Watch Her Win • An Innovative, Tech-Based Approach to Support Women Athletes

Pony Malta is a malt-based beverage marketed toward teens and is well-loved for its mission to encourage teenagers to pick up healthy habits through sports. Unfortunately, the harassment and lack of safety that many women face discourages them from practicing in public spaces, making it difficult for them to participate. Hoping to close the gender gap in sports and help women feel safe, Pony Malta partnered with us to identify safe public spaces to train that are covered by video surveillance—and in turn use the resulting footage to increase recognition of up-and-coming women athletes through social media.

According to SOURCE, 38% of women in Colombia feel unsafe in sporting environments due to fear of violence or lack of security. We partnered with the Colombian National Police to identify hundreds of locations throughout the country that are monitored around the clock. We then invited women to train at these locations, which could be found on Google Maps in both major cities and less populated areas.

In addition to providing them safe places to train, we further supported aspiring women athletes by using AI motion detection to capture top-performing plays. This footage was broadcasted to viewers on Twitch, amplifying the performance of women athletes to fans far and wide. We also shared plays with professional team recruiters and Olympic committee coaches with the goal to kick-start new careers. Global amplification of these initiatives across Pony Malta channels attracted scouts and fans alike to get in on the action.

By giving women a place to train and inviting scouts to observe and engage, “Watch Her Win” not only served Pony Malta’s long-standing goal of promoting physical activity; it also creatively overcame societal barriers that stood in the way for women. This initiative, bolstered by a social campaign, highlighted the untapped potential of women athletes and paved the way for a more inclusive future in sports. But there’s still work to be done; in partnership with police and government, Pony Malta has committed to install more than 1,000 cameras in sports venues.