A historic milestone was reached at the upcoming 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, where for the first time, male and female athletes will compete in equal numbers. This groundbreaking achievement marks a significant step toward gender equality in sports.
Aurelie Merle, Executive Director of Sport Competitions for the Paris Olympics, expressed immense pride in her team's efforts to make gender parity a reality.
\"We're super proud to be the first Olympic Games to be gender equal in Paris,\" Merle said in an interview with CGTN Sports Scene's Greg Laffradi. \"Having gender equality shows that we have Games in line with all times. We also wanted to ensure that women's sports have the full visibility and same as men's sports.\"
The 2024 Paris Olympics will host approximately 10,500 athletes competing in 329 events across 39 sports from July 26 to August 11. Balancing broadcast time for such a vast event presented a significant challenge.
\"We worked with an expert to strategically place women's events to ensure they receive equal visibility as men's sports,\" Merle explained. Collaboration with Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), French broadcasters, international media, and federations was key to achieving full gender parity.
\"With everyone's support, we were able to reach our goal, and there will be some amazing new female events at the forefront,\" she concluded.
Reference(s):
Paris Games competitions director discusses historic gender parity
cgtn.com
