Australia’s female athletes have dominated the gold medals, the headlines, and the glory in France. They’re owning it, too.
Paris is being hailed as the first gender-equal Games. What rubbish. These Olympics are all about women.They’re owning it, too. There’s none of the old enforced modesty or deferential gratitude for the scraps of attention bestowed on women’s sport once every four years. “I’ve written history today,” declared bronze-winning cyclist Natalya Diehm, quite rightly, after becoming the first Australian female to claim a medal at any international BMX event.
Paris is a milestone in women’s sport for another reason. For the first time, the Olympic movement is boasting equal gender representation. Just 40 years ago, in Los Angeles, more than three in four athletes were men. That achievement comes with caveats; the final result is still pending , and the balance is far from evenly spread between countries .
A closer look at the team numbers, however, shows that the IOC has been helped to its gender parity by countries with high proportions of female athletes compensating for those with barely any. Australia has 58 more women than men competing in Paris, mostly because fewer men compete in artistic events , and the Olyroos failed to qualify.
Some argue the IOC – which is not known as a pioneer on the world stage – should have acted on gender equity earlier and more assertively.But Sydney University sports academic Kotryna Fraser said the organisation was less powerful than many thought, and all action helped. “If they continue setting the expectations and holding other countries and sporting federations accountable, then we can move forward rather than being stuck in the past,” she says. “It takes time. Could the do more? Sure.
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