Olympic games, origin story, and the hidden sexism in them.- Girlsplained.
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The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games came a year late, but they have given a lot to talk about. Not only because it is a magnificent sporting event, but also because there are several things happening for the first time.
Let me share a bit of the history of these games. It’s interesting, I promise.
How were the Olympic games created?
The first edition of these games took place hundreds of years before Christ in Ancient Greece, specifically in the city of Olympia. By 776 BC, Greece was a compendium of cities that, in addition to being constantly in wars, got together to celebrate and play the games as an offering to Zeus.
There are several stories about why the games started. One of them is that they were created to commemorate the birth of Zeus, and it was a tradition to do them every four years.
Another story says that it was not because of Zeus, but because of Heracles, his son, who built the first Olympic stadium as an offering to his father.
No one knows the exact story, but it’s certain that they were created as a divine celebration.
During those first editions, they competed in disciplines that are still valid today: disc throw, long jump, javelin, athletics, and wrestling.
All the Greeks met in the city of Olympia for this competition. And something I find amusing is that since Greece lived in constant war, they created the Olympic truce which was an agreement between the cities where they promised to stop the conflicts until the end of the games. It was a temporary peace until the flame of the Olympic torch was extinguished.
At that time only free, Greek and wealthy men could participate. They had to pay for everything. Their training, equipment, and transfers. Women, slaves, and foreigners were forbidden to participate because if they won, they could expose free men, and that was not allowed.
These games were discontinued in AD 393. when Theodosius I categorized them as pagan. He wanted to make Christianity the official religion and worshiping Zeus could not be part of the culture.
Then, in the 19th century, a French baron named Pierre Fredy reactivated the Olympic games by creating the Olympic committee.
That first edition was held in the city of Athens in 1896, 14 countries and 280 athletes participated. In 1900, another edition was held in Paris where women participated for the first time. After that, they kept modifying each edition and that’s how we came to have the Olympic games that we do today.
In this post-Christ relaunch of the Olympic games, the idea of making Olympic truces were eliminated. In fact, the events that coincided with the First and Second World Wars were canceled, the war was more important.
The editions have changed over the years and the Olympic committee has tried to keep up - although they may be a little late at times - by incorporating new disciplines.
Also, each edition has left something to talk about, and historically athletes have used the massive space to raise their voices and leave a message against social, racial, political injustices, etc. This year was not the exception.
What things are happening for the first time?
New disciplines:
It is very exciting that in this edition of the games, the Olympic committee decided to incorporate new sports into the competition. These are:
Karate. Although judo has been an Olympic discipline for almost 60 years; karate wasn’t been allowed. This is the first year in which the best karatekas in the world were able to participate in "Kata" and "Kumite"
Surf. This sport is exciting because it is the kind of thing that people don’t see as a sport, but more like a hobby. From this moment on, it is not only a sport but an Olympic one.
Skateboarding. This is one of the new disciplines that makes me happiest. This sport has always had a social stigma around it that puts skaters in a position of "criminals". Making it an Olympic sport lowers that erroneous appreciation.
Climbing. As the number one fan of American Ninja Warrior, I find this new Olympic discipline extremely fun.
3x3 basketball. This game format is an urban version of traditional basketball. It is also exciting to know that it’s now Olympian.
Sexist complaints:
Clearly, this has been my favorite part of the Olympics, women have been given a lot to talk about and showed us that sexism is everywhere, especially in traditions.
Also, it seems important to emphasize that these have been the Olympic games with the highest representation of women ever, and the diversity target is almost 50/50.
But representation isn't the only thing that needs to change for the Olympics to be equal for men and women, and this year's athletes raised their voices to confront that fact. Some complaints worthy of acknowledging and applauding:
Norwegians were fined for wearing a more conservative uniform. The women’s Norwegian beach handball team wanted to denounce the difference in the men's uniform vs. women's. Men can play in sports shorts, while women must wear crop tops and thongs. The players decided to present themselves with the crop top and biker shorts stating that the uniform was sexist and uncomfortable to play.
