"When will men be better than this?" - Martina Navratilova speaks up on bodybuilding officials sexually exploiting female athletes
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has spoken up against bodybuilding officials for taking advantage of female bodybuilders.
Dozens of female bodybuilders have accused the sport's most eminent organizers of sexually abusing them, according to a startling Washington Post investigation.
The women claimed that J.M. Manion, whose father Jim Manion is in charge of the International Federation of Bodybuilding, the National Physique Committee (NPC), and the Fitness Pro League, forced them to participate in nude photo shoots in exchange for favors at competitions and promises of work opportunities.
They also claimed that J.M. Manion's soft-core fitness pornographic website published their images and that they would be forced to quit the sport if they didn't submit to his demands or accept his management.
Navratilova has always been vocal about voicing her opinion on a slew of issues. She recently got into a debate with a fan for suggesting that girls are always told what to do and that they should instead do whatever they want to.
Unsurprisingly, she was among many who were profoundly horrified by the details of the bodybuilding investigation. The 18-time Grand Slam champion took to Twitter to raise a question and wrote:
"When will men do better than this? When will men be better than this?"
@Hogshead3Au @USWNTPlayers @WorldPlayersUtd @AspenInstSports @GlobalAthleteHQ @PlayersTribune @declan_hill @Sport_Integrity @TIDES_Org When will men do better than this? When will men be better than this?
Martina Navratilova shows support to an Olympic silver medalist
Martina Navratilova recently voiced her support for an Olympic silver medalist who was assaulted.
Olympic medalist Kim Glass claimed she was attacked in downtown Los Angeles by a man brandishing what seemed to be a metal pipe, injuring her eye socket in the process.
Glass, a silver medallist on Team USA's volleyball team at the 2008 Olympics, detailed the unprovoked attack in an Instagram story on Sunday, showing herself with a swollen right eye, stitches beneath her right eyebrow and a gouge across her nose.
@B52Malmet Nacy Pelosi and her husband are not any better than any other Person. What about Kim Glass, beaten with a metal pipe by a homeless man this last summer. https://t.co/wTEFv2jYZ8
The nine-time Wimbledon champion expressed her support for the medalist on Twitter in light of this and hoped that she would be alright.
"Yikes! Hope Kim will be ok!" Martina Navratilova wrote.
Yikes! Hope Kim will be ok! huffpost.com/entry/kim-glas…
Navratilova has put together arguably the most complete career ever seen in the sport. She also elevated the game to previously unheard-of heights with her amazing feats in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.
She won the most major titles in the Open Era, with 18 major singles titles, 31 major women's doubles titles and 10 major mixed doubles titles. She dominated women's tennis in the 1970s and 1980s alongside her biggest rival, Chris Evert. However, the Czech-born American decided to end her illustrious career in 2006.