#WomenInSport
I used to
like watching sports on TV but have now almost given up. Olympic games have
lost some of their interest for me due to the enormous scope and the
impossibility of getting full coverage and information about so many events.
And still, as the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo were just kicked off on July 23,
2021, these postponed games just became more interesting for me when I read
that almost 49 percent of participating athletes will be women. All 206
National Olympic Committees also have at least one female and one male athlete
representative. Gender balance in sport has finally almost been achieved.
I realize
that this is a result of individual women who have spent years in training to
become the best they can be in their chosen sport, but also of making more and
more sports open to women. The American First Lady Jill Biden expressed it in
these words when she addressed the US athletes in Tokyo:
"For
most of you, the journey to Tokyo began long, long ago. It likely started at a
young age. The first time you picked up a ball or jumped in the water. The
first ride that made you feel really free. Or when the backflip you thought was
impossible suddenly wasn't," Biden said. "You've given up so much to
be here. You've sacrificed time with friends and pushed yourself harder than
you thought you could."[1]
We have
come a long way from the time when women were not allowed to compete in sports.
The trailblazers like Kathrine Switzer who fought to be allowed to participate
in sports had to overcome many barriers.
When we
look back in history, women’s sports activities were recreational and informal,
emphasizing physical activity rather than competition. Tennis, croquet,
bowling, riding, and archery were the first recreational sports for women. But starting
in the late 1800’s women began to form athletic clubs. However, women’s sports
activities were long combated and limited.
Physical
activity for a woman was considered dangerous (particularly during menstruation),
as it was believed that each human had a fixed amount of energy and physical
and intellectual tasks should not be undertaken at the same time. Women were
considered frail and should not be overtasked.
At the same
time as women gained their right to vote an emphasis on women’s freedoms in
other areas also came up and resulted in some gains for women in sports. However,
the expectations of society that a woman’s place was in the home pushed aside
the psychological and physiological benefits of sports. The second World War
challenged women to step into tasks fulfilled by men and they showed that they were
equal to the task. The self-esteem and self-confidence gained by women during
these critical times propelled the movement for women’s equal rights. If they
could compete successfully in the workforce, then women could certainly compete
on the athletic fields.
But still, women
were not considered fit for many traditionally male sports. For years it had
been claimed that distance running was damaging to women’s health. In 1967,
Kathrine Switzer entered the Boston marathon, hiding her gender. An official
tried to eject her from the course, but she finished, becoming the first woman
to complete the race as an official entrant. Women were officially allowed to enter the race in 1972. Women’s
marathoning joined the Olympics in 1984. In 2007 Switzer wrote in the New York
Times, “We learned that women are not deficient in endurance and stamina, and
that running requires no fancy facilities or equipment.”
The first Olympic Games
to feature female athletes was the 1900 Games in Paris. Tennis and golf were
the only sports where women could compete in individual disciplines. In 1904,
the women's archery event was added. Figure skating was added in 1908 and by
1912 women were also competing in swimming and diving. In 1924 women’s fencing
was added. 1928 saw the debut of women's
athletics and gymnastics. Little by little women made their debut in many
sports categories up to 1980: downhill and slalom skiing, cross-country skiing,
canoeing, equestrian dressage, speed skating, volleyball, luge, shooting,
basketball, handball, rowing, field hockey. Many more categories have since
then been added to the Olympic program, and women have finally the possibility
of competing in almost any sport.
Women in many countries
where women’s rights are still suppressed have also had to fight for their
right to compete. And still, they have achieved excellence. In professional
sports, women have long been paid much less than men and once again they have
had to fight for their rights. I invite you to look up UN Women’s reports on
women in sports[2] and
find out what women are doing in sports.
Women’s
involvement in sport was slow to develop as opportunities for participation and
recognition were almost non-existent for centuries. We can be proud of the extraordinary
achievements of women in sport today. And maybe I will again take some time to
watch the Olympic Games just to honor their accomplishments.
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