Podcast. Roller derby: the rise of a feminist sport

Every week, in gyms all over France, nearly 4,400 people – mostly women – train in roller derby, equipped with helmets, mouth guards, elbow pads, knee pads, and of course, their rollerblades. , key pieces of their equipment.

For these players, roller derby is not just a sport, it’s a real commitment: it allows them to explore another relationship with their body and their femininity, and offers them a safe space (“safe space”) in which gender minorities, often poorly regarded in sport, are welcome.

Why is roller derby so important for those who practice it? How was this sport born? Why is it so political? Léa Iribarnegaray, journalist at the Campus service of the World, recounts, in this episode of the podcast “L’Heure du Monde”, his meeting with roller derby players. Researcher Michella Marino, author of the book Roller Derby: The History of an American Sport (“Roller derby: the history of an American sport”, not translated into French), explains, for its part, the origins of this activity apart, born in the 1930s in the United States.

An episode produced by Cyrielle Bedu, directed by Amandine Robillard and presented by Morgane Tual.

“The Hour of the World”

“L’Heure du Monde” is the daily news podcast of the World. Listen every day, from 6 a.m., to a new episode, on Lemonde.fr or on Spotify. Find all the episodes here.

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