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Go For Your Olympic-size Goals

By Fairport Wealth

“I don’t run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run toward it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your feet.”

– Nadia Comaneci

At the 1976 summer Olympics in Montreal, 14-year-old Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci became the first gymnast in the Olympics to score a perfect ten for her performance on the uneven parallel bars. She went on to receive a total of seven perfect scores and three gold medals, in large part because she was not afraid of the challenge.

As we cheer for our favorite athletes at the Paris games, which run from July 24^th through August 11^th, we also celebrate the champions for women in sports. Nadia was able to make history, in part thanks to advocates who challenged the status quo. And the challenge continues today to ensure equal opportunities for women and girls in sports.

Breaking Barriers

In the 1900 Olympics, women were only allowed to compete in five events, including golf, swimming, diving, fencing, and tennis, because they were considered too frail to compete in other events. In the early 1920s, Alice Milliat, a French athlete, lobbied to add women’s track and field to the 1924 Paris Olympics, but her request was denied. She persevered, founding the International Women’s Sports Federation in 1921; and in the summer of 1922, she welcomed journalists and thousands of spectators to watch women compete at the Women’s World Games.^1,2 Women’s track and field was introduced to the Olympics in 1928.

Ensuring Equality

The 2024 summer games will be the first time an equal number of male and female athletes are competing, and the first time there will be an equal number of track and field events. This is the culmination of Olympic Committee efforts to achieve gender parity that began in 2018.²

Keeping Girls in the Game

The Women’s Sports Foundation, founded by tennis legend Billie Jean King in 1974, is dedicated to leveling the playing field and supporting the advancement of girls and women in sports. Their studies show that disparities and gender stereotypes still exist, but parental support, positive role models, and equal access to resources can make a big difference in keeping girls in the game. It’s important to encourage girls to participate in sports because staying in the game can have a positive impact on their academics, body image, and self-confidence, and help them achieve their potential.³ 

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¹ They Called It ‘Improper’ to Have Women in the Olympics. But She Persisted. The New York Times, July 10, 2024

² The Long Road to Olympic Equality, The Wall Street Journal

³ Keeping Girls in the Game: Factors that Influence Sport Participation, Women’s Sports Foundation, March 2020