As the 2016 Olympics approached, track and field star Alicia Montaño wasn’t just thinking about what she had to do to make the U.S. team; she also had to consider the daunting situation of having family in Rio.
Montaño, who was the mother of a 1-year-old daughter, Linnea, at the time, imagined how difficult it must have been to be separated from her baby in the Olympic Village and find a safe place to see her. In addition to the pressure that comes with competing on the biggest stage in sports, there was also the stress of being a mother navigating her own situations off the track, Montaño tells SELF.
Now, for the first time in Olympic history, athletes heading to Paris can have one concern put to rest. Childcare space provided For the athletes and their families in the Olympic Village.
In May, P&G, a global partner of the International Olympic Committee and the Olympics, announced that its brand Pampers would support a new childcare initiative that will provide diapers, wipes and other supplies for athletes and their children, play spaces and private areas for nursing mothers.
At the Olympics, only athletes and select delegation members are allowed in the residential areas of the Athletes’ Village overnight, but friends and family can visit during the day with a guest pass. The new nursery will follow this rule and be located in a non-residential area of the Olympic Village Plaza, and will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Childcare services will not be provided as the nursery is “intended to be a place to reunite competing moms and dads with their young children,” an IOC spokesperson tells SELF. The ultimate goal is to create a more comfortable experience for parents and children, especially as they move around the village.
“The IOC and the IOC Athletes’ Commission (AC) want to ensure that pregnancy and childbirth do not mean the end of a career, especially for female athletes,” an IOC representative said. “The crèche is part of the IOC and IOC AC’s ongoing commitment to ensuring parent athletes are cared for and supported at the Olympic Games.” While the IOC cannot yet disclose how many athletes will use the crèche, the representative said they are seeing a “high level of interest” in the centres in the run up to the Olympics.
When Montaño heard about the nursery, she was excited about what it meant for female athletes. “There were so many hurdles to consider,” she said.[The nursery] “It takes the thinking out of the equation. For example, we can meet here. It’s safe, it’s relaxing, and we can walk from our rooms to where we can be together.”
She is now a mother of three children and is soon to have Olympic Bronze Medalist PromotionMontaño is dedicating the next chapter of her career to breaking down barriers for mothers in sports and beyond. In 2020, she &motheris a nonprofit organization that helps mothers thrive in all aspects of their lives, including providing breastfeeding spaces, free childcare, and maternal health care grants.
Montaño said he’s pleased to see a brand like P&G stepping up to fill the gap for moms in sports, and he wants this to be a starting point to create more equal opportunities for parents. Having ongoing discussions with athletes to see what else needs to be done would be a good start.
“This is another step in the right direction,” Montaño said. “Let’s keep going.”
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