In 1928, the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) introduced the women’s events in
athletics for the first time. At the end of the 800 metres race, a journalist
writing for a New York paper wrote it was distressing to see 1 wretched women
lying in distress after the race. Apparently, to him, five collapsed during the
race and five after the race. This set off a debate on the women’s
participation in sports and was felt that women were not physically suited to
run longer distances. The IOC discontinued the event before its reintroduction
in 1960. Yet for the all the claims the writer made, the reality was very
different. What he constructed was pure fiction. There was only woman who
collapsed but that seemed more of stumble at a finish line than from
exhaustion. In fact, the race was run at a then world record pace with five of
the nine runners bettering the then world record time. But one writer’s
imagination put paid to hopes of rapid advancements in women’s sports.
Women first
participated in modern Olympics in tennis in the second edition at Paris 1900. They
participated in archery and later figure skating but it was in 1928, they
participated first in athletics. Even though sports like gymnastics introduced
women’s events, barring swimming perhaps, many women had limited events
compared to men. It was only in swimming that women had similar distances to
race as men. The only exception was the 1500 metre freestyle which was reserved
for men though 800 metre event was introduced for women in 1988. It will be in
2024, than women will be allowed to race over 1500 metres and men will have a
new race of 800 metres.
In athletics
however, the race for parity has been a long drawn one. The women were allowed
to race 1500 metres in 1972. It was in 1984 that women’s marathon was first
introduced. The year 1984 also saw women’s 400m hurdles being introduced while pentathlon
was replaced by heptathlon. Incidentally, women participated for the first time
in 1984 in the sports of shooting, yachting (now sailing) and road cycling.
However, it was only in 1992 that separate women’s event were introduced in
shooting. Coming back to athletics, women’s walk events were introduced in 1992
while the pole vault and hammer throw made their first appearance in 2000 while
the steeplechase had to wait till 2008 to make its debut. The women’s 50 km
walk will be raced for the maiden time in 2024. The only event that now has
different measures for women and men in decathlon and heptathlon. But though
women’s decathlon exists, there is very little enthusiasm for the same among
women given their heavy investment in heptathlon.
Women while
allowed to compete in shooting still do not have parity in terms of events
relative to men. It is only in 2021 postponed Tokyo Olympics, that there will
be equal number of events though not the same events for men and women apart
from the mixed events. The emphasis on mixed events have resulted in such
events being part of Tokyo Olympics among athletic relays, swimming relays,
archery among other sports besides usual suspects like lawn tennis, badminton
and table tennis. Women achieved parity with men in cycling in terms of events
in 2012 even though a considerable gap exists in distances raced by men and
women in road race and road time trial.
In team sports,
the quest for parity has been equally tough. Women made their appearance along
with their male counterparts in volleyball in 1964, however many other team
sports continued to have men only events for long. Women’s field hockey was
introduced in 1980 while soccer had to wait till 1996 for its maiden
appearance. Given the new sports will have to factor both men and women’s
disciplines, rugby 7s had its debut for both men and women in 2016. Women’s ice
hockey made its appearance in 1992 winter edition.
Rowing and
canoeing again had differences between men and women. In fact Canadian events
in canoeing do not happen for women and the first such events will be
introduced in the now postponed Tokyo Olympics. Rowing still doesn’t have
parity of events. Women canoeists race for 200 and 500 metres unlike their male
counterparts who race over 200 and 1000 metres. Sailing too has different
events for men and women though it is presumably based on the relative weights.
Winter sports
too had their differences in male and female events. A prolonged fight
including a long drawn litigation finally made IOC introduce women’s ski
jumping in 2018 winter edition. In fact, Nordic combined still is out of bounds
for women though it is likely that it will make its debut in 2002 Winter edition
in Beijing. There is still no four person women’s bobsled nor women’s doubles
luge though women can participate in the mixed or the open events. In fact in
the first edition of the Winter Olympics in 1924, there were only 11 women
participating in two events. Some mixed events in skiing and curling have made
their way into the Olympic movement. Yet, the distances raced in the Nordic
skiing and biathlon differ from men and women with women racing shorter
distances.
Women were
presumed not have the attributes essential for combat sports. Hence they were
kept out of combat sports. Women made their first appearance in judo in 1992
while taekwondo saw women making debut along with the men in 2000. Wrestlers
had to wait till 2004 but it was different discipline, a variant of men’s
freestyle. Women’s Greco-Roman does not have a formal competition even today.
Women puglists registered their participation in 2012 in three categories as compared
to ten for men. The women’s categories are expected to increase to five in time
for Paris 2024. Analogus to combat sports, women were deemed unfit to
participate in strength sports like weightlifting have to wait till 2000 before
their debut. Gymnastics has different events for men and women. While men are
expected to perform to demonstrate their physical attributes and exertion,
women’s gymnastics is more about aesthetic expression. As a result, while women’s
floor exercises are performed to music, no such thing happens for the men’s
event. Interestingly, rhythmic gymnastics is an exclusive preserve of women,
the other being synchronized swimming.
As one observes
the above timeline, it indicates the relatively tougher path women have to take
in making their appearances in different events in Olympics. It was in 2016,
that women’s participation touched around 50% the same as men. The last country
to send a woman competitor was Saudi Arabia in 2012. Until then, Saudis had not
sent any women to participate. With passage of time, women’s participation will
increase and the parity with men likely to happen across almost all sports. In fact,
equestrian is one such sport which doesn’t make a distinction between men and
women with every event being open event. Yet, dressage is seen as primarily women’s
event with jumping aligned towards men. What is undisputed however at this
stage is while women’s events are getting equal in number to men, the road to equality
in terms of the same events being contested might take a longer time. The journey
however continues with no abatement of enthusiasm and exuberance despite an occasional
frustration or two.
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