The Olympics are regarded as a major event for all athletes around the globe. It features many winter and summer sports, and is an international phenomena.
The women's movement in the Olympics has made many great strides. In 1984, the number of female competitors was only 24 percent. This number rose 20 percent in the 2012 summer games, with female athletes reaching 44 percent of competitors. Another key figure to note is that every country that participated sent at least one female athlete in the 2012 summer Olympic games. The Olympic committee plans to make sure the number of competitors is even at 50-50 going forward into the next Olympic games. This is a realistic number that could be achieved as soon as the next Olympics.
However, the women`s movement in the Olympics still has a long way to go. The fact that women outmedaled men for the United States, China, and Russia. This is a figure that most would not know about, as it has been vastly uncovered in the media. This shows that women are viable athletes in the Olympics, and should therefore get more attention and notoriety. Most can only name male athletes who compete in the Olympics, such as Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt. However, female athletes need to receive some more attention, especially when some females athletes are doing much better than their male counterparts.
The 2012 Olympic games are no exception to the mistreatment of women`s accomplishments in sports. The women's US basketball team have won seven gold medals, and posted an impressive record of 58-3. In the past 36 years, the women's US basketball team has lost a total of three times. In any sport, this would be considered a vast accomplishment. However, the average Olympic viewer would not even know this. More attention in Olympic basketball has been given to the 1992 Dream Team. The Dream Team was the men's US Olympic team in 1992, who were considered to be one of the greatest teams ever assembled in any sport. Although this team had an impressive track record, they were not nearly as consistent as the women's US basketball teams over the last 36 years. The accomplishments they have made and are continuing to make go on and on, yet they do not receive the same amount of notoriety or press as the Dream Team. This is a great example of the bias female athletes face in the Olympics.
Female athletes still face a lot of barriers, even as backward as not being allowed to compete. For example, female ski jumpers were not allowed to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics. This shows that there is still a lot of work to be done for equality in the Olympics. They were denied to compete, but the men were. This is a clear example of sexism and did not receive nearly as much attention as it should have. There have been a few victories, however. Female boxers were allowed to compete for the first time in the 2012 Olympics, showing that although it is not completely equal yet, females competing in the Olympics has vastly increased over time. Although there is no logical reason why women should not compete in the first place, at least the barriers are starting to be broken.
Competing in the Olympics is any athlete`s dream. The Olympics are a world renowned benchmark for any sports competition. Although the climate is improving for women to compete, there is still a lot of work to be done. Female athletes do not receive nearly the amount of attention they should considering the achievements they make. However, this is a far less evil than not allowing women to compete. Although both are key issues, the fact of the matter is that women should be allowed to compete in any and every Olympic sport. If the Olympic committee is striving towards equality, this must be addressed.
Sources:
Beamish, Mike, and Vancouver Sun. "Equality in sports? Women aren't there yet." Vancouver Sun | Latest Breaking News | Business | Sports | Canada Daily News. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2012. <http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Equality+sports+Women+aren+there/4368587/story.html>.
No comments:
Post a Comment