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Paralympic Games fail to meet Paris gender equality standards

The Paris Olympics were billed as the first Games where men and women could compete equally. For the first time in history, there were equal medals for men and women. However, the Paralympic Games are still a long way off.

At Tokyo 2020, the 50km race walk was for men only, one sailing discipline was open to men only and there was no Greco-Roman wrestling for women, but four years later the Paris Olympics provided an equal number of medals.

The Paralympic Games are still a long way off, however, with only 235 medals for women out of a total of 549, and 271 for men. Surprisingly, the biggest differences are seen in swimming and athletics.

“Paris 2024 has always had the ambition to increase the number of female athletes at the Paralympic Games. As the organisers of one of the world’s largest sporting events, Paris 2024 wanted to make the Games a showcase for greater gender equality in Paralympic sport,” a Paris 2024 spokesperson said. The Independent.

“Of the more than 4,461 athletes competing at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, 1,983 are women, twice as many as in Sydney 2000 and more than the 1,846 female athletes in Tokyo. Of the 549 medal events, 235 are for women, eight more than in Tokyo 2020 and 28% more than in Athens 2004.

“35 NOCs (out of 169) have a record number of female athletes this year, while 27 NOCs have more female athletes than male athletes. In 15 sports, there are more female athletes than in Tokyo 2020.

“In 64 years of the Paralympic Games, we have almost reached gender parity (55%/45%). At the same stage of the life cycle (Rome 1960), the Olympic Games were at 11.4%.”

Progress seems slow, however. Gender parity in terms of medals and events should be possible by 2024, especially in sports that are growing exponentially in popularity for women.

The British Paralympic team was made up of 46 percent women of the 215 athletes who travelled to Paris, but only 45 percent of the events were open to female athletes.

However, the discrepancy is still wide, with 116 male athletes and just 99 women travelling to represent Great Britain in 19 of the 22 sports taking part in the Games.

There is no blind football for women at the Paralympic Games
There is no blind football for women at the Paralympic Games (REUTERS)

One of the most notable examples is blind football, where there is a full 8-a-side competition for men, but no medal competition for women.

In England, the Football Association has had a football team for blind men since its first participation in the Games in 2004. Since 2022, there has also been a women’s team.

“Of course it is (a disgrace), it’s not just a disgrace that it’s not right,” Catherine Gilby, the Football Association’s head of para-performance, told The Independent.

“But you also have to look at how the IOC determines which sports are allowed, and there have to be some very competitive teams in the rankings to warrant a place in the Games.

“We are still holding our breath on whether the women’s event will take place at LA28, there are a lot of rumors that the blind women’s event might come on board and maybe IBSA (International Blind Sports Association) will make sure we have enough competitive teams to push that bid through.”

The FA had expected a decision on the possible inclusion of women’s blind football in LA28 to be made in January this year, but have not heard anything further. The sport is just one of 33 new para-sports that have applied to compete at the next Paralympic Games.

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