Gender parity — but not equity — at the Paris Games
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History was made once the Paris Games were recognized as the first in which an equal number of women and men participated.
Yes, but: Parity doesn't equal equity, a fact that has also been on full display.
Driving the news: Even with no transgender women competing at the Paris Olympics, the questioning of athletes' gender triggered major controversy.
- Boxers Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting endured global online abuse and pointed questions about whether they should be competing. Both received strong support from the IOC and their home countries, as well as from fans in Paris — and each earned medals in Paris, with Khelif winning gold late Friday.
- Rugby player Ilona Maher, who helped lead Team USA to a surprising bronze and drew much attention to the sport, also faced gender-based attacks even though she too was assigned female at birth.
What they're saying: Maher and Khelif spoke out about their treatment, as well as the need to stop bullying female athletes in general, as did former Olympians.
- "It can destroy people, it can kill people's thoughts, spirit and mind," Khelif told SNTV. "It can divide people. And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying."
- U.S. Olympic basketball star Brittney Griner told Axios she's frustrated with the boxing situation. "People's opinions get put into things way too much, and they're not just looking at the facts," she said, following Team USA's quarterfinal victory on Wednesday. "I just hate that."
- "I get the comments of being called a man, being called too masculine, because I have muscles," Maher said, per Time. "I know that it's from very sad, insecure people online. But I know they're saying it to other girls as well. And that's what I don't like."
The big picture: While there weren't any transgender women in Paris, as there had been in Tokyo, several athletes who identify as transgender or nonbinary competed in the women's category.
- American runner Nikki Hiltz, who identifies as both transgender and nonbinary, qualified for the finals of the women's 1500-meter race, becoming the first such athlete to reach an individual final. "I'm the first, but I know I am not the last," Hiltz said after Thursday's semifinal. "I hope I can make it a little bit easier for the next nonbinary person."
- Canadian soccer player Quinn, who won gold in Tokyo, faced a challenging Paris Games after team officials were caught using camera-equipped drones to spy on opponents.
- And in women's boxing — the same sport in which Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting drew so much scrutiny — the Olympics saw its first openly transgender male competitor: Hergie Bacyadan of the Philippines. But, because he hasn't taken hormones and lost his first match, Bacyadan attracted little attention.
Between the lines: Gender equity isn't just about who competes but also the rules that govern their outfits, their play and the different treatment they often receive.
- Camera operators for the Olympic Broadcasting Service had to be reminded to focus on the action and not female athletes' bodies.
- A British commentator, meanwhile, was removed from his duties for European broadcaster Eurosport after making sexist comments on air.
