As the Canadian women’s football team wins a medal later this week, player Quinn will also become the first non-binary transgender athlete to win a medal.

Canada’s performance represents the ambitions of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), even if the international community is more inclusive.Before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the International Olympic Committee issued New guide Ensure that gender equality, fairness and inclusiveness are represented in the Olympic Games.

The guidelines include practical checklists, suggestions to support broadcasters’ attempts to diversify coverage, and competition schedules for equality between men and women.

Overall, 49% of the athletes in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are women—— A record high.

But according to Michele Donnelly, an assistant professor of sports management at St. Catharines Brook University in Ontario, numbers alone cannot tell the whole story.

She told CBC guest host Rosemary Barton: “The uniform requirements for certain sports are different, and in fact, the rules or distance between men and women are different.”

Donnelly said the increase in the number of women’s Olympic athletes in Canada and abroad is important.But they should not be the entire content of gender equality discussions, especially when About two-thirds of IOC executives are men.

“When the discussion on gender equality is limited to numbers, like the International Olympic Committee, you are not actually solving the equality issue in a substantive way. This is really something to be done,” she said.

“Uniforms in the sex market”

One way that some sports federations and organizations have failed to address the issue of equality is to continue gendering female uniforms.

Sports writer and author Kavitha Davidson (Kavitha Davidson) tells the story of the Australian women’s basketball team, where female athletes-not male athletes-are forced to wear tight-fitting swimsuit-style uniforms by their own federation.

“[The players] Had to wear them, but… they were very frank about how uncomfortable they were. In fact, it didn’t help them perform better on the court,” said Davidson, who is based in New York.

Davidson claimed that some officials admitted that these uniforms are a marketing tool aimed at giving female athletes “as much as possible a market for sex.”

Unfortunately, this is not a one-off story.

year 2004, Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter suggested Female football players wear “tight shorts” than male football players to attract more spectators.

A few years later, International Boxing Association requirements Female boxers wear skirts instead of shorts in preparation for the introduction of women’s boxing at the 2012 London Olympics. Poland even mandated that the wardrobe be replaced.

Indeed, what it needs is a comprehensive review to better understand athletes as elite athletes, but they have families and take on other responsibilities outside of sports.-Michelle Donnelly, Brooke University

But this does not mean that athletes will not object to uniform regulations that they consider sexist. Last month, the Norwegian women’s beach handball team wore shorts during the European Championships to protest the mandatory bikini bottom method.

A few days later, members of the German women’s gymnastics team were wearing full-length tights instead of the standard, more revealing tights when participating in the Olympics.

Nonetheless, these are exceptions rather than the norm. Unfortunately, Davidson said that the gendered uniforms of some female athletes have a negative impact on perceptions of extremely dangerous sports, such as gymnastics.

“At least [United] Country, the most prominent face [in gymnastics] Like Simone Biles, it is a woman wearing tights and makeup, which runs counter to the tough or dangerous sports that people might want to point out,” she said.

Some female athletes in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are striving to gain recognition for their athletic ability, not just let the camera stare at their bodies. Adrienne Arsenault showed us how change started to happen. 3:30

Mother or Olympics?

However, the sexual exploitation of female sports is not limited to uniforms. Donnelly said that female athletes also face gender discrimination due to fertility.

“In sports, you still have these institutionalized practices. These practices really don’t allow you to be an elite athlete while having maternal love.”

In the past, some federations and organizations regarded motherhood as a burden in women’s sports careers, rather than a normal part of the journey of female athletes.

Take 2019 as an example, U.S. Olympians Alysia Montano and Kara Goucher Talking about their previous contract with sportswear giant Nike. They claim that their contract does not guarantee that the sponsorship compensation to protect pregnant athletes and new mothers will not be reduced.

Before this year’s Olympics, Canadian boxer Mandy Bujold was initially ruled ineligible because she was pregnant in 2018 and 2019 and brought her daughter after giving birth-the International Olympic Committee used to be here. During the period, it was decided to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Donnelly said these decisions and rules set a problematic excuse that only women have the responsibility to care for and raise children.

“There are a lot of men…they keep their children at home and their families stay at home, because they have never expected to make room for male athletes, so the lack of attention to family responsibilities continues to female athletes.”

Just recognize that athletes are a whole person, their identity, demographics and defects are also very important. “-Kavitha Davidson, sports writer and writer

Some sports officials have taken active measures to normalize mothers and babies.

For example, before this year’s Olympics, the International Olympic Committee announced that it would allow breastfeeding mothers to bring their children to Tokyo.

However, before that, some athletes, including Canadian basketball player Kim Gaucher (Kim Gaucher), begged officials not to let her choose between a child and the Olympics.

The Canadian basketball player asked for an exception so that she could breastfeed her daughter Sophie during the Tokyo Olympics. 1:16

Donnelly said that appeals and requests are not enough; more work must be done to promote the normalization of mothers and athletes.

“Actually, it needs a full review to get a more complete understanding of athletes as elite athletes, but they have families and have other responsibilities outside of sports.”

Davidson agrees that athletes need to be treated as people, not just athletes.

“When the athletes stepped onto the gymnastics field, they did not stop being black women, and this burden came with it. They also carry this burden with them,” she said.

“It is really important to recognize that athletes are a whole person, their identities, their demographics and their shortcomings.”

Written by Muhammad Rachini.Produced by Katie Brady, Samila Moheddin and Alison Messman