A British Olympian who was described as a ‘swimwear model’ after doing one shoot before she represented her country internationally has called for the public to stop sexualising women in sport.
International hockey ace and later reality TV star, Sam Quek, 29, was delighted to be selected for the Rio Olympics in 2016 – after missing out in Beijing and London.
Her partner excitedly kept all of the press clippings for her to read after the tournament was over. But when she did, she was dismayed to see she was described as a swimwear model.
The defender from Liverpool who studied at Leeds Metropolitan University has a degree, an MBE and a decade of representing England under her belt.
Yet, one shoot appeared to define her, she said.
Olympic gold medalist Sam Quek of Great Britain poses with her medal during the NFL game between Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars
Miss Quek told the BBC: ‘People had ‘doctor of nutrition’, ‘full-time PHD student’ or ‘training to be a solicitor’. I got down to mine and it was ‘Sam Quek: swimwear model’. Then it had a background of my other half, who owns a property company.
‘I felt it painted a picture that I had no education – like I was a bit of a no-one.
‘She’s a swimwear model, so let’s talk about her other half.’
‘I did one shoot before the Olympics about celebrating the female body. I thought it was great: it ticked boxes of being classy, being sporty – but it was also glamorous.’
After the Olympics Miss Quek starred in ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here’ on ITV.
After 22 days in camp, the brunette beauty just missed out on the grand final.
Sam Quek and Scarlett Moffatt in the shower ‘I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!’ TV Show
Miss Quek said she may have been on TV and in the public eye but she is ‘conscious’ about not being sexualised and has been angered by the way female atheltes are made to appear as sex symbols – while men are celebrated for their talent.
She said: ‘To be successful as a female sportsperson, do you have to get your kit off? No.
‘You’ll not see me doing an underwear shoot. I’m very prudish. Potentially, women do feel pressured to do those type of shoots to be seen and to be heard, but you’ll not see male athletes doing them as often.’
Talking about her new book, Hope and a Hockey Stick, the athlete said she is determined to try to leave a legacy in the sport and make changes to the way women are seen.
She said: ‘I wanted to have a piece of work where one day when I have daughters, they could read it and take inspiration from it.
‘You are labelled as either a sporty girl or a non-sporty girl, doesn’t mean you can’t be both and get glammed up.
‘If you are gonna achieve stardom, for me it’s all about being successful.
Sam Quek did one shoot but was labelled a ‘swimwear model’ while her husband’s career was celebrated in the media
Hockey Ace and England defender Sam said women should be able to look good without being ‘sexualised’
Hope and a Hockey Stick: A new book by Sam Quek will describer her fight to represent her country
‘You have to be good at what you do because I’d hate to be thrust into the limelight because of how I look or how I talk, or whatever it may be.’
She also discussed diversity and selection and defended the all-white international women’s team, which she said is based on talent.
She said: ‘You only have to look at the England hockey team at the moment, everyone is questioning me saying why does it lack diversity?
‘The important thing is that they are the best 18 female hockey players at the moment. There’s a picture of them. Yes, they are all white, but they all have been selected based on ability, quite rightly.
‘I’d hate for anyone to be on that team for being been selected for their skin color or their background. To combat that is making hockey more accessible at a younger age.
‘Getting to people from different backgrounds and parts of the world and, getting them involved early so they can achieve international stardom later.’
Sam Quek said men in sport are not subjected to the same treatment as their female counterparts in Britain
Sam Quek said: ‘I felt it painted a picture that I had no education – like I was a bit of a no-one. ‘She’s a swimwear model, so let’s talk about her other half.’