Changing the Game: Record number of women athletes from Türkiye to compete in Paris 2024 Olympics

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games, set to take place from July 26 to August 11 in Paris, France, are the first to reach gender parity, with equal numbers of men and women athletes. As the Republic of Türkiye marks its 100th year in the Olympic Games, Team Türkiye will compete in Paris 2024 with 102 athletes. Among these athletes, 54 are women and 48 are men, making this the second Olympic Games since London 2012 where the number of women athletes surpasses that of men. This remarkable milestone is a testament to the collective achievements of all women athletes who have been breaking records, shattering stereotypes, and inspiring future generations for years.

In Türkiye, and worldwide, gender equality in sports has significantly improved in recent years. Women representation in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has doubled to 41%, and 88% of sports viewers in a seven-country survey view professional women athletes as role models. However, gender inequality persists, with girls dropping out of sports at twice the rate of boys by age 14 and women athletes facing disparities in opportunities, sponsorships, media visibility, and conditions.

Since 2012, the IOC and UN Women have partnered to promote gender equality in sports. This collaboration aims to empower women and girls through sports and develop policies addressing their needs. To further this effort in Türkiye, UN Women Türkiye Deputy Country Director Zeliha Ünaldı and Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) President Professor Uğur Erdener met in Ankara on July 17 to discuss new initiatives.

“Sports play a crucial role in breaking down gender barriers and empowering women and girls. The equal participation at the Paris 2024 Olympics results from the long-standing struggle of women athletes. Empowering women through sports will impact all areas of life. To enhance these effects, we need collaboration, safeguarding laws, more investment in women’s sports, and increased visibility of women athletes. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will not only be an international sports event for Türkiye but also a major step for gender equality,” says Zeliha Ünaldı, Deputy Country Director of UN Women Türkiye. 

TOC’s Team Türkiye for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games composed of more women athletes than men, including a higher number of women in traditionally male-dominated sports such as wrestling, taekwondo, and boxing. In wrestling, the team comprises 5 women atheletes, 2 men atheletes in freestyle, and 4 men atheletes in greco-roman. There are 5 women and 3 men in boxing and, 3 women and 2 men in taekwondo in the Team Türkiye

“The Paris 2024 Olympics will showcase global athletic talent and mark a turning point for gender equality in sports. It is a great pride for us to participate in these Games with a team that includes more women athletes. Their achievements in recent years have been inspiring both nationally and internationally, strengthening the fight for gender equality. I firmly believe our successes at Paris 2024 will illuminate the path for future women athletes and leaders,” says Professor Uğur Erdener, President of TOC.

The Paris 2024 Olympics will bring together over 10,500 athletes who will compete in 32 sports, aiming to win 329 medals. The National Volleyball Team of Türkiye, who are champions of the Nations League and European Championship and now ranked number one in the world, will be among the Team Türkiye. Eda Erdem, captain of the National Volleyball Team, states that the Paris 2024 Olympics is a key opportunity to motivate more girls to engage in sports. 

“The participation of girls in sports is invaluable for developing their life skills. Sport is one of the most effective ways to prepare for life. It helps our children believe in their abilities, develop resilience and teamwork, stay healthy, gain self-confidence, and improve social skills, leading to better education and job opportunities. Our investments in enhancing the positive effects of sports on women and girls are endless. At Paris 2024, as a team, we will do our best to inspire our children,” continues Eda Erdem, team captain and chair of the TOC Athletes Commission.

Facts and Figures from Türkiye

According to the 2023 Report on Gender Equality in Sports by the Association for Women's Sports and Physical Activity (KASFAD):

• 36.72% of the 7,294,042 licensed athletes registered with 62 sports federations are women.
• 14.06% of the general secretaries and 8.10% of the board members of sports federations are women.
• 39.06% of sports federations have no women members on their boards.
• 33.75% of the 302,502 coaches affiliated with 59 sports federations are women.
• There are no women executives in the senior management of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
• At TOC, 46% of the staff are women. The President of TOC is male, while the Secretary-General is female. The proportion of women members on the Board of Directors is 36%, compared to 64% men members. Sports Commission of TOC reached gender parity, with equal number of women and men members. 

Recognizing the power of sports to propel gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment, UN Women Türkiye is collaborating with is collaborating with sports organizations to tear down gender barriers and discrimination. UN Women’s HeForShe initiative and Fenerbahçe Sports Club have joined forces with the support of Tüpraş, one of the largest industrial companies, to advance gender equality and women's empowerment in and through sports in Türkiye since 2018.  UN Women Türkiye developed a step-by-step guide “The Guidelines for Gender-responsive Sports Organizations” on the basis of UN Women’s global Sports for Generation Equality principles, taking into account the experience of Fenerbahçe Sports Club over the past years. The Guidelines aim to support sports organizations to transform their intentions to empower women and girls and advance gender equality in practice, based on a comprehensive set of measurable and concrete actions and indicators against each of the six global Principles.