FEMALE OLYMPIANS

Later this year, Tokyo will host the XXXII Olympic games. It is a significant milestone in the journey towards gender equality - it will be the first Olympic Games with a balanced number of female athletes. Looking back to the beginning, in the first games in Greece held in 1896, there were no women athletes invited. 22 women (out of 997!) were trailblazers in 1900 across 5 sports. Only two - Tennis and Golf - had women-only events. Curiously, Tennis was dropped in 1904, and Golf in 1908! Both have returned since then.

There have been many milestones for progress since then. The International Olympic Committee formally adopted the right of women to participate in sport and the elimination of all discrimination. This was 1979, more than 80 years after the first games. Still, this was progress.

For the first time, in Tokyo, every participating nation is required to have at least one female and one male athlete. The competition schedule has been designed to allow for equal visibility of women and men competitions. And, the number of mixed events where men and women compete together will also grow. Since the 1950s, only Equestrian was mixed. In Tokyo, there will be 22, including several new events in swimming and athletic relays, judo, archery, etc.

“The IOC is committed to gender equality in all areas, from the athletes competing on and off the field of play to leadership roles in sports organizations”, said IOC President Thomas Bach. “…… the Olympic Movement is getting ready for a new milestone in its efforts to create a gender-equal sporting world – the first gender-balanced Olympic Games in history.”

The pandemic too has conspired to delay this milestone, but come July 23, 2021, we start a new chapter in Olympic history. Let the games begin!

[Source: Factsheet - Women in the Olympic movement: June 2020 update - International Olympic Committee]