Report Reveals True Picture of Women in the Olympic and Paralympic Games

A report was recently published that outlines women’s participation and representation in the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and leadership opportunities in related Olympic organizations.  The report is titled, “Women in the Olympic and Paralympic Games: An Analysis of Participation and Leadership Opportunities” and is dated April 2013.  This report was published by SHARP, the Sport, Health and Activity Research and Policy Center for Women and Girls.

The findings are fascinating.  Many will recall the London 2012 Games being touted as symbolically significant for women.  For the first time Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei sent female competitors to the Games.  Additionally 2012 marked the first Games in which the United States was represented by more female athletes than male.  While these accomplishments are significant in their own right, this report reveals how much further women still have to go for truly equal representation.  Additionally it unveils the significant gap of female representation at the leadership administrative levels of the Games.

Below are graphs illustrating the year-over-year number of events offered, broken down by gender, at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.  It should be noted that at the 2012 London Games an equal number of sports were offered to men and women, however disparity remained in the number of events offered for a given sport.  For example, in female boxing there are only three weight classes compared to 10 weight classes for male boxers.

Graphs from “Women in the Olympic and Paralympic Games:
An Analysis of Participation and Leadership Opportunities" Report 

Participation by women in the Olympic and Paralympic Games has grown significantly over the years.  Below are graphs showing the increase in female and male athlete participation in each Games.  While male participation is considerably higher, female participation is markedly expanding over the years.

Graphs from “Women in the Olympic and Paralympic Games:
An Analysis of Participation and Leadership Opportunities" Report 

While female athlete participation in the Olympic and Paralympic Games has reached new great milestones, the leadership positions held by women at national and international sports organizations are still significantly less than those held by men.  The report states, “The International Olympic Committee established a 20% threshold goal for the inclusion of women in National Olympic Committees, National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and International Federations by 2005. Currently 22 of the 106 members of the IOC (20.8%) are women—this is the first time the IOC has reached its own 20% threshold. This is an increase from 2008 when the membership was only 14.9% female.”

This trend continues at the highest leadership levels.  There has never been a female IOC President, and currently one of the four vice presidents and three of the 10 IOC Executive Board members are female.  Beyond the Executive Board, the IOC is made up of a number of subcommittees and commissions, of which 84 of the 442 positions (19%) are held by women and just six of the 29 commissions are currently chaired by women.

The movement towards equality is going in the right direction, it is just moving slowly.  From an athlete participation perspective, it is believed that legislation such as Title IX was a major contributor to the US balancing the number of male and female athletes sent to the Games in 2012.  Other actions by ruling organizations have also played a key role.  The IOC put significant pressure on the most recent countries to newly send female participants (Brunei, Qatar and Saudi Arabia).  Specifically the report mentions that the resistance of Saudi Arabia was so great, that the IOC had to threaten that the country’s male delegation would not be allowed to compete unless Saudi Arabia complied and sent female participants.  Goals such as 20% female leadership have also contributed toward the gender equality movement, but these goals set a very low bar (and a bar that still is not being met consistently around the globe).

Supporters of female athletes have taken to the internet in hopes of encouraging change.  A petition on Change.org to Mr. José Perurena López, President of the International Canoe Federation (ICF) has garnered over 3,000 signatures.  The petition requests for the ICF to petition the IOC to add women’s sprint and slalom canoe events to the Olympics in time for Rio 2016.  In the 2012 Olympics, men competed in a total of 6 Kayak events (5 Sprint and 1 Slalom) and 5 Canoe events (3 Sprint and 2 Slalom), and women in 5 Kayak events (4 Sprint and 1 Slalom) and no women’s canoe events.  You can read the “Lift the Ban on Women's Canoeing at the Olympics for Rio 2016” petition by clicking the link. Ref. change.org, womencanintl.com, womenssportsfoundation.org