Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@rhiannan_iffland
Topics: Social Media, Viral, Health, World News
Jess Battison
Topics: Social Media, Viral, Health, World News
A waterpark has responded to accusations of sexism over the ‘no female’ sign on a slide that a world champion diver decided to ignore.
Giving Yorkie chocolate’s campaign a run for its money, Austria’s Area 47 adventure park is home to a ‘male-only’ attraction. Except in this case, it’s more than valid.
While the park has got a whole load of ‘extreme’ activities available that don’t discriminate against gender, its mega water slide has got the internet talking and in some cases, lashing out.
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‘Europe’s fastest waterslide’ has impressive speeds of up to 50mph but comes with the warning sign: “Due to high risk of injury, women are not allowed to use this slide!”
And yet, seven-times world champion cliff diver Rhiannan Iffland decided to try it out and shared the following clip to social media:
She explained ‘women aren’t supposed to use this’ before zooming down the very steep, vertical drop and let out an absolute piercing scream.
But despite the important reasons of health and safety that prohibits women from going down the Austrian slide, some users online slammed it as a sexist decision.
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But Area 47 explained to LADbible why this is absolutely not the case.
A spokesperson explained that the water park was built back in 2009 and at that time they ‘did not intend to create a ‘men only’ attraction’.
"Initially, this particular slide was open to both women and men,” they explained. “However, in the second year, we noticed a significant increase in accidents on this slide, which required us to take action.”
The Austrian park then consulted with doctors, authorities and the slide’s manufacturer which ‘led to a difficult decision’: “Either disassemble the water slide or restrict its use to men only, as it stands now.”
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They continued: “Our highest priority is ensuring the safety and happiness of all our guests, regardless of gender.
“The risks for women using this slide were tragically highlighted a few years ago when a woman was severely injured on a similar slide in the Canary Islands.”
The spokesperson emphasised that the destination is ‘not misogynistic’.
According to the National Library of Medicine in the US, women can sustain horrific injuries when high pressured water enters their body. Plus, there is a risk of infections due to the foreign bodies found in the water.
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In recent years, there has been multiple reports of women having their insides 'ripped apart' by high-speed water slides.
After her video went viral, Iffland told news.com.au: "It was never my intent to mock the safety regulations of this water slide. A person’s safety is paramount and I am constantly weighing up any danger with my job.
"To suggest otherwise, is wrong," she said.