Sport is traditionally a male-dominated sector and progress in gender equality in this area is hindered by the social constructions of femininity and masculinity, which often associate sport with ‘masculine’ characteristics, such as physical strength and resilience, speed, and a highly competitive, sometimes confrontational spirit. Women who engage in sports may be perceived as ‘masculine’, while men who are not interested in sports could be considered ‘unmanly’. Prevailing gender stereotypes affect not only women’s participation in decision-making within sporting organizations, but also their participation in sporting activities. Traditional gender roles may dictate how women spend time on caring responsibilities, which can have a ripple effect on how much time is left over for sporting activities.
In a bold step, taking the quantum of women support to 48.8%, a 3.2% expansion from the last Olympics in Rio, the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has affirmed huge changes to the general Olympic program for Tokyo 2020.
Over the previous decade, the IOC has had an objective of roughly 10,500 competitors contending in the Summer Games. The objective for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is 10,616 competitors in 28 center games. Indeed, even while attempting to keep up this aggregate number of members, the IOC has extended its list of games for the Summer Games which occur in three years. Announcing in June, the IOC included 3 ball and BMX free-form cycling for 2020. These are notwithstanding these games the IOC included August 2016 for the following Summer Olympics.
Lately but things are evolving. The English women’s' cricket team became professional in 2014, marking a two-year sponsorship with carmaker Kia subsequent to winning consecutive Ashes challenges. Wimbledon, the most established tennis competition, began granting ladies an indistinguishable measure of prize cash from men in 2007, and the prize cash for the champ of La Course is proportionate to that for a phase victor in Le Tour. Different games are being inclined toward to stick to this same pattern. All the more strikingly, the feelings of games fans appear to be moving: 61% of fans overviewed by the WSFF said they trusted best sportswomen were similarly as skilful as their male counterparts and over half said ladies' game was similarly as energizing to watch.
According to the IOC, these changes are being made to make the Olympics more equitable in terms of gender participation (the IOC expects women to make up 48.8 per cent of all athletics at the 2020 Olympics), along with an attempt to make the Summer Games more appealing to a wider segment of the population by adding sports designed to attract young, urban athletes and fans.
"I am delighted that the Olympic Games in Tokyo will be more youthful, more urban and will include more women," IOC President Thomas Bach said in a statement issued to media, announcing changes for the 2020 Olympics.
Surprisingly, in the Rio Olympics, only the U. S. Olympic team outnumbered men in both the number of athletes participating and the medal count. There were 292 women as compared to 263 men. And women took home 61 medals, compared to 55 from men. While women only made up 45.6 percent of all athletes in Rio.
Some of the mixed-gender events (where men and women will compete in mixed-gendered teams) will include swimming and track relays, a triathlon team relay, table tennis, judo, cycling, and fencing team events. Additionally, a number of other events have been shifted to women's or mixed, in an effort to promote more gender equality. The Tokyo Games program now boasts the "highest gender balance ever," with women making up a predicted 48.8 percent of all athletes, and the "most women's events ever," according to the IOC.
In addition, there are some new specific events added to existing sports, such as men's and women's Madison racing for track cycling, while swimming will add men's 800-meter freestyle and women's 1,500-meter freestyle. There will, also, be new mixed gender competitions, including a 4x100-meter mixed medley relay for swimming, and a 4x400 mixed relay on the track, which will be the debut events in Tokyo. A mixed team relay was also added in triathlon, along with mixed team events in judo and archery and a mixed doubles competition in table tennis, doubling the total number of mixed events at the Games from nine to 18. Several sports saw men’s events transferred to women’s events, including one in rowing, two in boxing and three in canoeing. Shooting saw three men’s events transferred to mixed events, with sailing witnessing the transfer of mixed multihull to mixed foiling multihull.
Even though it is driving towards gender equality, still it will not be 50% female participation in many disciplines.
With theses big changes, the IOC is proud to have the most gender-balanced Olympic Games in the history of the Olympics in terms of both athletes and events in Tokyo 2020.
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