Paris Olympics: Welcome to first-ever Games with full gender parity

A young woman’s face stares at you as the emblem of the Paris Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) spares no opportunity to announce that of the 10,500 athletes participating, there are 5,250 male and an equal number of female athletes — making it the first-ever Games to reach full gender parity. 

This has been one of the biggest achievements of the Olympic movement, though it has obviously not happened in a day. If Tokyo 2020 was the most gender-balanced summer Games till date with 48.7 per cent of athletes being women, Paris is expected to be an exactly level playing field. Back in 1964, there were only 13 per cent women athletes in Tokyo, which puts into perspective the long road travelled by the IOC.

The role of optics in such a movement is the key, and thanks to a subtle yet significant rule change by the IOC that allowed for one male and one female athlete to jointly carry their country’s flag during the opening ceremony, an overwhelming 91 per cent of National Olympic Committee (NOCs) had a female flagbearer at the Tokyo opening ceremony.

Come Friday, 26 July, and double Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu will be accompanying five-time Olympian and veteran table tennis star Sharath Kamal during the Indian contingent’s marchpast.

“The progress is nice,” says French fencing world champion Ysaora Thibus, who is deeply involved in addressing gender equality issues in sport, before looking forward to the next challenge. “There’s also much to improve with everyone involved in sport, including other employees and leaders.”

Well, this is where the movement for gender equality in Olympics faces its next challenge from, and Ysaora is well aware of it. There is still a real gender gap across all leadership roles at the Olympics, such as that of chef de mission, technical officials, and coaches. A glaring example of that anomaly was seen in Tokyo 2020 where vis-à-vis 48.7 per cent women athletes, only 13 per cent of coaches were women, while it was 10 per cent at the Beijing winter Games 2022.

The IOC has launched many initiatives to address this issue, including working in partnership with international federations, NOCs, and organising committees to open up more coaching roles and pathways to women, such as the WISH program (Women in Sport High Performance Pathway), funded by Olympic Solidarity. However, there needs to be a significant change in mindset before one sees more women in managerial roles.

So far, so good. An expert on gender-diversity in sport, meanwhile, feels that it’s also the right time that the issue of trans athletes and those with differences in sex development needs be brought into the mainstream.  Tokyo 2020 saw New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard become the first transgender woman to compete in the Games' female category after meeting the required gender eligibility criteria.

However, there are now tighter restrictions on gender-diverse athletes, aimed at minimising perceived male athletic advantages. The regulatory landscape continues to evolve, often sparking intense debates and a variety of viewpoints from different stakeholders.

Seema Patel, associate professor at Nottingham Law School and an expert on the subject, says in a recent paper: ‘’The core of the debate on gender eligibility in sports revolves around balancing fairness and inclusion. Some argue that excluding gender-diverse athletes is necessary to maintain fair competition, while others believe that inclusion should take precedence. The question remains as to what level of biological advantage is considered acceptable in sport, and how this should be addressed in policymaking.’’

The issue of gender parity in Olympics is work in progress alright, and France has taken key steps to ensure that it stretches beyond mere numbers. It was in Paris that female athletes first participated at the Games in 1900, while Paris 2024 has developed a schedule that ensures balance between genders for prime time sessions in order to promote women’s sport among the public, particularly young girls.

More than 70 sports facilities in and around Paris are being named after women to ride the wave. “Because equality also involves visibility, the renaming of these sports facilities with women’s names is a key challenge,” said Tony Estanguet, president of Paris 2024. “We thank the local authorities working with us who, through these symbolic actions, which are not only strong but also concrete, contribute to making sport more inclusive and equal.”