Tokyo Games just 1% short of participant gender parity

July 27, 2021

The Tokyo Olympic Games have fallen just 1% short of reaching their 50% female athlete participation goal.

With the International Olympic Committee (IOC) having committed to achieve gender parity in its event in 2014, Of the almost 11,000 Olympic athletes in Tokyo almost 49% are women, according to the IOC, marking the first ‘gender-balanced’ Games in its history.

This is up from 45.6% at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and 44.2% at the 2012 London Olympics.

At the first Olympic Games of the modern era, Athens 1896, IOC founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin barred women from competing.

In Paris four years later, 22 female athletes were invited in five ladies sports, while nearly 1,000 men took on the rest of the events.

Until 1952 only 10% of women participated in the Olympic games, with 2012 being the first year women were allowed to compete in most sports.

In addition to progressing the female athlete participation rate, the IOC also encouraged participating countries to nominate one male and one female flag bearer at the 2021 Tokyo opening ceremony.

As a result, nearly every country was represented by a female flag bearer for the first time in Olympic history.

The IOC has also advised that at the upcoming Paralympics, at least 40.5% of athletes will be women, with about 100 more female athletes than in Rio de Janiero in 2016.

However, the makeup of the IOC is far from being equitable, with women making up only 33.3% of its executive board, and 37.5% of committee members being female.

Preparations for this year’s Games saw Tokyo Olympics Organising Committee President Yoshiro Mori resign in February after his derogatory comments about women triggered an international backlash.

Mori had suggested that women speak too much in meetings.

In April, Hiroshi Sasaki, creative director for the opening ceremony, also resigned from his role, after insulting a plus-size model by referring to her as an “olympig”.

New IOC Portrayal Guidelines
The IOC has also released the second edition of its Portrayal Guidelines, calling for the implementation of "gender-equal and fair portrayal practices in all forms of communication" across the Olympic Games and throughout the Olympic Movement.

This is in line with the new IOC Gender Equality and Inclusion Objectives for 2021-2024.

The updated guidelines underline the importance of gender-balanced portrayal and provide new examples, best practices and tips from the various sectors, ranging from the language and imagery used to the quality, quantity and prominence of coverage.

First published in 2018, the updated Portrayal Guidelines include a new section of practical checklists and advice to support media in the implementation of balanced reporting and communication - notably in the areas of print, digital, radio and broadcast.

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