Still Battling for Equity: Examining Biological Sex Portrayals Through the Lens of the Gold Coast During Australian Prime Time Coverage of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

This study analyzed the Australian Seven Network’s primetime coverage of male and female athletes during the 2018 Commonwealth Games, focusing on clock-time, name mentions, and announcer descriptions by biological sex. Findings showed that male athletes received slightly more overall coverage (51.68%) and more prominence in swimming and track cycling, while female athletes received more coverage in athletics and featured prominently among the most-mentioned athletes. Descriptive commentary by announcers was largely balanced, with few significant differences in how male and female athletes’ successes, failures, personality, or physicality were portrayed. The results suggest progress toward equity in media representation of female athletes, though coverage still tends to prioritize male athletes, often linked to medal-winning success rather than biological sex alone.