Deakin expert receives global recognition for talk on women in sport
Deakin University is celebrating a major global achievement, with Dr Dominique Condo’s TEDxDeakin Uni Melbourne talk on women in sport selected for the official TED global channel – a rare honour that places her work before millions worldwide.
Dr Condo, a performance scientist, sports nutritionist and Senior Lecturer in Deakin’s School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, delivered a powerful TEDx talk exploring the hidden pressures faced by elite female athletes – pressures that shape confidence, health and competitive performance.
In the talk, her first TEDx, she highlights how up to 70% of elite female athletes report body image concerns, despite many being Olympic medallists, world record holders and championship winners.
Her research and insights arrive at a crucial moment, with the global conversation around women in sport intensifying during the current Winter Olympics.
Dr Condo – who is also General Manager of AFLW at the Geelong Cats – explains that female athletes are often still judged more for how they look than for what they can achieve, and that appearance-based pressures can directly undermine fuelling, recovery, wellbeing and performance at the highest level.
When appearance starts to overshadow capability, it can impact confidence, health and ultimately performance. We need cultures that value strength, resilience and excellence over outdated assumptions about what an athlete’s body ‘should’ look like.
Her TEDx talk – one of seven talks delivered at last year’s highly successful event – has now captured the attention of TED’s global curators. It joins TED’s official catalogue alongside talks from world leading thinkers, amplifying Deakin’s reputation for research and innovation in high performance sport.
Deakin’s School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences is ranked number one in the world, and Dr Condo’s elevation to the official TED platform further showcases the University’s impact and leadership in this space.
Dr Condo’s TED talk, The Pressure That Makes Olympians Perform Worse, also explores how subtle changes in language and culture can help athletes at all levels stay focused on building strength, resilience and confidence rather than conforming to harmful expectations.
Deakin Media release, 19 February 2026
