Celebrating Diversity at the Paris Olympics

September 21, 2024 | DiverseUSA | Diversity and Inclusion, Gender Equality, People of Color, Trans Rights

Earlier this summer, the world had Olympics fever. As I paused my Netflix bingeing routine to marvel at the unparalleled talent, perseverance, and physicality of athletes from around the world, I was both amazed and saddened by reactions to the Olympic competitors’ diversity.

Great Strides for Diversity and Equality

Throughout the three weeks of competition, we saw athletes from 206 countries represented, many of whom represented their countries for the first time in different Olympic sports. The 2024 Paris Olympic Games achieved nearly complete gender parity – the International Olympic Committee distributed quota places equally to male and female athletes –, a significant increase since the 1900 Paris Olympic Games where only 2% of competitors were female. Major strides were also made in sexual and generational diversity with 193 openly LGBTQ+ athletes competing in Paris and 58-year-old equestrian showjumper Laura Kraut becoming the oldest U.S. medalist at the Olympic games in 72 years.

Historically Underrepresented Athletes Faced Discrimination

In opposition to these tremendous global and American gains were countless news and social media stories attacking the achievements and contributions of female athletes and athletes of color. Apart from spreading hate and false information (unverified claims about Imane Khelif’s biological sex comes to mind), these narratives are worrying because of the veiled misogyny, racism, and transphobia they perpetuate.

Too often, criticism of women, transgender persons, and people of color in sports fall under the guise of “fair competition.” Yet, there is nothing “fair” about professional athletics or the Olympic Games. Apart from financial disparities which skew the number of athletes competing and winning medals in the Olympics towards wealthier nations (consider the 592 athletes who participated in Paris from the United States as compared to the four from the eight largest nation in the world, Bangladesh), professional athletics were established to showcase physical advantages.

Diversity Engenders Athletic Greatness

Simply put, Olympic athletes have biological uniqueness (what we refer to as “raw talent”) that provides them with natural competitive advantages. The most decorated Olympian of all time with 28 medals, Michael Phelps has the ideal body for swimming – an exceptionally long wingspan, tall torso, large feet, and low lactic acid production that allow him to swim and recover faster than his opponents. The proclaimed G.O.A.T. (acronym for “Greatest of All Team”) gymnast Simone Biles stands at 4’8” but jumps over 12’ during competition. She is not only one of the shortest female gymnasts in U.S. Olympics history, her leaps defy the imagination.

To say that the majority of us could train our entire lives and not hope to accomplish these feats is an understatement, yet hostility towards female, trans, and people of color athletes seems to fill our news feeds. Female athletes from U.S. tennis great Serena Williams to WNBA star Brittney Griner to American rugby player Ilona Maher have all been accused of being born men or taking steroids. Simone Biles and her teammate, Jordan Chiles, have both received derogatory comments about their hair, despite taking Team USA to victory. Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec went viral, while the media largely ignored his female teammate Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, who helped him finally win a medal after his four previous Olympics attempts.

Why do we applaud male and white athletes for their exceptionalism, while disparaging female, trans and people of color athletes for their successes?

In her book Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America, Ijeoma Oluo writes:

“Most women and people of color have to claw their way to any chance at success or power, have to work twice as hard as white men and prove themselves to be exceptional talents before we begin to entertain discussions of truly equal representation.”

Rereading this quote, I am reminded of the long-standing fight for equality by the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. Despite having won more World Cups than any other women’s team and spending 10 of the last 11 years ranked as the world’s number one team, the team wasn’t guaranteed a level playing field of grass until 2020 or equal compensation as the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team until 2023.

Olympic Games Should Celebrate Diversity

The Olympics Games are worth celebrating not in spite of diversity, but because of the diversity of countries, people, and sports. Diversity is the source of our strength as a country and as a global competitor. Female athletes won 57% of Team USA’s 126 medals and 65% of Team USA’s gold medals in Paris.

Reflecting back on these summer Olympics, the moment that will most stand out to me is when Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bowed to Brazilian gymnast, Rebecca Andrade, at the podium. Instead of succumbing to jealousy, they cheered on the triumph of the woman who defeated them, in effect, elevating all of their victories. Let us do the same by celebrating diversity and allowing people of all different races, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, and abilities to inspire us and remind us of the heights we can reach when we strive together.