Adventurer Sophie Radcliffe Rejected From BBC Show World's Toughest Army Reportedly For Being A Woman | HuffPost Life

Kickass Adventurer Reportedly Rejected From BBC Show For Being A Woman

Rachel Moss— The Huffington Post UK

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In the last five years, Sophie Radcliffe has cycled from London to Paris in 24 hours, completed the Three Peak Cycle Challenge and participated in Iron Man.

The 29-year-old is also the only person to complete the grueling Alpine Coast to Coast challenge - an expedition that includes climbing the highest mountains in each of the eight Alpine countries and cycling between them in one month.

But despite all that, Radcliffe wasn't deemed tough enough to take part in the BBC's new programme World’s Toughest Army.

The reason? She's a woman.

Within minutes of filling out an application form for the new show, Radcliffe was reportedly contacted by a BBC representative who said she could not be considered for the programme because of her gender.

On the BBC's website, the show's description page reads: "We're looking for the toughest men in the country to tackle some of the hardest military courses in the world."

But the application form repeatedly refers to "24 people" - nothing about gender is mentioned.

However, the BBC representative apparently wrote to Radcliffe, saying: "In keeping with the selection criteria of the special forces the application process was open only to men.

"The idea is we want to keep it as ‘real’ as possible and in the special forces we are featuring, women are not currently eligible unfortunately."

In reply, Radcliffe reportedly said: "I understand that the special forces selection is men only – but this is TV."

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Speaking to The Telegraph, Radcliffe said she finds the implication that women are incapable of completing such physical challenges insulting.

Considering her accomplished history as an adventurer and athlete, we're not surprised.

"I would love women to be given a chance to show the world and themselves what they are capable of," she added.

"The BBC opening up opportunities for women to do that would encourage more of us to believe in ourselves and achieve across all areas of life - jobs, relationships and sport.

"Some women will watch this program and assume they could never be tough enough to do those things. Others, like me, will know they are and question why they weren't given the chance to test themselves and be involved."

Through her blog Challenge Sophie, Radcliffe aims to empower other women to believe in themselves.

She believes that women should be told what they can do far more often, rather than what they can't, far - a message mirrored in Sport England's popular This Girl Can campaign.

Previously speaking to HuffPost UK Lifestyle, Radcliffe said: "If you want something, you’re the only person who’s going to make it happen.

"So many things in life that we want are in other people’s hands – like our boss giving us a promotion – but with physical challenges I feel like I can achieve anything I set my mind to.

"We are all more capable of so much more than we think. If you sit around waiting for something to happen, life just passes you by.

"You have to go out and give your dream your best shot, no matter what it is."

Radcliffe is living proof that women can do extraordinary things - it's a shame the BBC won't give her the airtime to prove it.

8 Inspirational Women In Sport

Sarah Attar, Saudi Arabian athlete(01 of08)

Her position in the women's 800m heats may have been a distant last but it was a 'first' that prompted a standing ovation from the crowd. Atturst bravely challenged the social conventions of her country to become the first Saudi Arabian woman to compete in the Olympic track and field. So while Sarah Attar didn't win a medal, she did realise her dream - to represent the women of her country and inspire them to embrace sport.She said: "For women in Saudi Arabia, I think this can really spark something to get more involved in sports, to become more athletic," she said. "Maybe in the next Olympics, we can have a very strong team to come."Atturst, along with judo competitor, Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani, were the first Saudi Arabian women to attend the Olympics.The decision was a last-minute one following pressure from the International Olympic Committee. (credit:PA)

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Campaigner (02 of08)

Former Paralympian medalist, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, 43, is world-renowned for her tireless campaigning for disabled sport as well as women's sport.Born with spina bifida, the former athlete was enobled in 2010, after winning 11 gold medals across five consecutive Paralympics Games.Since retiring from sport, Grey-Thompson is busier than ever - she is a TV broadcaster, politician, sits on the board for London Transport and the London Marathon and is the patron for numerous charities. She is never afraid to speak out on what she believes in. Most recently, in May 2013, she told the House of Commons Education Committee that the Government did not take sport seriously and that many disabled children were still “sent to the library” during PE lessons because “teachers don’t feel equipped or able, in many cases to integrate them properly into lessons.”“We are trying to save money because of tough economic times. The obesity bill is just going to keep rising, welfare benefits will just keep rising and, actually, sport [and] physical activity can do an awful lot to challenge and help those things.” (credit:Getty Images)

