of them. Im Chris Stafford. The progress that the organization has made to advance women and girls participation in sport and the challenges that lie ahead. O'Donnell will have "a week or so of non-goal oriented behaviour" before training for the national road cycling competition with the Women's Rush Cycling Team. Bridie graduated as valedictorian from the University of Queensland medical school and won the G R S last prize for the most outstanding intern in 1999. So all I need to do my job is curiosity persistence support from my employer and my colleagues and a willingness to learn and anyone can do any job when they had those four characteristics. Theyre very good at cultivating people who are highly motivated really passionate and want to make change. But I had incredibly supportive colleagues and certainly the public service is very good at that. [00:32:42] So seeing those women on the field on the pool deck beside the court looking authoritative I mean some of those great images of Becky Hammon whos been the assistant coach at San Antonio looking up to those extraordinarily tall NBA players knowing that shes been a former WNBA champion herself is really powerful. You know theres this myth that oh lets just train more women lets give them coaching courses lets educate them. Yeah theyve just won the Ashes they won the World Cup. So the other another problem them for example is the AFL. My concerns about that were met with derision by old, chain smoking Italian men who drove the vans and said that seatbelts were invented by the English and are a waste of time! The Silver Ferns where were sitting and we also saw and Im sure this photograph reached across the world is the photograph of Taylor Harris That was the most glorious examination and image of a woman kicking sheet. It was a problem all over the worldwhat youd almost term performance-enhancing eating disorders. Eighty five per cent of those women were new women. Thats where all of our networking events support it. And that I think has been the extraordinary difference for professional womens sporting leagues and teams is that theyve had to grow and blossom and be criticised in the most ridiculous level of scrutiny both on social media from anonymous abusers but also from just you know male commentators saying this is boring I dont like watching this and it wasnt that long ago that I was commentating Road World Cycling Championships and we were hearing commentators from other countries saying this is a boring race nothings happening with therefore womens cycling is boring without any insight into the idea that these women are not only different physiological beasts but its a different race with different team numbers. According to our Database, She has no children. As a medical practitioner and a professional athlete with experience across many sports, my opinions are always shaped by a mixture of theoretical and practical knowledge. She will win for sure!. Bridie O'Donnell's recent post did not go down well with many AFL fans. [00:34:51] So they have funded a national program around women in leadership and coaching theyve basically selected 16 scholarship holders from all over the country and are cultivating those. But if youre just mediocre as a girl you tend to drop out whereas boys who are mediocre keep going. Its not life and death. They drop out at all different parts of their lives milestones of their lives for example university or pregnancy or menopause or an aged parts of their lives. How we overcome this hurdle of you know challenging the networks to make this free to air and satisfying the sponsors and getting the coverage that women need in the media. Right there. In 2017, she was appointed the inaugural head of the Victorian Government Office for Women in Sport and Recreation, and in 2018 she published Life and Death a cycling memoir about her experiences racing in the womens professional peloton. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. And unfortunately under that category of niche was womens sports. [00:36:16] Theres theres thousands of reasons that get put forward as to why a woman cant actually follow around the head coach of a mens cricket team and just think OK what does this job look like and how would I do it if it were me because thats how I learned how to be a doctor. How should where should the money be directed from. The way to solve those critics is to. There and can use those facilities and feel part of a club. She is not dating anyone. So my mediocrity was a big part of shaping my persistence across all those sports and in rowing included I was a role for five years and an. So all I need to do my job is curiosity persistence support from my employer and my colleagues and a willingness to learn and anyone can do any job when they had those four characteristics. And what Im asking them to do is think differently about something and that can be for some of them deeply threatening. She would also not need to, given the low intensity of the session. [00:29:59] They would need to have 40 per cent women on the boards of these organisations acknowledging these were all volunteer positions. Bridie graduated as Valedictorian from the University of Queensland Medical School and won the J R S Lahz Prize for Most Outstanding Intern in 1999. "It was the ideal way to grow up I suppose; my sister and I would explore all day long and then go to school during the week," she said. Peggy ONeil shes the president of the Richmond Football Club here the first woman to be president of an AFL club which is no mean feat and certainly as an outsider to a non Australian. So the bar was really high so I got my arse handed handed to me every single race. In 2007 she began road cycling and in 2008 after winning the national time trial title she raced on the Australian national team and then professional teams in Europe and the United States representing Australia at three world championships. She is quite reserved. She would say why dont the race organisers just mandate to you know Euro sport that they have to show 30 minutes and they would say well you need to pay us and then say Okay fine. Then, in her mid-30s, ODonnell made the