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The Olympic games: a man’s world

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Meg Kissack
WVoN co-editor

After reading the following excerpt from the New York Times, you might be forgiven for thinking that women are a special minority group:

‘The Summer Olympics in London could be a watershed event for international sports as every participating nation is expected to field one female athlete’.

It’s safe to say that the Olympics is perpetuating the same view pushed by society and the media every day; men have privilege for being men, and women are given special treatment, but not in a good way.

Apparently we should be cheering that each country, the majority of which have a higher population of women than men, will be allowed to enter at least one woman.

However tokenistic, you might think that the media would at least be celebrating female athletes, but it seems like the good old dress game is in full swing.

Regardless of the country they are representing, women are being scrutinised in terms of what they’ll be wearing.

A recent article (by the Daily Mail, of course) was titled ‘Sorry chaps, there’s a volleyball cover-up: Competitors can now wear shorts and T-shirts after complaints from conservative countries’.

It’s written as though the sport was simply created for testosterone filled men to objectify and belittle women’s athletic achievement:

‘Anyone hoping it will be a mere celebration of the scantily clad female form rather than a serious sport will be in for a disappointment’

The objectification of women is well known in the world of sport. Just read WVoN’s previous coverage of women being forced to wear skirts in badminton and the rise of lingerie football.

The GB women’s team even have a calender which features selected women in their lingerie, hooray!

Since there has to be a woman participating from every country, we might as well make it sexy, right?

Well, no. Athletes have gruelling routines, with years upon years of dedication to their chosen sport. Or is that just the male athletes, as we’re meant to believe that women turn up for the sake of looking good in a skirt?

Regardless of how men and women are represented in the Olympics, what should matter is that they all have to work equally hard (though I would argue that women have to work harder to get any recognition as an athlete) and should be respected for that.

But that is often ignored, and we can see what is an extremely frustrating double standard – men are acknowledged for their athletic talent whereas a woman’s appearance comes before any kind of ability.

If you need anymore proof, I have compiled a list of WVoN’s stories which reveal the barriers women face in participating in sports, and how the Olympics really are a man’s world:

More women needed in UK sports governing bodies

Female boxers fight for inclusion

UK women’s sport attracts 0.5% of all sponsorship

UK Government’s 2012 campaign sidelines Britain’s great women

Women’s basketball veterans’ last Olympic chance

Beach volleyball champions use bikini bottoms as advertising space

Iranian women’s football team banned from playing in 2012 Olympics 

Short skirts will be worn for Olympics, despite protests

Semenya controversy prompts gender rules for  2012 Olympics

It is safe to say that I am  entirely sick of the Olympics already.

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