The regulations of the FIH (International Handball Federation) state that "female athletes must wear bikini bottoms, with a tight grip and a raised cut over the upper leg. The width of the side must have a maximum of 10 centimeters ". While men, “must wear shorts. If these are not too loose, they can be longer, but should be kept 10 centimeters above the knee. "
For wearing shorts, each of the female players was charged $177 as a fine. The fact that this happened suggests that it is more important for women to show their bodies than to be good at their disciplines.
German gymnasts changed their suits. German gymnasts decided to wear full-body suits to reject hypersexualization in this sport as well. The costumes covered the whole body from the ankles to the wrists. They invited other women to join this movement.
Sports should not be a beauty pageant, uniforms should be comfortable for those who wear them and for the discipline they are doing. "It's about what feels comfortable ... We wanted to show that every woman, everyone, should decide what to wear," German gymnast Elisabeth Seitz told CNN.
First trans woman to participate. This news makes me very happy because this is the first year that Laurel Hubbard, a trans woman, will be able to compete with the gender she identifies. I do not want to talk much about this because in the next email I will do it in more detail, I’ll answer if it is fair or not that this happens, and what other options can there be to open spaces to trans people without harming cis women or men.
The greatest lesson that these Olympics could give us.
If I take something from these games is the fact that all the people who participate are human and they get distressed and feel like the rest of the mortals that watch them from the sofa eating chips.
Simone Biles is one of the most successful, well-trained gymnasts in the world. She has shown it in previous appearances. However, this year she was not at her peak. Ever since she participated in the playoffs, commentators and fans began to suspect that something was wrong. It didn't take long for her to get them out of doubt.
Biles withdrew herself from the rest of the tests because she needed to take care of her mental health. A reminder that sometimes focusing on ourselves and our well-being is the most important thing. These were some of the things she said:
"I have to focus on my mental health. I just think mental health is more important in sports right now. We have to protect our minds and our bodies, and not just go out and do what the world wants us to do."
"I don't trust myself that much anymore. Maybe I'm getting older. There are days when everyone tweets at you and you feel the weight of the world."
"I didn't want to go out and do something stupid and hurt myself. I feel like a lot of athletes who have spoken about it [about mental health] have really helped (...) It's very important, it's the Olympics, but at the end of the day we don't want that to get us out of there on a stretcher.”
After her resignation, I have read thousands of negative comments accusing Simone Biles of not being prepared and of not being a true Olympian. Beyond that accusation, which is clearly a lie, we must begin to understand as a society that mental health is important. Ignoring that there is something wrong can do you a lot of harm.
Especially in high-impact sports such as gymnastics, in which if you overthink any of the movements you can fall badly and hurt yourself very, very hard.
It would have been irresponsible of her to continue participating. Just as it is irresponsible to say that she dropped out because she was not a true athlete.
Mental health is not seen and it is very difficult to represent in words, it should not be less important for that.
Use Simone's case as a strength to care for yourself and the people you love without judgment. Mental health is important, and if you feel like at some point you can not keep going, stop and seek help. Nothing can be more important than your well-being. Not even an Olympic medal.
Look at all the things you learned today:
The Olympic games were to be held in 2020 but were postponed due to the pandemic.
Its origin dates back to 700 BC in Ancient Greece. They were performed as a divine act.
During the Olympic games, cities agreed to an Olympic truce that guaranteed peace and the cessation of wars during the games.
These games were banned in 394 AD. because they were considered a pagan act.
They were reactivated in 1896 A.D. thanks to a French baron.
Women participated for the first time in the Olympics in 1900 in Paris.
This year 5 new sports disciplines were incorporated: Karate, surfing, skateboarding, 3x3 basketball, and climbing.
Women gave a lot to talk about this year: Norwegian beach handball players were fined for wearing shorts as a uniform. German gymnasts wore long suits to show less of their bodies. Laurel Hubbard is the first trans woman to participate in these games.
Simone Biles gave us a lesson on the importance of caring for mental health.
If you feel like one day you can't take it anymore, seek help.
Thanks for reading. I hope you learned something. If so, please recommend it, leave a comment if you want me to explain any particular topic, or buy me a beer if you truly enjoyed it.
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