SUBSCRIBE NOW

SIGHT

Be informed. Be challenged. Be inspired.

Olympics 2020 set to break new record on gender equality

New York City, US
Thomson Reuters Foundation

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics is on track for a new record – having an almost equal number of female and male athletes for the first time, the International Committee announced on Tuesday.

The percentage of female athletes competing at the Olympics in Japan in July is expected to rise to nearly 49 per cent – from 34 per cent in 1996, according to a statement from the IOC. 

Olympic rings Tokyo

Summer sunshine is seen through Olympic rings displayed at Nihonbashi district in Tokyo, Japan, on 5th August 2019. PICTURE: Reuters

The IOC said it is committed to reaching full gender parity for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“It has been more of a marathon than a sprint, but female Olympians are at last catching their male counterparts in the numbers game,” the IOC said in a statement.

The announcement is part of the international sports organisation’s greater push for women’s rights.

This month the IOC announced that it will have full gender representation across all 206 teams and change its rules to allow one male and one female athlete to jointly carry their flag during the Opening Ceremony. 

It has also taken a leadership role in the UN Women’s Sports For Generation Equality Initiative, which aims to advance gender equality in and through sports.

Women’s advocacy groups applauded the IOC move.

“When it comes to equity and inclusion in sports, the world has come a long way, but we still have a long way to go,” the Women’s Sports Foundation, a nonprofit focused on female involvement in sports, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“The IOC’s announcement is warranted and encouraging; it signals great progress toward the ultimate goal of full equality in the Olympic Games, which continues to be a long journey.”

But news of gender equality milestones were marred by growing concerns over whether the Tokyo Olympics will be cancelled as world health officials advise against large gatherings in order to contain the coronavirus.

Japan has more than 1,000 cases of the virus, resulting in 16 deaths as of Tuesday. Globally there are more than 100,000 confirmed cases and 3,600 deaths.

Olympic organisers dismissed speculation that the Tokyo Summer Games could be canceled at a briefing last week.

However, the torch lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia, Greece, will be held without spectators after organizers on Monday introduced tighter measures to protect against the virus.

 

Donate



sight plus logo

Sight+ is a new benefits program we’ve launched to reward people who have supported us with annual donations of $26 or more. To find out more about Sight+ and how you can support the work of Sight, head to our Sight+ page.

Musings

TAKE PART IN THE SIGHT READER SURVEY!

We’re interested to find out more about you, our readers, as we improve and expand our coverage and so we’re asking all of our readers to take this survey (it’ll only take a couple of minutes).

To take part in the survey, simply follow this link…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.