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A Brief History of Women in the Olympics

Just how far have women come since the start of the Olympic Games? The “2016 Women in the Olympic Movement Factsheet,” published by the International Olympic Committee contains some cool facts.

  • The first women to participate in the Olympics did so in Paris in 1900. Only 22 of the 997 athletes were women.
  • In contrast, in 2012, the Olympic Games were made up of 44% female athletes.
  • At first, women only competed in tennis, sailing, croquet, equestrian, and golf. Now, women are welcome in all sports.
  • We’ve still got progress to make! 62/135 surveyed National Olympic Committees had Executive Boards comprised of less than 20% women, and “10 NOC’s still have no women on their Executive Board.”

Be sure to tune in this week. And cheer for the women who are going for the gold!

 

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