Distant Goal achieved Equality at the Olympics

Gender equality through time

At the Olympic Games

Glad to state that Olympic Games have been evolving to  be the largest, gender equal sporting event in the world. Consistently competing at the Olympic Games for centuries, female athlete numbers were close to equal with those of the men at Tokyo 2020.

The drive towards gender equality – on and off the field of play - has picked up pace in the Olympic Movement in recent years, thanks in part to progressive initiatives by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Female atheletes' competing at the Olympic Games has increased significantly – from 34 per cent of the total at Atlanta 1996 to a new record of 48 per cent at Tokyo 2020, and a commitment to reach full gender equality for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

The gender balanced games recorded in history is The  Summer Games, Tokyo 2020 that has implemented a change in the rule which allowed one male and one female athlete to jointly carry their flag during the Opening Ceremony. 91% of Number of countries had a female flag bearer – significantly increasing the visibility of female athletes during this iconic event.

Beijing 2022 was the most gender balanced Olympic Winter Games to date, with 45 per cent of women athletes. In October 2018, the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 were the first fully gender-balanced Olympic event ever.

The Long road to equality

It has been a long road since the Paris 1900 Olympic Games, when the first female athletes competed in five events: tennis, sailing, croquet, equestrian and golf. Only 22 women took part, constituting a meagre 2.2 per cent of the 997 total competitors.

Over the past 25 years, the IOC has been encouraging and working with National Olympic Committees and International Federations (IFs) to bring the gender parity and increase female participation at the Olympic Games. Key changes have included opening up of eligibility in the various sports involved; the quota places set by the IOC and filled by the IFs; and the increase of the number of medal events for female athletes. 

Multiple new mixed-gender events have also been added to the further promote gender diversity and equality. Tokyo 2020 doubled the number of mixed events compared to Rio 2016, while the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 will see four new mixed events on the programme

The IOC haa kept it very vivid that quantity is not the only aim but giving equal opportunities to female atheletes' must be achieved around the world in sports field.

Within the Olympic Movemen

Leading by example

Recognising that having gender-balanced Olympic Games is not enough, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has taken increasing action over the years to ensure it is leading by example and encouraging the whole Olympic Movement to advance gender equality both on and off the field of play.

IOC as an organisation

Promoting gender equality within the IOC has been an important objective of the organisation since the creation of the Women and Sport Working Group in 1995, and a year later, when the IOC took the historic step of amending the Olympic Charter to include an explicit reference to the organisation’s role in advancing women in sport.

More recently, under the leadership of IOC President Thomas Bach, the gender gap in IOC membership, IOC Executive Board and across the IOC commissions has been closing.

The IOC continues to demonstrate its commitment to promoting gender equality within its leadership and is setting an example for other sporting bodies by increasing the number of women in its own decision-making positions. In 2023, the number of female IOC Members rose to 41 per cent, 100 per cent more than in 2013, also adding more diversity in terms of age and regional representation. Female representation on IOC commissions in 2023 rose to 50 per cent, a historic high that equates to a 100 per cent increase since 2013.

To support the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020+5, the IOC has defined 21 Gender Equality and Inclusion Objectives for the period 2021-2024. These objectives focus on strengthening gender equality and inclusion across the IOC’s three spheres of responsibility and five focus areas. They build on the progress already achieved and place a renewed focus on accelerating the efforts across the entire Olympic Movement, with NOCs, International Sport Federations, and the Organising Committees of the Olympic Games all encouraged to strive for gender-balanced representation in their leadership roles and decision-making bodies, among other goals.