A former windsurfing world champion and Olympian has claimed she was once told she was ‘too fat’ to compete after becoming pregnant.
Blanca Manchon, 38, enjoyed a glittering career on the water after competing at her first Olympic Games as a 17-year-old – and went on to win seven world championships including a gold at the 2018 Mediterranean Games.
Yet, despite competing in sailing events at the 2004 and 2020 Olympics, Manchon was denied a places at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro as a result of her giving birth.
To make matters worse, she was even dropped from her sponsor Nike and alleges that the global sports brand included an ‘anti-pregnancy clause’ in her contract.
Manchon opened up on the experience at a round table held by the Spanish Football Federation named: ‘Pregnancy, a right classified as a temporary illness’.
‘My career had been going well until I decided to get pregnant at 29. That same year the Rio Games were held, so I thought I had four years until the next one. Throughout the entire process, I had my private and public sponsors, and I was in the top three of my Federation (sailing) of most highly valued athletes,’ she said.
An Olympian has claimed she was told she was ‘too fat’ to compete after giving birth
Biancha Manchon was hailed as a top star in Spain but claims things changed when she fell pregnant at the age of 29
‘The federation told me I was fine, but when was I ready to compete? I was freaking out with the things they were saying to me. I even thought it wasn’t worth it. I was pregnant, my hormones were raging, and I didn’t have to justify my return-to-competition date.
‘In my federation, the head of Olympic preparation told me, ‘Blanca, either you’re competing in two months or I can’t justify your being on the team.’ I asked him, ‘What did I do wrong?’ and he replied, ‘Since you’re pregnant, the bosses don’t trust you’.
‘When I had a bad shoulder, they kept me on, when a footballer tears his cruciate ligament, they still get paid… it didn’t make sense. In the end, your hormones are raging, you’re in postpartum, at the worst moment of your life , and you don’t feel like standing up for yourself. But I turned things around and thought that a woman should be an example for girls. I said that I wanted to go to the Games as a mother, so that people see that it can be done.
‘An athlete in Spain who gets pregnant is an athlete who is seen as finished. They even told me, ‘Don’t go to that championship because you’re still too fat’.’
The Seville-born sailor gave birth to her son Noah in December 2016, soon after Nike terminated her sponsorship deal.
Despite being dropped from all her sponsors, Manchon participated in the pre-Olympic team selection tests and passed just 12 weeks after giving birth.
Opening up on her experience with the global sports brand, she said: ‘The worst thing was Nike. I’d been with them for six years, doing campaigns and ads, and suddenly it was time to renew my contract, and they didn’t answer me.
‘I called them, and they told me my sport no longer fit their brand and that they wouldn’t be able to renew it. They stopped sending me clothes, it was a really radical thing.
Manchon (pictured in 2023) also claimed Nike cancelled her contract – which allegedly contained an ‘anti-pregnancy’ clause
‘I went back to the contract; at first, you’re young, I went back to the fine print – the anti-pregnancy clause. I thought they didn’t want to tell me to my face, and it stayed there.
‘The silence, the lack of response, the ‘she’s crazy’. I understand that a private company tells you ‘it’s just that your image as a mother doesn’t fit well with what I want to advertise’, perfect, I accept it.
‘But not picking up the phone… motherhood and pregnancy have to be seen as something normal.’
In 2019, Nike changed their maternity policy after receiving widespread backlash for reducing pay towards athletes who were pregnant.
The company’s previous stance saw them reduce the pay of a female athlete for 18 months if they became pregnant.
Six-time Olympic gold medallist Allyson Felix was one of the most high-profile complainants against Nike, after the sports brand giants tried to reduce her pay by 70 per cent.
In a statement at the time of the row, Nike said: ‘Female athletes and their representatives will begin receiving written confirmation reaffirming Nike’s official pregnancy policy for elite athletes.
‘In addition to our 2018 policy standardising our approach across all sports to ensure no female athlete is adversely impacted financially for pregnancy, the policy has now been expanded to cover 18 months.’
Nike have been contacted for comment regarding Manchon’s claims.
Manchon, who is reportedly friends with tennis legend Rafael Nadal, made a determined effort to make the postponed Tokyo Games held in 2021, which marked her first appearance after a 17-year gap since 2004.
