According to the International Olympics Committee (IOC) press release, 48.8 percent of the athletes that participated in the games are women
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A lot of credit has been given to countries and the IOC for having one of the most gender-balanced Olympics in the form of the Tokyo Olympics. Out of all the 206 Olympics that have been held so far, Tokyo saw a high number of women’s participation in the Games. According to the International Olympics Committee (IOC) press release, 48.8 percent of the athletes that participated in the games are women, making this the first gender-balanced game in history.
While talking about the Olympics, one must not forget the Paralympic Games. Almost 40.5 percent are women, which makes up for the participation of 1,782 women athletes as compared to 1,671 athletes in Rio 2016. Tokyo Olympics is for sure the right step in the right direction.
The numbers are only expected to get better from this point on. And the most pivotal step in this direction would be supporting the women. Every time a girl child is pulled away from the training ground, India loses hope of getting a medal at the Games. A lot of people get goosebumps seeing the 2007 movie– Chak De India and are engulfed with a sense of patriotism. However, when it comes to supporting the real-life Women’s hockey team, many back out or choose to support the men’s team.
There was a underrated dialogue in that movie where the selector says ” ladke kam se kam bronze toh laate hai. Par yeh ladkiya… Chhoro, nahi jaane dete inhe.” If one asks the women’s team if they have faced any adversities while preparing for the games, the answer would be many (in bold and capital letters). Needless to say, a woman has to fight not just to win a game but also the society, her economic condition, and political background.
While women have been able to prove their mettle time and again, they are put to test every time. Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu (49kg) secureda silver, P V Sindhu has become only the second Indian and the country’s first woman to win two Olympic medals. But does that mean the path for future women athletes would be easy?
Even if we look at the current women’s hockey team, many parents and family members were not satisfied with their daughters’ decisions. Rani Rampal’s parents had to hear a typical “log kya kahenge” (what will happen to the image of the family) if she plays hockey in a short skirt. Even Vandana Katariya was not encouraged to play hockey as many thought it was an ‘unbecoming of girl.’
During the 2000 Summer Olympic Games, India just had 19 female athletes. Which, at that point in time just made up less than 30% of the total contingent. The number of female athletes has seen a remarkable improvement since the 2012 London Olympics and took a huge leap in the Rio Olympics. From zero women’s participation at the 1976 Summer Olympic Games, India has made huge progress in the sporting field.
At the Rio Olympics 2016, with about 45% of women’s participation, India could only manage to win two medals, both of which were won by female athletes. PV Sindhu bagged a silver medal in Badminton, and Sakshi Malik returned home with a bronze medal in Wrestling. At the Tokyo Olympics, Sindhu has achieved the feat of being the only Indian to have won two consecutive medals at any Games.
The first time women participated in the Olympics was at the 1900 Paris Games. The number of women participants was less than two dozen, whereas the total number of participants was close to a thousand(997). To bring you to the numbers, women were just 22 and the rest were men. They competed in five sports: tennis, sailing, croquet, equestrianism, and golf.
It was at the Tokyo Games that women’s participation saw a huge rise in women’s participation in Olympics. Women made up almost half of the athletes participating in the Games. For the first time ever, all 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) had one female and one male athlete in their respective Olympic teams. However, this change has come after a long time. Over the course of many years, IOC has maintained that it is doing everything it can to promote gender equality and women’s participation in the Games. Even the Olympic Charter has said the same.
The feat at the Tokyo Olympics was so remarkable that even the UN Women’s Twitter handle posted about the same and congratulated the Olympics committee for such hosting gender-balanced Games.
“Did you know? This year’s @Olympics was the most gender-balanced Games in history and a landmark for gender balance in sport! #Tokyo2020.” the official UN Women’s handle posted on Twitter.
Women’s athletics and gymnastics made it to the Olympics in 1928. Over time more and more women’s events were added. In 2012, women’s boxing was introduced. As the result, there was no sport that does not include events for women.