Clare Balding, Broadcaster & Writer(03 of08)

Clare Balding's incredible coverage of London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics cemented her status as a national treasure and earned her a BAFTA Special Award. It also helped to raise the profile of women in sport as well as women in the media.Balding, whose passion for sport is in her genes (her father is the Queen's former horse trainer), has a particular passion for women's sport and in her frequent interviews in the media, she never misses an opportunity to campaign for gender equality.Not surprisingly, Balding was given an OBE in June this year. (credit:Alamy)

Marion Bartoli, Wimbledon Champion(04 of08)

Unfortunately, Marion Bartoli's impressive victory in the 2013 Wimbledon final - in which she didn't drop a set against Germany's Sabine Lasicki - was somewhat overshadowed by *those* sexist remarks from John Inverdale and a few ignorant souls on Twitter.The fiasco has forced the world to open its eyes to the sexism that women still have to contend with. Meanwhile, Bartoli's dignified and magnanimous reaction has cast her as not only a sporting champion but an admirable role model. (credit:Alamy)

Jessica Ennis-Hill, Olympic Heptathlete(05 of08)

Labelled the poster girl of 2012, Jessica Ennis’ 'girl-next-door to Olympic gold-medalist' fairytale has given a nation of schoolgirls a reason to believe that dreams really can come true.Smashing her personal best, beating her competitors by hundreds of points and scooping the gold medal for the heptathlon, Ennis-Hill, has a great deal to be proud of. But it is her status as a role model that seems to give the athlete her greatest sense of achievement.Recognising the importance of such role models, she said after the Olympics: “You can have lots of regulations and lots of information booklets, to get females involved in sport. But if you want girls to play sport, you have to give them role models.” However she is also aware of the obstacles: “The problem with the traditional non-sporting women in the media is that most of them are size zero. You can’t be a fit, healthy sportswoman – out there beating your rivals – if you’re size zero.“It’s hard to change but it would happen if more sportswomen were in the media, and if more coaches were women, more influential sports figures were women.” (credit:Alamy)

Sue Tibballs, CEO, Women's Sport And Fitness Foundation(06 of08)

Tibballs, a tireless campaigner for gender equality. As the Chair of the Women's Sport And Fitness Foundation, Tibballs aim is to create a nation of active women. Her latest campaign is to target the issue around women and fitness at grass-roots level by recruiting 25 schools for an in-depth analysis of how schools engage with girls to deliver physical education and to establish the perfect model.Tiball believes that body confidence is the biggest obstacle for women and sport. She told HuffPost Lifestyle: "The relationship women have with their bodies and the confidence surrounding that is the last step of women's liberation".She believe that "girls need to own their bodies and move their bodies" and have the confidence to get involved with sport. That involves removing the negative perceptions around exercise and fitness for girls. And she believes a crucial part of that is a greater exposure to sporting role models in the media. (credit:PA)

Hope Powell, England Women's National Coach(07 of08)

Growing up in South-East London in the 1970s, in a world there was no place for women in football, Hope Powell stuck by her guns and challenged conventions, determined to realise her dreams.While studying to be a football coach, she knew she had a greater challenge ahead than the rest of her classmates but she wasn't deterred: "On the course I was the only female, the only black female and there I was with these guys from the professional world of football. I probably worked harder than everyone else; in that situation you’ve got more to prove."But prove herself she did. Though "disgusted" that she was unable to play football professionally in this country, she has forged an alternative career in football as the England Women's National Coach and the Team GB Olympic football team.She is currently leading the England team in the Women's Euro 2013.In 2003 Powell became the first woman to achieve the UEFA Pro Licence—the highest coaching award available. (credit:PA)

Nicola Adams, Boxing Champion(08 of08)

Nicola Adams became the first ever Olympic boxing champion when she scooped the gold for Team GB in 2012.Proving that boxing is every bit a woman's game, the champion's victory has caused a dramatic surge of interest in female boxing.Sport England figures show that before last summer's Games, where women's boxing was included for the first time, there were 19,600 females boxing once a week, compared with 35,100 now - an increase of 79%. (credit:Alamy)

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