Tokyo 2021 thus far, has been considered as the Olympics of diversity. However, the hurdles race started many years ago. Undoubtedly, there are many obstacles to jump over in order to win the long race against prejudice and exclusion of minority groups.
The first Olympics of modern history were held in 1896 in Athens. There were 9 sports, 14 nations, and 241 white male athletes. Women were considered persona non grata, in other words, they were not allowed to participate either in the competition or in the cheering bleachers. In the following Olympics of Paris in 1900, there were 24 nations, 997 participants (975 men and 22 women), and 19 sports. To participate, women needed to be mindful of their femininity and ‘fragility’. They were limited to “feminine sports”, the former leisure activities of the aristocracy (tennis, sailing, croquet, horse-riding, and figure skating), and were excluded from track and field sports. In that way, they could protect their femininity and fertility, respect decency, and avoid any kind of strenuous or sustained effort. From 1968 to 1998, the International Olympic Committee required athletes to undergo gender testing to avoid men and women from disguising the ‘unfair and male’ physical advantage of competing in all-female events. The British tennis player Charlotte Cooper was the first woman to win a gold medal. It was not until the 27th Olympics in 2012 in London, that women from all countries participated in every sport. These little achievements opened the doors for the 48% of female participants in Tokyo today.
In a white-dominated society, individuals of other ethnicities would rarely participate in an international event like the Olympics. Despite this exclusion, Athens 1896 Olympics saw the first black athlete, Haitian rugby player Constantin Henriquez, compete in a modern-day Olympics and win a gold medal. Many of these athletes faced segregation challenges, like George Poage, a track and field sportsman who was the first African American to win an Olympic medal in Saint Louis in 1904. In the next Olympics, John Taylor was the first male African American to win a gold medal in track and field; Alice Coachman, the first black woman to win it in 1948 London; and Abebe Bikila was the first African champion in Rome 1960 who amazingly won while running barefoot. The Berlin 1936 Olympic games were well-known for the victory of Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals running track and field, all the while helping to dispel the Nazis-based myth about Aryanism. Honourable mentions to the brave individuals who risked their places on the Olympic podium, in Mexico City 1968. The African American athletes John Carlos and Tommie Smith raised a black-gloved fist as the US national anthem was played. Without a doubt, they created opportunities for their iconic successors including but not limited to Wilma Rudolph, Florence Griffith-Joyner, and Usain Bolt. Sadly, until now, there has not been any African country as the host of the Olympics, but this situation should change in 2026 when the event is due to be held in Dakar.
In Athens 1896, Chile was the only country to represent Latin America in the Olympics, with only one athlete named Luis Subercaseaux competing – he, unfortunately, did not win any medals. However, in Paris in 1900, the Cuban Ramón Fonst was the first Latino to win a gold medal in fencing, when he was only 17 years old. Furthermore, representing Latin America Tracee Talavera was the first from her country to win a gold medal in gymnastics in Los Angeles in 1984. Mexico City was the first Latin American country to hold Olympics in 1968. The aforementioned sportspeople inspired many other names, such as Formiga, Marta Silva, Daiane dos Santos, and Rebeca Andrade.
In Paris 1924, China was the first Asian country to participate in the games with the first Asian victory achieved in the next Olympics at Amsterdam in 1928 by Japanese Athlete, Mikio Oda. The first Asian country to be the host of the event was Japan in 1964, following its initial cancellation during the Second World War. The first Asian female athlete to win a medal was Sunisa Lee this year in Tokyo. In Paris 1900, Iran was the first Islamic country to join, although they have not yet hosted any sports events. In London 2012, Muslim women began to participate in the games, and 2016 saw the historic moment whereby Ibtihaj Muhammad was the first Muslim American woman to wear a hijab, taking home an Olympic medal in fencing. Another noteworthy victory was from the former sprinter Cathy Freeman, who became the first Australian Aboriginal person to win an individual Olympic gold medal in Sydney 2000. Rio de Janeiro 2016 was important too, by the creation of the Refugee Olympic Team (EOR). It sent a message of hope and solidarity to the over 80 million forcibly displaced people worldwide.
In sports, there is still a heteronormative culture that deters many LGBTQIA+ athletes from freely disclosing their sexuality. The first known homosexual Olympic athlete who competed in Amsterdam in 1928 was German Otto Peltzer. In 1982, Tom Waddell created the Gay Games, a social-cultural and multi-sport festival in San Francisco. Waddell wanted to create an area that was free of any prejudice and discrimination. The Gay Games changed the Olympic movement with more tolerance and acceptance of homosexuality. In 2004 IOC allowed transgender athletes to participate in the Olympic Games and only now in 2021, there is the first transgender athlete. These accomplishments created windows of opportunity for the LGBTQIA+ community today.
In addition of great importance regarding diversity and inclusion in sport are the Paralympics games. They were first held in London in 1948, in a hospital for war veterans in Stoke Mandeville. German neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttman was looking for a way to help his patients to rehabilitate and so the Paralympics commenced. Representation of these individuals is extremely important and fundamental in encouraging inclusivity and so that these groups are no longer in the margins of society. Previous athletes jumped many obstacles to afford new opportunities to younger generations. It is a long race to go but it is essential that everybody fights for equality.
In conclusion, the Olympics is about unifying everybody at home and in the stadiums, and sharing different stories from people of different backgrounds, both socially and geographically. Especially as a result of the pandemic creating a rough and challenging year, the Olympic games have provided some much needed entertainment. Clearly, this year in particular, the games have become a phenomenon online, the only place where people could unite and embrace a sense of togetherness. As a Brazilian, the moment when we forget the genocide and fascist government, country's inequality and politics division, instead we feel the power in the lyrics:
“eu sou Brasileiro com muito orgulho e muito amor.”
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