SEX, LIES AND RED TAPE

A history of Olympic gender (in)equality

1896 There are no women in first modern Olympic Games, as Founder Pierre de Coubertin says they are ‘not cut out to sustain certain shocks’.

1900 22 women compete in Paris.

Hélène de Pourtalès becomes the first female Olympic champion, as part of a sailing team. Charlotte Cooper wins the first individual gold, in tennis.

1928 Five track and field events are open to women, but after false reports of women collapsing in the 800m, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) bans events longer than 200m.

1952 Women are allowed to compete at some Olympic equestrian events.

1960 Women are, for the first time since the 1928 Olympics, allowed to run the 800m. The Soviet Union’s Lyudmila Lysenko wins in 2:04.50.

1976 The Montreal Olympic Games are the first in which female participation is above 20 per cent. 1984 Shooting, cycling and the marathon open to women. Joan Benoit proves a point in style. 1996 Women’s 5000m replaces the 3000m to match men’s events. Triple jump is also added to women’s events. 2000 Weightlifting, modern pentathlon, taekwondo, triathlon added for women, and hammer and pole vault added to athletics programme.

2008 Women’s steeplechase added.

2012 The London Games are the first to have at least one woman in every delegation. Boxing is allowed for women and the UK’s Nicola Adams wins the first boxing gold. (She would successfully defend her flyweight title four years later.) 2016 45 per cent of the participants in Rio are female. There are now 161 events for men, 136 for women and nine mixed.