Transforming the Modern Games: Changes in National Team Representation, Events, and Female Participation

This article explores the three key ways in which the modern Olympic Games have changed from their inception in 1896, including the introduction of national team representation, increase in events, and female participation. The article discusses the impact of these changes on the sports industry and society as a whole.

Running head: TRANSFORMING THE MODERN GAMES
TRANSFORMING THE MODERN GAMES
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The three key ways in which the modern Olympic Games have changed from their inception
(1896) are:
The idea of introduction of the national team representation: In the first phase of the
Olympic Games in Athens, there were just 14 countries those were represented in the games. But
in 2012 London Olympics there were 204 countries represented and in this year there will be
total of 206 countries that will be taking part in the Olympic Games
(https://www.olympic.org/olympic-studies-centre). In 1896, the competitors of the several
nationalities were able to participate but the idea of the natural team representation was
introduced a decade later at the intercalated games (Weed et al. 2015).
Increase in number of events: The introduction of various number of games and various events
has increased the popularity and the profit sharing for the Olympic Board increased (Weed et al.
2015). The players of every sectors get the platform and there were games that many counties
were not interested before, therefore this make the countries to practice such games in the
country. Every country wants to take part in each of the games that provokes them to practice
every games(Weed et al. 2015). This helps to increase the sports value of that country and the
increase in the no of games has attracted many countries that extended the participation of
various countries in the event (Weed et al. 2015). These provides the platforms for the countries
to compete by the sports skills.
Participation of female athletes in the Olympic Games: In the ancient times, Olympics were
only open to the male athletes. Women athletes were not allowed to participate in the first
Modern Olympic Games (Womenssportsfoundation.org 2017). This was so because as the father
of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin thought that it would not be appropriate for
inviting the female athletes (Womenssportsfoundation.org 2017). Then this concept got changed

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by the support of the other members in the Olympic Board and the decision is based upon the
views of all the members. The introduction of events that allows the female candidates to take
part in the Olympic Games has increased the value of the sports and the values of women in all
over the world. This can be considered as the great movements towards providing equal value to
women in the international platform (Womenssportsfoundation.org 2017).
The area that has bring great changes in the games is that there only male athletes
participated at the first modern Summer Olympics in 1896. Founder of the
modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin, thought women play a subordinate role while it
comes to sporting events and therefore no woman athlete was participated in the Olympic
movement (Weed et al. 2015). It was a way for promoting men's biological strength, endurance
and stamina as well as directing the moral compass of them. Initially Coubertin and his co-
organizers intention was that women could participate passively only as spectators but not
actively as athletes (International Olympic Committee 2019). It was implied that female
participants were not competitive or powerful enough to take part in quite a vital sporting event.
However, situation has changed rapidly and woman participated in the Olympic Summer Games
which was convened in 1900 (Weed et al. 2015). There were two sporting events, golf and
tennis, in which women have been participated and all total of 22 women, participated in
that Olympic Games. Women also participated in archery events during the next Olympic Games
in the year 1904 (International Olympic Committee 2019). Other sports for female athlete were
put on the list gradually and up until the Nineteen Eighties, the gap began to close rapidly
enough (Weed et al. 2015). The ISF or International Swimming Federation was the 1st major
sports federation which actually voted for the inclusion of women participants in swimming at
the 1912 summer Olympic Games in order to promote women's participation in the competitions

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(Womenssportsfoundation.org 2017). Other international sports federations were also motivated
by this fact and started to include female athlete in women's sports and start organizing their
own competitions (International Olympic Committee 2019). Before the Nineteen Forties, female
athletic associations were informal and failed to support, endorse or promote any woman’s
events. After World War II this drastically changed and suddenly there were more women
competing in the summer Olympic Games (International Olympic Committee 2019). Figure 1
below graphically represents how woman’s participation in summer Olympic Games has
changed since the inception of the Olympic Games (International Olympic Committee 2019).
Figure 1: Representation of number of woman’s participation in summer Olympic Games since
the inception of the Olympic Games (International Olympic Committee 2019)
As time goes by, there has been a constant rise in the number of women participants in
the summer Olympics Games. The number of woman participants did not exceed thousand from
the 1900 summer Olympic Games until the 1968 summer Olympic Games
(Womenssportsfoundation.org, 2017). However, nearly five thousand women took part in the
last summer Olympic Games which was convened in 2016 which is an estimated at 45 per cent

