The Olympic Games, a global spectacle of athletic prowess and international camaraderie and one of the most celebrated and watched events worldwide, have long been regarded as a symbol of human athletic achievement, international unity and individual excellence harnessing collective excellence. However, a critical feminist perspective reveals deep-seated issues gender, power, and inequality that have plagued the Games since their inception and currently intertwined more than ever with this billion-dollar industry, akin to the warfare industry in its scale and impact. The #MeToo movement has intensified scrutiny on such dimensions, prompting a critical re-evaluation of the Olympics in both historical and contemporary contexts. Moreover, the post-#MeToo era stimulates a reevaluation of the Olympics, scrutinizing the inherent sexism, ageism, lookism, and other forms of discrimination which persist within this – some might argue – anachronistic institution. The forthcoming analysis explores the historical and contemporary manifestations of some suspicious issues related to the Olympics, delving into Western supremacy, cultural hegemony as well as its colonial legacies, and observing the perpetuation of global inequalities, while questioning the necessity and future of the Olympic Games in the late-modern world.
Historical Context and Feminist Theories
The origins of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece are steeped in patriarchy, with women excluded from participation and even attendance. This exclusion mirrored broader societal norms where women were relegated to the private sphere, deprived of political, social, and economic agency. The modern revival of the Olympics in 1896, spearheaded by Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937), continued this trend, being initially an all-male affair. Coubertin himself was opposed to female participation, viewing it as “impractical, uninteresting, ungainly, and […] improper” as expressed in his Discours prononcé à l’ouverture des Congrès Olympiques à l’Hôtel de Ville de Prague [Speech Delivered at the Opening of the Olympic Congresses at the Prague Town Hall], held on 29. May 1925, quoted in Pierre de Coubertin: Life, Vision, Influences and Achievements of the Founder of the Modern Olympic Games, published in November 2023 by the Olympic Studies Center within the International Olympic Committee (https://www.coubertin.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/000-Final_Coubertin_Life-Vision-Influences-and-Achievements-of-the-Founder-of-the-Modern-Olympic-Games.pdf). Women’s participation was not permitted until the 1900 Paris Games, and even then, only 22 women competed in just a few events compared to 975 men: these gradual, slow changes were often tokenistic, reflecting deeper systemic issues.
Feminist theories, particularly those related to patriarchal structures and gender roles, help explain the sluggish inclusion of women in the Olympics and provide a lens to critique these historical foundations, as the Olympic Games were a reflection of the broader societal norms that saw women as physically inferior and unfit for competitive sports. Liberal feminism, which advocates for equality through legal and policy reforms, has pushed for increased female participation and recognition in the Olympics. On the other hand, radical feminism, which emphasizes the patriarchy’s role in perpetuating women’s oppression, critiques the Olympics for reinforcing gender binaries and traditional gender roles. Women athletes often face scrutiny over their appearance, femininity, and sexuality, subjected to “lookism” that detracts from their athletic achievements. This focus on physical appearance ties into broader societal pressures on women to conform to certain beauty standards.
Simone de Beauvoir’s seminal work Le Deuxième sexe (The Second Sex, 1949) posits that women have historically been marginalized and defined as the ‘other’ in a male-dominated society. This marginalization was evident in the early revival of the modern Olympics, where women were systematically excluded or restricted to specific events seen as ‘feminine’, reinforcing the notion of male superiority in sports.
Present-Day Manifestations: Sexism, Ageism, and Lookism
In the present-day context, the Olympics continue to exhibit sexism, ageism, and lookism. Sexism remains pervasive in the Olympics, manifesting in various forms such as pay disparity, sexualization of female athletes, and biased officiating. Female athletes often face pressure to conform to aesthetic standards that have nothing to do with their athletic performance, and are frequently sexualized by the media, their uniforms and bodies scrutinized more than their performances.
