Olympic boxing hero Nicola Adams calls for equal pay for ALL female athletes as she declares 'the fight is not over'

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

Nicola Adams has called for equal pay for all female athletes after England's Lionesses won back-to-back Euros.
The athlete, 42, was the first female boxer to become an Olympic champion after winning gold at London 2012 - and double champion at Rio 2016 where she secured a second gold medal. She retired in 2019 with an undefeated record and held the World Boxing Organization female title.
England's Lionesses began receiving the same pay as the male national team back in 2020, but there is still a huge different in salaries at club level.
And Nicola has declared that the 'fight is not over' as the difference in the pay and treatment of female athletes across most sports is staggering.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, she said: 'I still don't feel like the fight's over, because women still have to work twice as hard and and still don't receive the same amount as pay as their male counterparts.
'So it's, I guess, it's trying to get them up to the level where they're seen more of an equal. Equal payment, equal treatment. I mean, come on, we just won the Euros back-to-back. I don't even know when the last time the guys won the Euros was.'
Speaking about the Lionesses, she said: 'It's huge. It's huge for them to win that again.
'I'd love to say congratulations again, because they've done that and it's absolutely amazing, especially being under the pressure that they're under.'
She added: 'We've made, like, so much project progress. But I think this the like there still needs to be more platforms, I feel like more sponsorship opportunity for women in sport, even though there is more than what there was 10 years ago.
'I think we need to change the way that the sponsorship and everything, and who they're aiming the sponsorship at? I feel like, if I take football for an example, it's very much still like the sports betting companies.
'A lot of the majority of women, I feel like aren't really interested in stuff like that. So I feel like the sponsorship needs to be tailored to see if we're going to get more women watching women's sport and supporting women's sport. I feel like the sponsorships need to be things that women are actually interested in, and so they're more likely to invest in it too.'
Nicola has been supporting a Health Equals campaign highlighting the scale of toxic air across England, Scotland and Wales, something she said is hugely important to her as both an athlete and a mother.
The campaign has found that 12 million children are at risk of serious, long-term health problems, from asthma and other lung conditions to increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
Nicola said: 'As someone who's spent years pushing my body to its limits as an athlete, I know firsthand how much the quality of air we breathe matters, and then I guess, beyond that, I'm also a parent.
'My son's my son's health is my top priority. And like any Mum, I want to, I want to know that the air he breathes is safe, whether he's walking to school or playing outside.
'Air pollution is the second leading risk factor for death in children under five in the UK. When I heard that, I was like, wow, I didn't even realise how bad it was. It should be just equal for everybody.'
She continued: 'This isn't just about personal choice. It's about systematic change, and health equals is calling on the government to make health equal by creating proper cross government strategies to tackle air pollution and health inequality.'
Nicola's comments came after female sport hit headlines again with the Lionesses securing an incredible second Euros win in a row.
Sarina Wiegman's team thumped Spain 3-1 on penalties following a tense and drawn-out 120 minutes of stalemate football in Basel, Switzerland, at the end of last month.
Last week, the Lionesses were greeted by a huge crowd at The Mall from atop a bus emblazoned with the slogan '2022 and 2025 European Champions' as they celebrated their win.
The squad turned out in t-shirts that read 'HOME', with the 'H' stylised as a pair of letter 'I's in recognition of their two European titles on the trot, and red scarves bearing the Three Lions and the word 'CHAMPIONS'.
Kerry Davis - the first Black women's footballer to play for England - then helped to bring out the Euro 2025 trophy before the team hoisted it aloft in a flurry of red smoke to the cheers of thousands.
Coach Sarina even danced around on stage with Burna Boy while he performed in front of the team and supporters.
A tearful Leah Williamson told the crowds it had been like a 'fairytale', adding: 'I've been crying all the way down the Mall. It's unbelievable. It's one of the best things we've ever been a part of.'
She continued: 'There's lots of ways to win a football match and we repeatedly did it the hard way. You can see how much we care about playing for England. How much we love it.'
Lives are being cut short by up to 16 years in parts of the UK. The air we breathe is part of the problem. To be part of the solution, visit: www.healthequals.org.uk