sharp pivot to professional cycling, a field where she found great success. ODonnell eventually made the switch back to working full time in medicine, but she never really left the world of sport. It also saved me when we would arrive at 2.5 star motels with awful pillows that inevitably led to terrible sleep. What does this say. Nothing really was landed at that time around how that would look at that. The joy of having secured that first pro-contract was quickly dented by some fairly harsh realities, not the least of which was seeing the damage some cyclists were prepared to inflict on their bodies inthe pursuit of success. You know all those generalised resistance statements that a lot of people have which is Im okay with girls playing footy but I dont want to watch women doing it on TV. So it had both sides of politics supporting the inquiry and it was chaired by an American. You know the cricket team and others. Here, she tells us about the pillow that made her many cheap motel stays bearable, as well as the story of two other significant belongings. For anyone who I mean for most people who work in sport or even volunteer in sport its the passion that drives them its the reason that you get out of bed every morning and some of those days are extraordinarily difficult and heartbreaking. Our guest this week is Dr. Bridie ODonnell, Head of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation in Melbourne, Australia to discuss the issues affecting women and girls from her perspective, the progress that the organization has made to advance women and girls participation in sport and the challenges that lie ahead. By 1 July of this year and with an amazing amount of work and meetings and resistance and some yelling by some cranky aggrieved gentleman who were long term president saying I know women but I just dont know any woman who wants to be on this board and I think to myself I know why Barry day we got to 93 per cent of those funded organisations by 1 July who would achieve 40 percent or more and the other 7 per cent of them which is about 10 organisations were working with and meeting with every month and there may be extraordinary general meetings and theyre bringing women in and what we know about this is that whatever your feelings are about quotas I they work be they force an exploration of your existing board which is the best outcome because for so many people theyve just said we just need seven people. So weve invested twenty nine million dollars in female friendly facilities over the last four years which means upgrades to pavilions so that these girls toilets and change rooms better lighting better surfaces on the field so that more teams can play. She was tall and had the arms of a prima ballerinastrong, but skinny as hell. O'donnell is a world champion road cyclist, a . So seeing those women on the field on the pool deck beside the court looking authoritative I mean some of those great images of Becky Hammon whos been the assistant coach at San Antonio looking up to those extraordinarily tall NBA players knowing that shes been a former WNBA champion herself is really powerful. As a doctor, and being well aware of ideal training methods, nutrition and exercise physiology after spending three years studying for my sports medicine exams, I knew what I was seeing was unsustainable in the short term and unhealthy in the long term. In 2016, at age 42, she broke the womens world record for the longest distance covered by bike in one hour. And one of the things that were actually really reassured. So what we know about women in sport in Australia is it has extraordinary links to the importance of just challenging our rigid gender stereotypes. The way to solve those critics is to. But as youve seen globally weve been taken over by Russia China the UK and definitely the US. Systems around unconscious bias around myths of maintaining confidentiality so we dont want to have a mentee follow the head coach male coach around or retaining information and privacy that you cant have women in mens spaces because you know sexuality issues or nudity or whatever. So my mediocrity was a big part of shaping my persistence across all those sports and in rowing included I was a role for five years and an. Killer pizza from mars calories; The personality will become 45 years old in the upcoming year. Bridie O'Donnell's tumultuous tenure at . So learning that online is not good enough. Women like Angela Merkel and Christine Lagarde You know Theresa May. This put many of the Australian womenlike myself, often converts from other sports like running, rowing or triathlonat a distinct disadvantage. O'Donnell said her primary education was also unique, going to the Blackall Range Independent School, which shunned traditional classroom education and held many lessons run by parents. The Silver Ferns where were sitting and we also saw and Im sure this photograph reached across the world is the photograph of Taylor Harris That was the most glorious examination and image of a woman kicking sheet. You have to work with people of varying abilities different types and motivations and you have to rally them all you have to have a plan and b c and d when things dont go your way. But I did really well and I was ridiculously ambitious and I joined a triathlon squad and then I took a year out of med school like a gap year if you like and I thought to myself yep OK I want to go to the Olympics in Olympic distance triathlon but this was in an era when the Jones Emma Carney Jackie Gallagher Loretta Harrop like the best women triathletes in the world were all in Queensland. We have had women meddling in basketball at the Olympics for five six Olympics and yet and we have some of the best basketball is in the world have come from Australia. Best of 2016: Bridie O'Donnell's world record breaking hour in photos, The stories behind the stories: CyclingTips editors share their favorite articles of 2016 and why, The women's world hour record climbs again: Evelyn Stevens rides 47.98 km, Beyond fitness: What it takes for a world hour record attempt. We want fans to experience those games because that then also leads to TV viewership and that if youve never been to a WNBA game or at Suncorp if Nepal or if I thought w the atmosphere is wonderful and very family friendly nowhere near the same levels of aggression and violence. They drop out at all different parts of their lives milestones of their lives for example university or pregnancy or menopause or an aged parts of their lives. There were a lot of team vans that had no seatbelts in the backseats, which terrified me. [00:18:32] That photograph was circulated by a very well-known AFL photographer here Michael Wilson whos received awards for the photo. