30 Women Climb Kilimanjaro To Play Match At Record-Setting Altitude

Last Saturday, 30 women hailing from six different continents summited Mount Kilimanjaro before descending to play a 90-minute, 11-a-side match at 18,799 feet, setting a world record for highest altitude in a competitive football match. The event was setup by the Equal Playing Field initiative, a movement aiming to raise awareness towards the systematic inequality that women’s sport is challenged with and to empower aspiring athletes to challenge the social norms for girls in sport.

HISTORY, at 18,799 feet.
Our 1,000,000% respect to you all @epfinitiative.#EqualPlayingField pic.twitter.com/Wavm7UGAxU

— #FIFAWWC (@FIFAWWC) June 28, 2017

Former internationals Lori Lindsey (USA), Rachel Unitt (England), Petra Landers (Germany) and Monica Gonzalez (Mexico) were among the participants. The journey took over a week, and the players summited Africa’s highest mountain at 19,330 feet before descending into a volcanic crater to play the match.