Let The Games Begin: How Women are Already Winning at the Olympics
The games have begun. And amid a rain-soaked Paris as boats sailed, athletes waved, and Celine dropped the mic, girls across the world stood on couches and cheered.
Because what they saw looked familiar.
The athletes waving from the Seine looked like them.
For the first time in the history of the Olympic games there is full gender parity on the field of play, with increased representation across ages and national representation. Girls watched Coco Gauff serve as the youngest flag bearer at 20, and read about a roster of athletes their own ages – like skateboarders Zheng Haohao (11), Vareeraya Sukasem (12), Heili Servio (13), Fay DeFazio Ebert and Coco Yoshizawa (both 14), Lola Tambling and Sky Brown (both 16), swimmer Dhinidhi Desinghu (14), and gymnast Hezley Rivera (16). They witnessed an all-teen podium on the very first day.
Watching the qualifiers, girls may have thought to themselves we’re winning already.
And, in fact, we are. Here are five ways in which women are already winning as the first full week of Olympics 2024 begins:
Olympics.com
1. Opening Day.
Women ran the show at the 2024 Opening Ceremony, from Lady Gaga on the steps of the Seine to Celine Dion at the center of the Eiffel Tower. Axelle Saint-Cirel wowed us with the French national anthem from the roof of the Grand Palais, and Beyoncé dropped an intro to the event that had us all clapping. Were we ready? You bet.
2. Gender Parity
When women competed for the first time in the Olympic Games in 1900, coincidentally, in Paris, they represented just 2.2% of participants. As the numbers grew (see chart above) we saw 48% at the Tokyo games in 2020, but only now have 50% of the quota places across all 32 Olympic sports been distributed to women.
What’s more, advancing gender equality has gone past the field of play as far as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is concerned: 41% of the IOC’s members are now female – that’s 100% more than in 2013 – and 42% of IOC commissions are led by female chairs. With new mixed-gender events like the marathon relay entering the games this year, the IOC's commitment to gender-balanced competition is further focused, confronting traditional notions of male and female-specific sports.
Allyson Felix | Felix with daughter in 2021 | Getty Images
3. Moms Count
For the first time in Olympic history, athletes will have a protected space to spend time with their children during the games. Spearheaded by 7x Gold medalist Allyson Felix and backed by the Pampers brand, this first of its kind nursery is a welcome addition to Olympic Village and is being lauded by moms and dads alike.
Sen. Cantwell at the U.S. Soccer Collective Bargaining Agreement signing in 2022 | Senate.gov
4. Pay Days
The Paris 2024 Olympics also mark the first time that male and female athletes on Team USA are guaranteed equal pay and benefits by law. “The Equal Pay for Team USA law erases any ambiguity,” said bill co-sponsor Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash), “and now, our talented athletes can compete knowing they will be treated equally on the world stage. We are sending an unequivocal message to all young women and girls who dream of a future in sports: you deserve equal pay, and it is now the law of the land. Go, Team USA!”
Cook and Bacon | Heron | Huske and Walsh | Getty Images
5. Mentor Moments
The week has only just begun and so many mentor moments have happened. Swimmer Torri Huske inviting Gretchen Walsh onto the gold medal podium with her, and medical school student Lee Kiefer winning her second straight gold in foil. In a historic tribute to the G.O.A.T., Panamanian gymnast Hillary Heron burnishing Simone Biles’ legacy by being the only other athlete to complete the Biles I, and best friends Kassidy Cook and Sarah Bacon (known as Cook ‘N Bacon) sharing side by side silver medals in synchronized diving. We’ve been breathless with every one…and there will be more.
More medals won and mentor moments to come. For now, though, I know with certainty that girls will be waking up early and staying up late to watch this year’s champions play their best and stun the world.
Because this year’s champions look like them.
That representation matters – just ask any Olympian out there.
Looking forward,
Illana
ÊXTRAS: Three ways to make sure you don't miss a single mentor moment this week: the full schedule of events from NBC Olympics, a shareable breakdown from our friends at theSkimm, and an impact and legacy report from the IOC.
