An Australian diving champion recently went on an extreme water slide meant for males only. Rhiannan Iffland left the internet buzzing after she ignored the “no female” sign on the ride at the AREA 47 – Tirol amusement park in Austria. The ride, which has triggered a sexism debate on social media, is one of Europe’s fastest waterslides. Following Iffland’s viral video, the waterpark has now come forward with an explanation behind the prohibition of women on the risky slide.
Champion diver ignores ‘no female’ sign on waterslide
The 11-time world champion shared a video of herself going down the slide, alongwith the message, “Apparently women are not supposed to do this slide” written over it, on Instagram last week. She captioned the post, “Here for a good time not a long time! Another YOLO moment.” As the video clearly shows the “no female” sign, netizens were left bewildered. Many flooded the comment section of the now-viral video, calling out the waterpark for the sexist sign.
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Waterpark responds to sexism accusations
After being accused of sexism, a spokesperson for the waterpark explained in a statement to Tyla, “AREA 47 was built in 2009/2010. At that time, we did not intend to create a ‘men-only’ attraction within the water park. Initially, this particular slide was open to both women and men.” “However, in the second year, we noticed a significant increase in accidents on this slide, which required us to take action.”
The statement continued, “We consulted with doctors, authorities, and the manufacturer of the slide. This led to a difficult decision: either disassemble the water slide or restrict its use to men only, as it stands now.” “Our highest priority is ensuring the safety and happiness of all our guests, regardless of gender,” it added.
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The waterpark explained that “the risks for women using this slide were tragically highlighted a few years ago,” citing a tragic incident in the Canary Islands “when a woman was severely injured on a similar slide.” “I want to emphasise that AREA 47 is not misogynistic. Approximately 50% of our team members are female, and 60% of our management team is female,” the spokesperson added.
