Paris 2024 Makes History: First Gender-Equal Olympics Ever

The 2024 Paris Olympics haven’t even begun, and it has already broken a record!

For the first time ever, women athletes will share an equal spotlight with their male counterparts at the upcoming Olympics. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will feature a 50:50 allocation, ensuring that the talents of both women and men are equally highlighted in every event.

This historic milestone marks the first Olympics to achieve full gender parity, celebrating equal representation on the biggest stage in sports.

Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which organizes the Games, described the milestone as “one of the most important moments in the history of women at the Olympic Games, and in sport overall.”

In addition to an equal number of men and women athletes, this year’s Olympics will feature a more gender-balanced array of medal events. The Paris 2024 schedule includes 152 women’s events, 157 men’s events, and 20 mixed-gender events, offering a diverse showcase of athletic talent. 

“We are looking forward to Paris 2024, where we will see the results of the enormous efforts made by the Olympic Movement and female trailblazers come to life. This is our contribution to a more gender-equal world,” President Bach added.

Women have made remarkable strides since their first appearance in the Olympic Games back in 1900, also hosted in Paris. At that time, women accounted for just 2.2% of all participants, per World Economic Forum, mostly competing in sports deemed suitably “feminine” like golf and tennis. In the Amsterdam 1928 Olympics, women were even banned from long, athletic events due to supposed "physical weakness.”

The number of female athletes has consistently risen over the years, with a marked increase beginning at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where women accounted for 23% of the participants.

By the London 2012 Olympics, women comprised 44% of the athletes. The London Games earned the nickname “The Women’s Games” as it marked the first time in Olympic history that every participating country included female athletes on their teams.

After ESPN shared the news on their Instagram account, fans couldn’t help but express their excitement. “That’s actually kinda cool, not going to lie,” one user wrote.

“Love this!” another said, as a third echoed, “We love to see it.”

“Because when you give some women the opportunity, they take it and EXCEL,” a fourth commented. “You don’t have to tell us twice!”

Another sports fan simply wrote, “This is amazing.”

Track star Allyson Felix has been a huge advocate for maternal rights in the world of sports. In 2019, her outspoken opposition to restrictive maternity policies led to notable shifts in how sponsors engage with pregnant athletes and new mothers, challenging longstanding beliefs about the intersection of motherhood and elite athletic performance, according to Forbes.

“Our commitment to advancing gender equality does not end in Paris,” the President of the International Olympic Committee said. “We will continue to open pathways for women and to work with our stakeholders, encouraging them to take the necessary steps to advance gender equality in their area of responsibility.”

“The IOC will keep leading the way and using the power of sport to contribute to a more equal and inclusive society,” Bach added.

This means that at Paris 2024, women will have the chance to shine in more than half of all the medal events.

France is home to some of the most celebrated international athletes, such as Félix Lebrun, Clarisse Agbégnénou, Léon Marchand, Mélanie De Jesus Dos Santos, and Victor Wembanyama.

For those on Team USA, Casey Kaufhold, who is competing in archery, could become the first U.S. woman to win an individual archery medal since Luann Ryon won gold at the 1976 Montreal Games.

Of course, some of the big names that America will be watching include Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, Coco Gauff, Lebron James, Kate Douglass, Steph Curry, and others.

Since 2016, women have set 35 world records in long-course swimming events, surpassing the 21 records set by men.