April 29 – The UK government has added the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the UEFA European Women’s Championship to its ‘listed’ events, ensuring the tournaments will remain available for free-to-air television broadcasters.
In a statement earlier this seek the government said it “is absolutely committed to supporting women’s sport at every opportunity – pushing for greater participation, employment, commercial opportunities and visibility in the media.
“The past few years have seen fantastic progress, with record breaking audiences tuning in to watch women’s sport and attendances at venues growing.”
These two events now join what is known in the UK as the ‘crown jewels’ of sports events – often referred to as protected events – that must be offered to free-to-air broadcasters so that they remain accessible to the widest possible audiences.
UK sports minister Nigel Huddlestone (pictured) said the Women’s World Cup and Euros fulfil the criteria of having a “special national resonance”.
As part of the A group of listed events the two women’s competitions join the Olympic games and in football, the men’s World Cup finals, the men’s Euros finals, the FA Cup Final and the Scottish FA Cup Final as events that are seen as being of national importance.
“This move also represents a further step towards the greater inclusivity and diversity of the Regime, following on from the addition of the Paralympic Games in January 2020,” said a government statement.
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