[Contribution] Achieving gender equality through sports: Reflections on Paris 2024

By Philippe Bertoux and Jeongshim Lee

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games mark a historic milestone in sports, featuring an equal number of male and female athletes competing for the first time. This should go without saying: After all, women constitute half of the world’s population. In historical context, the 50/50 gender allocation at Paris 2024 is truly significant. In 1900, also in Paris, women competed in the Olympic Games for the first time, but constituted only 2.2 percent of all athletes. This means that it took 125 years for the world to attain gender equality at the Olympics -- not a small deal. Gender parity will also advance at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, with the highest share of women athletes ever recorded: 44.4 percent.

Gender balance in the Olympics is not just about sports. It mirrors our global progress towards empowering women and girls. Limited access for women and girls to participate in sports and pursue Olympic dreams reflects broader barriers and challenges they face in society. Hence, achieving gender parity at Paris 2024 represents a significant milestone for humanity. Today, we celebrate the remarkable growth of women’s participation in sports and their rapidly expanding audiences.

At the same time, we want to celebrate this milestone while also urging action to extend this progress further. make this celebration Disparities persist in women’s and girls' participation in sport globally compared to boys and men. Women continue to receive less in pay and access to opportunities not only as athletes but also as coaches and trainers. Women’s representation in sports associations and decision-making bodies, particularly in leadership positions. To truly achieve gender equality in sports worldwide, we must expand the 50/50 parity achieved at the Paris Olympic Games beyond Paris itself.

The fundamental message of the Olympics is that every human being is born equal and that we are all connected to one another. Let us seize this historic moment to uphold these ideals and foster an environment where every woman and girl can exercise their human rights and achieve their full potential.

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Philippe Bertoux is French ambassador to Korea and Jeongshim Lee is director of the UN Women Center of Excellence for Gender Equality in Seoul. -- Ed.