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Tokyo Olympics To Be First 'Gender-Balanced' Games In History, 49% Athletes Are Women: IOC
|The IOC has also made it mandatory for the 206 National Olympic Committees competing in the Olympics to have a female and male athlete each in their respective teams.
The Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to be held from July 23 to August 8, will be the first 'gender-balanced' Games in the Olympic history, as almost 49 per cent of the athletes participating are women, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Monday, March 8.
"There will be a ground-breaking competition schedule, ensuring equal visibility between women's and men's events and featuring nine more mixed events than at RIO 2016, raising the overall number to 18," Times Now quoted the IOC report.
The IOC has also made it mandatory for the 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) competing in the Olympics to have a female and male athlete each in their respective teams. The IOC Refugee Olympic Team is also encouraged to have their flag carried by one female and male athlete at the Opening Ceremony.
Earlier, the Olympics was scheduled from July 24 to August 8, 2020, but was postponed in the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic. For the Paralympics, scheduled to be held from August 24 to September 5 this year, at least 40.5 per cent of the athletes will be women.
After the appointment of its new president, Hashimoto Seiko, the size of the executive board of Tokyo's organising committee has also increased, with women representing 42 per cent of the board.
Committee President said they were focused on creating an environment of equality among athletes and leadership roles.
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