Lookism further exacerbates these issues, as athletes are judged not only by their performance but also by their adherence to aesthetic norms. This is particularly evident in sports like gymnastics and figure skating, where subjective scoring systems can be influenced by an athlete’s appearance and presentation, perpetuating biases and inequalities. Lookism becomes obvious in the policing of women’s uniforms, with instances like the controversy over the German women’s gymnastics team choosing full-body suits over traditional leotards in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics highlighting ongoing battles against sexualization and in the name of bodily autonomy.
Ageism also persists and intersects with sexism and lookism, with female athletes often facing a shorter career span than their male counterparts and older female athletes being discriminated and deemed as less marketable. The emphasis on youth and beauty sidelines older women, despite their experience and capabilities, which mirrors broader societal patterns where women’s value is tied to their appearance and reproductive potential, rather than their skills and achievements. This stands in blatant contrast to male athletes, who are oftentimes celebrated for their longevity in sports.
Western Supremacy and Cultural Hegemony
Perhaps most disturbingly, the Olympics serve as a platform for Western historically documented supremacy and cultural hegemony, as they have long been dominated by Western nations. The dominance of Western nations in terms of medal counts, media coverage, and organizational influence reflects broader geopolitical inequalities: Western nations not only host the majority of the Games but also dictate the norms and values that shape the Olympics. The cultural hegemony extends to the presentation and valorization of certain sports over others, often sidelining non-Western sports and athletes.
Feminist postcolonial feminist theories, such as those articulated by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and Chandra Talpade Mohanty, critique this dynamic and the ways in which global structures, including the Olympics, perpetuate a colonial legacies. The representation and inclusion of athletes from former colonies often remain tokenistic, reinforcing power imbalances rather than challenging them. Moreover, the commodification of athletes from the Global South by Western sponsors and media furthers economic disparities, with profits flowing disproportionately to already wealthy nations and corporations.
The Billion-Dollar Industry and Gender Disparities
Today, the Olympic Games have evolved into a multi-billion dollar industry, with immense financial stakes for host cities, sponsors, and broadcasters – and comparable in scale and impact to the warfare industry. In turn, this commercialization paralleling the Olympic Games to the warfare industry in its caliber and ethical implications raises questions about the true beneficiaries of the Games. The vast sums invested in infrastructure, marketing, and security often burden host cities with debt, diverting resources from public services and exacerbating local inequalities. Moreover, the financial interests often overshadow the athletes’ well-being, with women athletes disproportionately affected. For instance, female athletes generally receive less media coverage and sponsorship compared to their male counterparts. According to a study by the University of Southern California, only 5% of sports media coverage focuses on women, perpetuating gender inequality in visibility and financial support.
Feminist media theorists argue that this spectacle perpetuates a passive consumption of entertainment, diverting attention from the systemic problems in the societies that need urgent addressing and solving. The focus on medal counts and national pride often overshadows the individual struggles of athletes, particularly women, who face multiple layers of discrimination.
“Panem et Circenses”: Dumbing Down of the Masses
The concept of “panem et circenses” (“bread and circuses” or “bread and games”), coined by the Roman poet Juvenal in his satirical works from the second half of the first century AD, aptly describes the politically motivated ways in which public entertainment is employed to distract the masses from socio-political issues – and he refered to ancient Rome. The Olympics, like other major sporting events but more intensely due to their grand spectacle and global reach, serve a similar function today: they serve as a distraction for the masses, offering spectacle and entertainment while underlying social and economic issues remain unaddressed. While they openly promote ideals of unity and peace, they also deflect the focus from pressing issues like gender inequality, economic disparity, and human rights abuses. This dynamic perpetuates a passive populace, fixated on consumption and entertainment rather than on critical engagement with systemic injustices.