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. Where are you. So we have a lot more men and in fact five times as many boys and men play competitive and organised sport in Victoria as do girls women girls women are active at the same rates. These werent really. And I think that is a conundrum too about you know we do need bums on seats and we do need the women to be attending sports events and filling these stadiums too. So they have funded a national program around women in leadership and coaching theyve basically selected 16 scholarship holders from all over the country and are cultivating those. I was allocated a coach in my state, persisted through that year then won the time-trials in the Oceania and National Championships. O'Donnell has competed in three world championships in the discipline, but said the world hour record was her finest achievement to date. Thank you for joining me. But we do have a lot of great wheelchair athletes who did very well obviously in Rio and do very well. By 1 July of this year and with an amazing amount of work and meetings and resistance and some yelling by some cranky aggrieved gentleman who were long term president saying I know women but I just dont know any woman who wants to be on this board and I think to myself I know why Barry day we got to 93 per cent of those funded organisations by 1 July who would achieve 40 percent or more and the other 7 per cent of them which is about 10 organisations were working with and meeting with every month and there may be extraordinary general meetings and theyre bringing women in and what we know about this is that whatever your feelings are about quotas I they work be they force an exploration of your existing board which is the best outcome because for so many people theyve just said we just need seven people. [00:36:46] And so whilst we are we have scholarship programs that are offered. Peggy is an amazing trailblazer here in Australia and she chaired and there were some very important influential powerful athletes and administrators women and men involved in this inquiry that published a report at the end of 12 months and what they had looked into were some specific data around a number of women girls participating in sport access to facilities that these women and girls have number of women in leadership positions in sport. Thats what you want in the best kind of basketball coach. So we have a lot more men and in fact five times as many boys and men play competitive and organised sport in Victoria as do girls women girls women are active at the same rates. She also graduated with a Master in Public Administration from the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) in 2021. If you want to learn more about him, check this article after a few days. Bridie O'Donnell has enjoyed two very different careers. I would grab Gypsy, my rescue greyhound, and some family heirlooms that might be of very little value to others but are of great sentimental value to me. Im sick of people saying thats not our job to do this or were just waiting for a bigger sponsor. But we also need the networks to to buy into it too because at the end of the day everybody benefits if they have the foresight to invest in it at whatever level. and theres been so such a lack of diverse thinking that you know these people generally all the same age that probably went to school together and so by by asking them to have a quota and bring women in. I think thats a critical part of increasing the coverage and exposure of womens sports. Thank you so much for having me on. They would need to have 40 per cent women on the boards of these organisations acknowledging these were all volunteer positions. I was going to get your reaction to that the topic of equality in sport as far as women are concerned now we wed look maybe at Australia maybe rightly or wrongly from here as being somewhat advanced you know making more strides shall we say than than they are than they are then there is happening elsewhere in the world and certainly keeping up with it. Whats that look like for you now. [00:39:37] And if youd like to find out more about Bridies work and the organization you could find a link in the show notes accompanying this episode at WiSP Sports dot com. [00:23:43] So for example there was a rather controversial commitment made by the federal government a few years ago where they said were going to give money to Fox Sports to focus on niche sports. So it actually wasnt until I was in my second year of medical school I went straight into medical school out of high school and I started doing a triathlon. [00:02:25] Well its an opportunity to learn about what you doing there at the Office for Women and Sport and Recreation because its the one and only organization of its kind in the in Australia as I understand it. Its a great question. And the idea around comparison is actually incredibly unhelpful and quite ignorant by a lot of commentators. You fail a lot. Devastatingly however, it was working: her illnessI saw it clearly as an illnesswas performance-enhancing. Thank you for joining me. When I graduated from medical school my grandmother gave me the medal and necklace, and Ive kept it safe for 20 years. Brady thank you so much for taking time to come on the show today. Brian O'Nolan (Irish: Brian Nuallin; 5 October 1911 - 1 April 1966), better known by his pen name Flann O'Brien, was an Irish civil service official, novelist, playwright and satirist, who is now considered a major figure in twentieth century Irish literature.Born in Strabane, County Tyrone, he is regarded as a key