Fundamental Rights Section
After the case had been broadcast, the Municipality of Aibl made a new offer which the
complainant accepted. The Municipality of Aibl paid € 4,000 to Ms. X.X. and agreed to also
bear the lawyers' fees and the costs of proceedings. The complainant accepted the offer
and established a social aid fund with this amount designed to help local families in need.
3.1.2
Congratulations only to male Olympic athletes?
(VA BD/8-BKA/06)
Mr. N.N. filed a complaint with the Ombudsman Board regarding an advertisement of the
Federal Government in the print media in which it congratulated 'the successful red-whitered Olympioniken' for their golden, silver and bronze medals'. In the absence of any information, the complainant considered this advertisement in daily newspapers as hidden advertising paid from the national budget.
The Ombudsman Board started reviewing the case relating to the Federal Chancellor's Office on March 31, 2006 and referred once more to the recommendation of the Public Audit
Office according to which binding guidelines for the public relations of the Federal Government and its members should be established (see 27th Report of the Ombudsman Board
to the National Council and the Federal Council, page 27).
In practical terms, the Ombudsman Board pointed out also the need for a gender-sensitive
use of language for every form of information provided by the government. The term Olympionike used in the advertisement at issue linguistically clearly refers to male participants in
Olympic Games; therefore, male and female linguists recommend to use the term Olympionikin, Olympionikinnen for female athletes. Apart from the name and the 4-year intervals,
such sporting events have nothing in common with the competitions staged in ancient
Olympia in which exclusively men were allowed to participate.
Language and society are in permanent interaction. On the one hand, language reflects
reality, social standards and values. On the other hand, language also creates reality, because the ideologies and ideals conveyed by it affect the thinking and actions of people.
Point 10 'Linguistic Equality of Men and Women' of the 'Legistic Guidelines 1990', issued by
the Federal Chancellery, provides the following: 'Any differentiation between men and
women not based on objective grounds shall be avoided in legislation. Formulations shall
be used which apply to both men and women'.
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