Although
women are dominating in Olympic athletics, there are still 30 medals that are
only available to men. There are only two Olympic events where men and women
compete directly against each other, and the rest of the events are strictly
men or women events. Men’s sports still outnumber women’s sports, and
gymnastics, as an example, has more events for men than women. But despite
these obstacles for women, 29 of Team USA’s 46 gold medals were won by women. Women’s
equality had a major victory in the induction of women’s boxing into the 2012
Olympics. A male-dominated sport opened up to women provides great freedom for
women who want to compete in other male-dominated sports, such as rugby, which
is being introduced in the 2016 Olympics.
Finally, the Olympics highlight the top athletes in the world, but there are much higher standards for women than men. Caster Semenya, a woman from South Africa who appears to have more typically masculine features, was the subject of much debate after she dominated at the track World Championships in 2009. She was seen as “too masculine,” and there were speculations that she wasn’t a woman. She was subjected to many different genetic testing to identify her sex. When women athletes challenge the traditional gender binary that governs over sports, they may be ridiculed because they are seen as being too masculine. Semenya does not fit into the typical appearance we expect from women athletes, as she has more of a muscular build and a deep voice, but that doesn’t mean she’s not a woman. After her embarrassing gender testing, she competed in the 2012 Olympics and won a silver medal in the 800-meter run. Not only was she competing for the highest honor in her sport, she was also fighting the typical norms around femininity.