figure in modernist and postmodern literature. Theyre powerful for women and theyre equally powerful for boys and men. Taylor Harris herself was interviewed on the radio sort of saying I know you shouldnt read the comments but Ive read them and these are by some men whove got women in their profile pictures you know wives and probably kids. And were seeing this more in the States. [00:29:01] I would imagine on your To Do list we do have a huge agenda and we have just a small team but we but theyre terrific. And unfortunately under that category of niche was womens sports. But the 41-year-old former Mapleton woman this week broke the world hour record, riding 46.882 kilometres in 60 minutes 609 metres further than the existing record. "My sister and I swam a lot in the ocean and did a bit of surfing, but I was not an athlete at all.". So people were engaging then theyd know they know they all know who Alex Perry and Alyssa Healy and all these players are now because they saw the footage of them they know those names are recognizable and now every woman and man who is a cricket fan in Australia they can name those players that someone said Can you name five women who play cricket. Youre dealing with very powerful people generally men whove had their power for a long time. We were racing at the flesh while on which is a famous race in Belgium with the iconic one kilometer and 10 percent climb at the finale and the women do the race in the morning sort of around 10 or 11 and then the end of the race in the afternoon in the mens races of course live on free to air TV across Europe and America millions of people watch the womens race. They would have a budget over a four year cycle and they would then work alongside the Department of Sport and Rec to oversee policy. And yet the WNBA all is a really as a league that is struggling and has struggled to get investment. And what of the swimsuit she misses? In November 2017, Dr Bridie O'Donnell was appointed as the inaugural Director of the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation (OWSR) which aims to improve gender equality in sport. She is currently on secondment to the Department of Health as Area of Operation Controller for the South-East Metro region in the COVID-19 response. That access is all a part of being accessible right the accessibility of sport. She represented Australia at three Road World Championships and broke the UCI Womens Hour World Record in 2016, riding 46.882km at the Adelaide Superdrome. You know we have a really a problem in Australia against violence against women. We have estimated But my goodness it does allow you a context and help you deal with strong personalities and we say that a lot in where Im working now as a sports administrator or working in government. And as the saying goes you know you cant be what you cant see that that access is critically important. Transcending Sport is hosted by Chris Stafford. I had some staff by the time we got to April 2018 and so weve been up and running. and theres been so such a lack of diverse thinking that you know these people generally all the same age that probably went to school together and so by by asking them to have a quota and bring women in. And if I had had men in the public service say youll never be able to be this boss of this office and run this budget do make this change because youve never done it before then. [00:04:00] Mel Jones is an international test cricketer here from from Victoria was the face of that campaign but it wasnt until 2017 when the Minister for Sport announced that he would create an Office for Women in Sport that would be dedicated to pursuing the outcomes of these nine recommendations that he would staff them. She became the first Australian woman to make an attempt on the UCI world our record in 15 years setting a new world record of forty six point eighty eight two kilometres at the Adelaide Superdome in November 2017. Less than 10 per cent of the coaches of all teams at the Commonwealth Games were women and worse than that. In the early season Spring Classics, races in northern Europe that were renowned for their cobbled roads and inclement weather, race winners were invariably strong, ferocious Dutch or Belgian women who didnt mind sideways rain or being put in the gutter (pushed to the dangerous and unpredictable soft edges of the roads) by other riders. From hippy Sunshine Coast upbringing to world record, cyclist Bridie O'Donnell steps into spotlight, For the latestflood and weather warnings, search onABC Emergency, Keep across all the live scores and results from the Australian Open at Melbourne Park, In cycling it's known as this ultimate test of endurance and mental fortitude. Your email address will not be published. Where do you see Australia right now in terms of equality. You know how to deliver you keep going when youre tired you keep going when youre annoyed when it rains when its windy. To make matters worse, at least in the eyes of management, I showed nowhere near enough shame about my body and its apparently terrible excesses. You know these are the difficult things to manage training when its cold and wet and rainy is actually quite simple compared to inter family tensions or a difficult boss or trying to manage team leaders or staff that you you just cannot seem to get on the same level. Bridie O'Donnell took to cycling late, but a rapid rise to the top ranks of the Australian scene fuelled her ambitions. But what were seeing now is many more questions about how Okay okay we get it but how are we going to do it. But the Lottery funding in the UK has boosted all kinds of sports that otherwise would never have had the exposure and certainly reached and mentor and Ill know the position in the Olympics particularly Paralympics. There are frequently motorbikes with cameras following us through the whole three hours and definitely on the footage of the climb at the finale and it was never like on television they didnt even do a 30 minute highlight package 10 years ago and I remember having a conversation with a woman director of a team over in Europe saying why is that.

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