The second protagonist of the “Women who move sport” series of reports is Vicky Pieniazeck (France, 1957), whose voice has been with us for years, reporting, cheering on and getting us excited in the races held on the streets of Barcelona. Pieniazeck is a speaker at, among others, the Zurich Barcelona Marathon, the eDreams Barcelona Half Marathon and the Barcelona Triathlon by Santander, a career that, as she herself explains, she fell into by chance: “I was helping out at a marathon in Majorca, and as a result, I gradually started getting involved in more and more events until it turned into my profession”.
Vicky Pieniazeck, French-born to a Polish and North-American family living in Majorca, speaks five languages to a high standard (Catalan, Spanish, English, French and Italian). In addition, she has some knowledge of a few more which, together with her charisma and the very high standard of the competitions held in Barcelona, have opened the door for her to work in such important international events as the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, the Paris Marathon and the Nice Ironman event, among others: “Barcelona is a city that is on the world map of sports. It has extremely high-level events in all kinds of sports, and it is a source of price and joy for me to work in them”.
“To be a speaker, you need to have a good voice, energy and technical knowledge of what you are talking about. And these things are just as likely in a woman as in a man”, asserts Vicky Pieniazeck, aware that her profession is very male-dominated even now. However, she is also aware that her image can help provide a model for other women wishing to pursue the same profession: “Women doing things can open doors for women to do things”. And she will keep doing so for as long as she continues to enjoy her work: “The day when I can’t get excited about an event, that’ll be the day I give up”.
Women and Sport Award, 13 years with sportswomen
The “Women who move sport” series will act as a prelude to the 13th edition of the Women and Sport Award. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the winners of this year’s award will be announced in an online ceremony to be held in December.
The goal of the event is to raise the profile of the achievements of women, united in their passion and devotion to physical activity and sport. The awards have also opened up a new means of dissemination and knowledge of stories and reflections on the role of women in sport, in order to help achieve a more equal presence in all age ranges and all fields of physical activity and sport.