Changing The Game: Record Number Of Women Athletes From Türkiye To Compete In Paris 2024 Olympics

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games, scheduled from July 26 to August 11 in Paris, France, will be the first to achieve gender parity, with equal numbers of male and female athletes.

As Türkiye celebrates its 100th year in the Olympic Games, Team Türkiye will be represented by 102 athletes, including a record 54 women and 48 men. This marks the second Olympic Games since London 2012, where the number of women athletes surpasses that of men, highlighting the remarkable progress made by women athletes who have been breaking records and inspiring future generations.

In Türkiye and globally, gender equality in sports has significantly improved recently. Women now make up 41% of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and a survey in seven countries showed that 88% of sports viewers see professional women athletes as role models. Despite these advances, gender inequality remains, with girls dropping out of sports at twice the rate of boys by age 14 and women athletes facing disparities in opportunities, sponsorships, media visibility, and conditions.

Since 2012, the IOC and UN Women have partnered to promote gender equality in sports, aiming to empower women and girls and develop policies addressing their needs. In Türkiye, UN Women Türkiye Deputy Country Director Zeliha Ünaldı and Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) President Professor Uğur Erdener met in Ankara on July 17 to discuss new initiatives to further this effort.

"Sports play a crucial role in breaking down gender barriers and empowering women and girls—the equal participation at the Paris 2024 Olympics results from the long-standing struggle of women athletes. Empowering women through sports will impact all areas of life. We need collaboration, safeguarding laws, more investment in women's sports, and increased visibility of women athletes to enhance these effects. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will not only be an international sports event for Türkiye but also a major step for gender equality," said Zeliha Ünaldı, Deputy Country Director of UN Women Türkiye.

TOC's Team Türkiye for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games includes more women athletes than men, even in traditionally male-dominated sports such as wrestling, taekwondo, and boxing. The wrestling team has 5 women and 6 men (2 in freestyle and 4 in Greco-Roman). There are 5 women and 3 men in boxing, and in taekwondo, 3 women and 2 men.

"The Paris 2024 Olympics will showcase global athletic talent and mark a turning point for gender equality in sports. We are proud to participate in these Games with a team that includes more women athletes. Their recent achievements have inspired both nationally and internationally, strengthening the fight for gender equality. I firmly believe our successes at Paris 2024 will illuminate the path for future women athletes and leaders," said Professor Uğur Erdener, President of TOC.

"Girls' participation in sports is invaluable for developing their life skills. Sports are one of the most effective ways to prepare for life. It helps our children believe in their abilities, develop resilience and teamwork, stay healthy, gain self-confidence, and improve social skills, leading to better education and job opportunities. Our investments in enhancing the positive effects of sports on women and girls are endless. At Paris 2024, we will do our best to inspire our children as a team."

The Paris 2024 Olympics will unite over 10,500 athletes competing in 32 sports, aiming to win 329 medals. The National Volleyball Team of Türkiye, champions of the Nations League and European Championship, now ranked number one globally, will be among the highlights. Eda Erdem, the National Volleyball Team captain, stated that the Paris 2024 Olympics is a crucial opportunity to motivate more girls to engage in sports.

Facts and Figures from Türkiye

According to the 2023 Report on Gender Equality in Sports by the Association for Women's Sports and Physical Activity (KASFAD):

• 36.72% of the 7,294,042 licensed athletes registered with 62 sports federations are women.
• 14.06% of the general secretaries and 8.10% of the board members of sports federations are women.
• 39.06% of sports federations have no women members on their boards.
• 33.75% of the 302,502 coaches affiliated with 59 sports federations are women.
• There are no women executives in the Ministry of Youth and Sports senior management.
• At TOC, 46% of the staff are women. The President of TOC is male, while the Secretary-General is female. The proportion of women on the Board of Directors is 36%, compared to 64% of men. The Sports Commission of TOC has achieved gender parity, with an equal number of women and men members.

Recognizing sports' power to promote gender equality and empower women and girls, UN Women Türkiye is collaborating with sports organizations to break down gender barriers and discrimination. UN Women's HeForShe initiative and Fenerbahçe Sports Club, supported by Tüpraş, one of the largest industrial companies, have been advancing gender equality and women's empowerment in sports in Türkiye since 2018.

UN Women Türkiye developed "The Guidelines for Gender-responsive Sports Organizations" based on UN Women's global Sports for Generation Equality principles and Fenerbahçe Sports Club's experiences. These guidelines support sports organizations in transforming their intentions to empower women and girls into concrete actions and measurable indicators.

#turkiye #turkiyenews #olympics2024 #parisolympics #turkiyeathletes