The Paris 2024 Olympic Games were scheduled to be the first time a modern Summer Olympics will have an equal share of male and female athletes competing. The first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 were exclusively for male competitors, and although some female events were introduced in Paris in 1900, the share of events was just 2.2 percent. Over the next century, the ratio of female to male events has gradually narrowed, and at a faster rate in recent decades, reaching almost 49 percent in Tokyo 2020. Not only has the overall volume of female athletes increased, the last decade has seen the introduction of several mixed events; these included mixed shooting events and both sprinting and swimming mixed relays.
Distribution of male and female athletes participating at the Summer Olympics from 1896 to 2024
* The source only provides data relating to the number of female athletes; the number of male athletes has been calculated by subtracting the female figures from 100.
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olympic.org. (March 5, 2024). Distribution of male and female athletes participating at the Summer Olympics from 1896 to 2024 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved October 10, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1090616/olympics-share-athletes-by-gender-since-1896/
olympic.org. "Distribution of male and female athletes participating at the Summer Olympics from 1896 to 2024." Chart. March 5, 2024. Statista. Accessed October 10, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1090616/olympics-share-athletes-by-gender-since-1896/
olympic.org. (2024). Distribution of male and female athletes participating at the Summer Olympics from 1896 to 2024. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: October 10, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1090616/olympics-share-athletes-by-gender-since-1896/
olympic.org. "Distribution of Male and Female Athletes Participating at The Summer Olympics from 1896 to 2024." Statista, Statista Inc., 5 Mar 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1090616/olympics-share-athletes-by-gender-since-1896/
olympic.org, Distribution of male and female athletes participating at the Summer Olympics from 1896 to 2024 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1090616/olympics-share-athletes-by-gender-since-1896/ (last visited October 10, 2024)
Distribution of male and female athletes participating at the Summer Olympics from 1896 to 2024 [Graph], olympic.org, March 5, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1090616/olympics-share-athletes-by-gender-since-1896/