Each year, on the International Women's Day, we reflect on how far the Olympic Movement has come in the long struggle for gender equality in sport and how far it still has to go. London will host its third Olympic Games, and the progress on the front of gender equality since London hosted its first Games in 1908 is astonishing, despite improvements only coming in small steps and not, as hoped, in leaps and bounds. In 1908 only 1.8% of the athletes were female, in 1948 the number had grown to 9.5%. Considering the fact that 40 years separated the two Games, an increase of less than 8% is in more than one way shocking. Now, with each Games the difference between male and female competitors becomes smaller for both the Summer and Winter Games. In 2008 42% of the Games athletes were women and this number is expected to increase for the London Games in less than five months. Another interesting aspect is that for the first time in Olympic history, women will compete in every sport on the Olympic programme. This was accomplished in 2009 when the IOC Executive Board approved womens boxing for the Games. On the Winter Olympic front, a milestone was reached when the womens ski jumping was approved for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games a first time event. Despite all these successes, the Olympic Movement is still not there where it needs to be there is a need to increasing the development, recruitment and mentoring of women in leadership positions in sport. The hope and aim is to have all National Olympic Committees send female athletes to the Games. Interestingly enough, in 1996 at the Atlanta Olympic Games 26 Nations failed to send female athletes along with male competitors. In 2008, at the Bejing Olympic Games the number dropped to three nations that did not send any women. It is hoped that there will be even less nations sending only male athletes this year round. This year, more than four billion people (half of these will be women) will have access to the Olympics on television, the internet or their mobile devices. Few other sporting events will ever achieve this balance. This number makes the Olympic Games a powerful force for gender equality, and each female athlete competing at London 2012 will automatically act as a role model for women around the world. The Olympic Movement does not have the power to bring gender equality to all aspects of human interaction. But it can use sport to help girls and young women gain the confidence that is needed to challenge stereotypes that limit their opportunities in other endeavours.
Tweet Share