Women and the Olympics

The IOC announced that the 2024, Paris, Olympics will, for the first time in history, see a perfect parity between men and women participants. More than a century after the modern Olympic Games were created, women will cease being the "poor relatives" and obtain at last the recognition they deserve. 

The story of women's participation in the Olympics is a long and rather sad one. They had to fight the ambient misogynism during decades. Every time they obtained something, malicious members of the dominant caste tried to get it back (and in many occasions they did succeed). 

Charlotte Cooper was the first 

individual female olympic champion

And I am not talking here about athletics. That was considered a no-no for women. The appearance of women on the track, attired in shorts and wearing their hair short was considered giving them a "masculine" look. Most probably even today there are people who feel that some events such as the shot put, are not appropriate for women. A. Brundage, to whom I have devoted a long post was one of those. In private correspondence, as late as 1949, he wrote: 

"I think it is quite well known that I am lukewarm on most of the events for women for a number of reasons which I will not bother to expound because I probably will be out voted anyway. I think women's event should be confined to those appropriate for women; swimming, tennis, figure skating and fencing but certainly not shot putting".

Admittedly C. Ibargüen is no shot putter (although she has a 13.79 m PB). 

Still, I am sure Brundage would not have been favourable to her participation in the Olympics

In a series of seven articles I intend to tell the story of how the women managed to conquer the Olympics. The road has been long and arduous. And sown with traps. But they prevailed.