Olympic swimming legend Sharron Davies has accused the BBC of neglecting her sport, saying the corporation is failing to fulfil its public-service mandate. The 64-year-old, who won silver in the 400m medley at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, has seen her television offers drop dramatically since she began campaigning against transgender women competing in women's sport.
Davies Speaks Out on BBC's Coverage
Davies, who competed at three Olympic Games and covered many more for the BBC as a broadcaster, insists she has no regrets about speaking out after vowing to defend biological fairness and safeguarding single-sex spaces, even though she believes it has cost her work. Last year, she revealed she was struggling to heat her house amid the cost-of-living crisis and is relying on her mother's inheritance to stay afloat.
As for the sport that made her famous, Davies has hit out at the BBC for its dwindling coverage. Team GB's excellent performance at this year's European Championships in Paris went largely unnoticed after the corporation opted not to air it.
Public-Service Mandate Under Fire
Davies believes the BBC is failing to do its job as a taxpayer-funded national broadcaster by largely ignoring sports like swimming. She told the Telegraph: "I feel really strongly that BBC Sport isn't fulfilling its public-service mandate."
"Swimming is one of the biggest participation sports in the country, but it will barely be on the BBC until the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. Kids aren't going to be inspired to do it if they can't see it. They can't look at people and say, 'That's amazing, I want to do that.'"
"And yet swimming is a skill you have for life. You can use it when you're pregnant, when you're sick, when you're old, you can use it as a family. Plus, it saves lives. Each year, there are 40 to 50 preventable child drownings in the UK. But still the whole thing is being demolished. It has been treated with disdain for a long time now."
Focus on Football at Expense of Other Sports
Davies believes the BBC's focus is all wrong and that it places too much emphasis on football at the expense of other sports. She added: "They're getting mixed up between what the mandate is and trying to be some young, groovy TV company competing with Netflix."
"That's not what the BBC is supposed to be. One reason why people pay their TV licence is that they believe they're seeing a decent range of sports on TV, one that's reflective of society, rather than just the same stuff all the time. It's so depressing. Not every kid wants to be a footballer, but it feels like we've dropped everything for football. The BBC could do so much for all the other sports, and they're just not doing it."
