The game is changing, or should we say Olympics is evolving. There will be an equal number of male and female competitors at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, 2024, for the first time in history.
This 50:50 representation of athletes makes the Summer Games the first to reach gender equality.
Progress does not stop here
With an expected global audience of 3 billion, this year’s Games have been deliberately scheduled to make possible more balanced coverage of all events, putting all athletes in the spotlight. The Games will also feature more women’s and mixed events, offering more opportunities for women to win medals.
The rise of women’s sport in numbers
- 50% of competing athletes at the Paris Games are women.
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70% of people watch women’s sport, but only 16% of 2022 sports media coverage was of women’s sports.
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14% larger social media following than male athletes but women still get less coverage.
Approximately 35 female commentators have been hired by the Olympic Broadcasting Services for Paris 2024, raising the percentage of female commentators to nearly 40 per cent—a nearly 80 per cent increase compared to Tokyo 2020 and over 200 per cent from Rio 2016.
Time to level the playing field
Women’s sports are exploding, breaking records and scaling new heights. There is plenty to get excited about and investigate, from the Olympics reaching gender parity to the expanding fan base for women’s sports. Are you prepared to take on a significant role?
Girls and sport
Sport is a great enabler to teach girls the skills they need to advance in life. Girls who play sports develop self-esteem, confidence, resilience, and learn to work in teams. They also tend to stay in school longer, and get better jobs.
Every individual should emphasize the profound impact of early exposure to sports on women’s development and ability to reach their full potential. What role do you want to play?
Quite noticeably, women’s sports are currently experiencing an unprecedented surge in attention, attracting both dedicated fans and investors. Therefore, every community should understand that it’s important for girls to play sports growing up.
Creative Director Geetanjali Kaul of G Caffe creative agency says, “When compared to other categories of influencers, female athletes have a notably greater sway.” Quoting a UN Women survey, she says 88 per cent respondents regarded pro women athletes as impactful role models for young women.
Stressing the need for leveling the playing field, she states that no women participated in the 1896 Summer Olympics which was the first international Olympic games held in Athens, Greece.
Geetanjali Kaul has a point as the 1900 Paris Games were the first modern Games featuring female athletes. About 2.2 per cent of participants were women in that competition. It was only in 2012 London Games that every country had a female participant. In fact, women participants then accounted for 44 per cent of competing athletes.
Women’s leadership in sports is critical to driving investment and improved sports policy related to gender equality objectives. There has been notable progress in the past decade, but gaps remain. But, yes, come this 2024 Paris Games, when out of 10,500 athletes participating in the Games, 5,250 will be men and 5,250 women.
Are you travelling to the Games?
The 2024 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad and officially branded as Paris 2024, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024 in France, with some competitions starting on 24 July.
Neeraj Bhushan
More than a bystander. Chocolate soldier. Pineapple lover. Loves music & movies. Curious about news & trends.