Gender equality and the 2012 Olympic Games

From the website of the International Working Group on Women and Sport, which also considers the discrimination facing men in synchronized swimming and rythmic gymnastics:

This year’s Olympic Games in London are heralded as the most gender equal in Olympic history and mark some significant achievements in terms of gender equality such as increases in women’s participation and parity of sport disciplines. Despite these encouraging developments, the shadow of gender inequality still lingers over the XXX Olympiad.

For the third time in history, the Olympic Games will be hosted by London, having hosted the Games previously in 1908 and 1948. In 1908 male athletes outnumbered female athletes 53 to 1. In 1948 the ratio had decreased to 10 to 1. The number of men and women participating in the 2012 Olympic Games approaches parity, though men will still outnumber women by 1,114, according to projections (for more comparisons between the three Games hosted by London, see http://to.ly/echK). Nevertheless, IOC President Jacque Rogge deserves appraise for actively promoted equal participation by men and women during his term of office. (See also http://to.ly/ecDG)

Another significant milestone towards female participation is the possibility that every team attending the 2012 London Games might include at least one female competitor for the first time ever. Women made their Olympic debut in 1900 at the Paris Summer Olympic Games at which only 21 female athletes competed. Only two decades ago, 35 NOCs sent male-only teams to Barcelona. By 2012 only three nations – all Muslim countries ruled by monarchies – have yet to send a woman to compete at the Olympic or Paralympic Games: Qatar, Brunei and Saudi Arabia. This stands to change as Qatar plans to send three female Olympic competitors to London and Brunei has pledged to send one woman to the Olympic Games. After initially issuing a statement that women would not be allowed to compete under the kingdom’s flag at this or future Games, Saudi Arabia recently amended its decision by stating:

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