London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 21, 2025

Covid: Many female athletes 'may walk away' after pandemic

Covid: Many female athletes 'may walk away' after pandemic

Increasing numbers of top female athletes will walk away from their sport due to difficulties during the pandemic, leading figures have warned.

Gymnast Latalia Bevan, 20, and rugby international Angharad de Smet, 24, say Covid has left their careers in the balance.

Sports sociologist Dr Ali Bowes said it had highlighted inequalities in sport.

"There are absolutely concerns women will walk away," she said.

Wales rugby international de Smet, who has worked on the front line during the pandemic, said she's been left wondering whether "the love of the game is enough?"

The 24-year-old from Ammanford, who was playing for Wales in the Autumn Internationals and as part of the sevens squad before Covid-19, was "living the life of a professional athlete, without the pay cheque".

But as Wales began its first lockdown, games and training were cancelled.

Angharad de Smet has been working on the Covid front line while also maintaining her fitness

Over the last year, she said she's trained with just one kettlebell, unable to access proper equipment or facilities. Her last game of rugby was 14 months ago.

The physiotherapist technician, who works on an elderly care ward in Swansea, said she has struggled to train after gruelling shifts in hospital.

"You've seen things you would hope to never see again in your lifetime, to come home and try and do a gym session... in your tiny kitchen... you think 'why am I bothering?'"

In 2019, the 24-year-old had been travelling to Worcester to train a couple of times a week after work, arriving home in the early hours.

"Nobody understands how much we give, just the wear and tear on your car, the petrol, putting food on the table, trying to get good food into you to aid recovery is expensive."

Now, she describes her future in the sport as "uncertain".

"Do I put my career first or do I pursue my dream of playing internationally, becoming a professional athlete? I am 24, should I have to make those sorts of calls already?"

Commonwealth Games silver medallist Latalia Bevan said the challenges of a global pandemic were a "massive" factor in her decision to retire from elite gymnastics earlier this year.

Latalia Bevan has been working as a home carer since retiring

"It was so hard to keep your motivation, we'd do two or three Zooms a day, so my home turned into a gym and I'm from a family of seven."

The 20-year-old from Merthyr Tydfil, who won Wales' first gymnastics medal at the Gold Coast 2018 Games in Australia, had been training for 32 hours a week as well as studying at university in Cardiff.

As a student, she used her loan to help cover costs after losing GB funding and while recovering from an operation.

But after leaving her studies, she lost the financial support and struggled to adjust to a new life away from the gym after 14 years.

She's been working as a home carer since retiring and said it's nice not to have to rely on her family to pay for things.

Latalia won silver at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia

The former gymnast said she'd thought about returning to the sport but, if she did, she'd have to quit her job and that isn't an option with rent to pay.

She's now focused on becoming a gymnastics coach and personal trainer.

Alecs Donovan says the pandemic gave her the chance to sit back and prioritise seeing family and friends

Rugby player Alecs Donovan "would never have thought" that at the end of the third lockdown she'd retire.

With her yoga businesses closed, the 30-year-old said she was able to train "more than ever".

The business owner said the pandemic has given her the chance to sit back and prioritise seeing family and friends.

As a personal trainer who works with professional male athletes, she said it can be worse seeing their schedules and the support they get.

She added she was aware of women who don't go for promotions because their current job allows them to play the sport, but she wonders what will happen when rugby stops.

Equality 'on the agenda'


Dr Ali Bowes, senior lecturer in sociology of sport at Nottingham Trent University, said: "It's one year on from lockdown and it's really obvious where the inequalities exist."

Her research, looking at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on elite women's sport, found women struggled to access equipment, a gender "play" gap where men's sport returned faster and financial difficulties for women who were unable to play.

"There are absolutely concerns that women will walk away and we've seen that already with some examples in a number of sports where it's been too difficult for them to continue," she said.

The sociologist is optimistic that discussions about the problems in women's sport, and the difficulties athletes face can be used for positive change.

"There's also been significant forward steps, and it's put equality really on the agenda for lots of sports organisations, teams, clubs and national governing bodies. There's no hiding place now."


Gymnast Latalia Bevan and rugby international Angharad de Smet say the pandemic left their careers in the balance


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×