'Normalise Talk Over Periods in Sport'

Researcher urges more conversations about the topic, with sport an empowerment tool

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ZURICH - Professional women's football teams have increasingly moved away from white shorts to address concerns over period anxiety, but studies have found the issue continues to impact performance and discourages young girls from participating in sport.

Alex Krumer, a professor in sports economics at Molde University College in Norway, presented his 2024 peer-reviewed study on the performance effects of wearing white shorts to an audience at the University of St Gallen last week, coinciding with the Women's European Championship in Switzerland.

Krumer's research, based on data from World Cups and European Championships between 2003 and 2023, found that women's teams wearing white shorts averaged 1.27 points per game compared to 1.57 points for teams in dark colours. Men's teams showed no performance drop when wearing white.

Krumer said there was not enough conversation on the issue.

"Sports should be a vehicle for gender empowerment," he told Reuters. "It's about inclusiveness because this is an exclusive part in women's soccer, not necessarily for professionals, but for the young girls this is important."