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SLR Cameras Banned at National Sports Festival to Prevent Secret Photography of Female Athletes


On Oct. 2 the organizers of the 2024 National Sports Festival set to take place Oct. 11-15 in Saga announced that single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras are banned at the stadium where track and field competition will take place to prevent people from secretly shooting pictures and video of athletes. "These are likely the strictest restrictions on photography put in place at any national-level competition," commented a spokesperson.

Track and field at the National Sports Festival will take place at Saga Stadium in Saga. Only media organizations, the families, coaches and other related people will be allowed to bring SLR cameras into the stadium if they have applied in advance. Smartphones and video cameras will also not be allowed in the no-photography areas near the start and finish lines.

In recent years "athlete voyeurism," in which people take close-up photos and video of female athletes' breasts and lower bodies, has become a national problem. Venues are increasingly taking measures like posting "no voyeurism" signs and employing security patrols to watch for potential offenders.

According to National Sports Festival organizers, there have been a number of incidents within Saga, and in some cases police have been called in to handle situations that escalated. At the test event this past summer only people who applied for and wore a bib with their name and other information printed on it were allowed to bring SLR cameras into the stadium. But even so there were complaints about the way that some people wearing bibs were taking photos, and inappropriate photos were found online. A spokesperson commented, "We will not tolerate this kind of disrespect toward athletes. Official registration did not deter these people, so we had no choice but to impose even stricter measures."

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