On the last day of July, during the traditional “Sea Fisherman’s Festival” held in Šventoji, among many events were the “Vikings” boat races, in which this year five women’s and seven men’s teams competed.
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The same rules applied to them – to start, participants had to pay a minimum entry fee of 100 euros and complete the half-kilometer course in the Šventoji River as quickly as possible.
The organizers committed to awarding all participants commemorative medals – this was stated in the competition regulations.
However, after the races, it became clear that not all participants were valued equally – it seems that the difference was determined by gender.
A female participant in the women’s competition told the portal that the champions, in addition to medals, were awarded a šakotis and a bottle of champagne, while the men received a trophy and shared a prize fund of 500 euros.
The participant says that such recognition, competing under the same rules, is at least disrespectful.
“We have long been fighting for equal rights. Under the same rules. With the same sweat, pain, and desire to win. Sometimes our results are even better than some of the men’s.
And this story is not about the trophy. It is about respect.
How can a coastal region, where women have always been an integral part of the community’s strength, today decide that men’s victories are worthy of trophies, prize money, and special recognition, while women’s are worthy of a šakotis,” the woman asks.
She indicated that such an attitude has not diminished women’s sporting enthusiasm: “We certainly will not die without receiving a passing trophy or a cash prize, and it will not reduce our desire to fight at all.”
The Equal Opportunities Ombudsman’s Office views this case as gender discrimination.
“According to the Law on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, a service provider must ensure equal payment conditions or guarantees for all consumers, regardless of their gender, for the same or equivalent services.
Therefore, the different value prizes offered by the competition organizers to men and women could be considered gender discrimination. Especially when the prize differences are indeed significant,” the office stated in a comment to VE.lt.
However, legally such recognition cannot be considered discrimination because it first requires a complaint, initiating an investigation, and conducting it, which has not been done.
“Discrimination is determined after a legal investigation, and for that, one would need to contact the office and file a complaint. During the investigation, all circumstances would be thoroughly analyzed, and the conditions set by the organizers for participation in the competition would be evaluated.
For example, it would be necessary to assess whether there was an entry fee in the races, what amount was applied to men and women, as well as what events took place, their length, and difficulty,” the office explained.
There have already been cases in Lithuania where organizers were warned for gender discrimination in sports competitions by unevenly valuing men’s and women’s achievements – in bicycle races, different cash prizes were set for men and women for the same achievements.
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Without a warning, the club organizing the competition was recommended to adjust the rules.