The Perpetuation of Colonial Legacies: Postcolonial Challenges, Inequality and Discrimination on a Global Scale
The Olympics, despite their idealistic rhetoric of international unity and equality, often perpetuate and reinforce global inequalities and discrimination. The colonial legacy of the Olympics is evident in the uneven distribution of resources and opportunities: athletes from formerly colonized nations often lack the infrastructure and financial support available to their Western counterparts, resulting in fewer medals and less representation. The disparities in funding, training facilities, and access to resources between athletes from wealthy and poor nations highlight these inequalities, which conversely leads to the continuation of the superiority and dominance of former colonial powers. In response, postcolonial feminist theory emphasizes the need to dismantle these structures and create a more equitable platform for all athletes. Equally important, this involves addressing the historical injustices and providing equal opportunities for athletes from marginalized communities, as the stringent qualification standards and the commercial interests that shape the Olympic Games’ organization often disadvantage athletes from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Moreover, despite efforts to promote gender equality, the Olympics continue to perpetuate inequality and discrimination on various levels. Particularly discrimination manifests in the form of racism, ableism, and homophobia, with athletes of color, disabled athletes, and LGBTQ+ athletes frequently face additional barriers and prejudices, both within their home countries and on the international stage. The experiences of Caster Semenya, a South African runner subjected to invasive gender testing and restrictions, exemplify the intersectional discrimination faced by many athletes. The #MeToo movement has highlighted numerous instances of sexual harassment and abuse within the Olympic framework. High-profile cases, such as that of Larry Nassar, the USA Gymnastics team doctor convicted of sexually abusing hundreds of young athletes, reveal the dark underbelly of the Olympic dream.
These incidents are not isolated but indicative of a broader culture that often prioritizes medals and reputations over the safety and well-being of athletes, particularly women. Feminist activists and scholars call for systemic changes to address these issues, advocating for stricter enforcement of policies against sexual harassment and abuse.
Rethinking the Olympic Games
Given these myriad of critical issues, the necessity of the Olympic Games in today’s world and in their current form is increasingly debatable. Critics argue that the Olympic Games, as nowadays structured, while promoting international cooperation and showcasing athletic excellence, do more to perpetuate and reinforce inequalities and harmful norms as well as to distract from pressing global issues than to foster authentic global solidarity and progress. The environmental impact of hosting the Games, with its massive carbon footprint and resource consumption, further underscores their problematic nature.
Yet, the idea of a global sporting event is not inherently flawed as the Olympics offer a unique platform for displaying human potential and cultivating cross-cultural exchange. The challenge lies in reforming the Olympic Games to align with principles of equity, sustainability, and genuine inclusivity and prioritizes the well-being of all athletes, thus metamorphosing into a benign, powerful platform for positive change. This could involve not only addressing the gender disparities but also tackling issues related to race, class, and nationality, and fundamentally restructuring the organization and governance of the Olympics, listening to the needs and voices of marginalized communities, and developing alternative models of international competition that do not rely on the current commercialized, exclusionary framework.
Furthermore, in considering alternatives to the Olympic Games, it is essential to envision forms of entertainment and global cooperation that do not perpetuate the same issues by being based on Western criteria of competitiveness and zero-sum calculations. Regional or local sporting events that emphasize community engagement and sustainability could emerge as one option, as do virtual competitions, leveraging advances in technology, cthus providing a more accessible and less resource-intensive alternative.
The Future and the Necessity of the Olympic Games
The Olympic Games, viewed through a feminist lens, reveal deep-rooted issues of sexism, ageism, lookism, Western supremacy, and cultural hegemony recapturing colonial legacies and preserving their power dynamics. The post-#MeToo movement has brought these issues to the forefront and amplified calls for a critical reevaluation of the Olympics, urging reforms that address these systemic injustices: while the Olympics have the potential to inspire and unite in their orchestration of global unity and athletic excellence, their current form often maintains global inequalities and distracts from more substantive, significant progress. A reimagined Olympic movement, grounded in principles of equity and inclusivity, could transform the Games into a truly global celebration of human potential. This would require a collective effort to address the systemic issues and create a more just and equitable platform for all athletes. As society continues to evolve, so too must the institutions that reflect its values, including the Olympic Games. The future of the Olympics depends on our collective willingness to envision and implement a more equitable and inclusive model of international sports competition.