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of total participants (International Olympic Committee 2019). On the contrary, the
participant percentage of female athlete in the Olympic Games was only about 10 per cent of all
participants after the Nineteen Fifties (Womenssportsfoundation.org, 2017). At the 1996
summer Olympic Games, it was three times which nearly 34 percent of the total participants. As
stated above, 45 per cent of all participants in the last Rio Olympic Games were women
(International Olympic Committee 2019). This is almost more than twice as much as forty years
ago in the 1976 summer Olympic Games (Womenssportsfoundation.org, 2017).
In a nutshell, it can be said that the increasing number of women taking part in
sporting events has been found to have an advantageous effect on the overall performance of the
countries (International Olympic Committee 2019). The United States was the 1st country to
have more female athlete than men at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. From then on, several
countries have begun to follow suit as the increase in the number of women
participants was directly correlated to the total improvement of performance (Weed et al. 2015).
The change of introducing participation of female athletes in the Olympic Games has
been beneficial for the games. The participation of the female athletes has created great effect on
the Olympic Games as it provides a platform for the business as it was found out that
traditionally women are not allowed to participate in the games (International Olympic
Committee 2019). The games were exclusively for men but as the time has changed, the IOC
played a major role in developing the positive trends for enhancing women’s participation in the
sports (International Olympic Committee 2019). This is found out that over the last 30 years,
IOC has been advocating the participation of the women in all the three levels thereby
encouraging the foundations like the National Olympic Committees and the International
federations for enhancing the presence of women in sports at all levels (International Olympic

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Committee 2019). This is found out that the introduction of such change in the Olympic Games
is beneficial as the success of the IOC women in the sport policy is noticeable and not only this
has the participation of women in the Olympic Games increased a lot over the last 30 years
(International Olympic Committee 2019). In October 2018, the Youth Olympic Games Buenos
Aires 2018 was the first gender based Olympic event ever.
The biggest drivers of the change is one of the biggest commitment of IOC for
developing more opportunities for the female athletes by extending the Olympic program that
have been required for including the women’s events (Weed et al. 2015). From 1991, the new
sports that are seeking in the Olympic program has involved the women’s events. The
introduction of the events and games that introduced women has helped to attract more women
towards games (International Olympic Committee 2019). There are people who are not able to
afford the education for girls thereby leading to young girl’s marriage. This concept has changed
a lot and the women are not treated as the burden for the family (International Olympic
Committee 2019). The interest of sports has been increased in the family and these also grows
interest among the people of enrolling their daughters into the training institute. The seriousness
towards games was only reflected by the male candidates and there was a mind-set that the girls
will not be able to bring success for the country by playing and competing with various countries
(International Olympic Committee 2019). The participation has created a great effect on the
entire mind-set of the people all over the world. The participation shows that women can also
represent the country and could bring success for the country in the sports sector (International
Olympic Committee 2019). This change has affected the entire sports sectors and this has gained
the support of major viewers. The women those cannot afford education they does not lose hope
from their life they get motivation from such changes. This has provided a mind-set that anybody

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can gain success by participating in any sector and all everybody needs to do that they are
required to remain focused in one sector particularly throughout the life (International Olympic
Committee 2019). This will definitely bring success and motivation plays the major role in every
body’s life. This changes can be considered as the major changes in the Olympic Games and the
number of mixed events for reaching the record of 45.44% female representation in the Winter
Games (International Olympic Committee 2019). The changes has led to the excellent step
towards the business where the equal numbers of people can participate that is the women and
men can participate in the equal ratio for the first time (International Olympic Committee 2019).
The changes brought an effective step in the Olympic Games and the changes also created an
effective step in the implementation of the Olympic Agenda.
This was considered as one of the major milestone for the women’s sports and also for
the Olympic movements as the whole. The implementation of such changes has to go through
various controversial situation but the change one of the effective movements. Traditionally the
women were not able to enjoy the equal rights as well as equal respects in the sports sector. This
was one of the major movement for providing equal rights to women in the international
platform (International Olympic Committee 2019). This can also lead to the effective movement
of giving equal values to girls in every families, this platform makes the door open when the
games were specially arranged for the female athletes, where they can compete and bring success
for the country which they are representing (International Olympic Committee 2019).

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References
International Olympic Committee 2019. Olympic Values & Ideals - Olympism in Action.
International Olympic Committee. Available at: https://www.olympic.org/olympic-studies-centre
[Accessed 28 Mar. 2019].
Weed, M., Coren, E., Fiore, J., Wellard, I., Chatziefstathiou, D., Mansfield, L. and Dowse, S.,
2015. The Olympic Games and raising sport participation: a systematic review of evidence and
an interrogation of policy for a demonstration effect. European Sport Management
Quarterly, 15(2), pp.195-226.
Womenssportsfoundation.org 2017. WOMEN IN THE OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES:
An Analysis of Participation, Leadership, and MediaCoverage. Womenssportsfoundation.org.
Available at: https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wsf-2016-
olympic_paralympic-report-final.pdf [Accessed 28 Mar. 2019].