Rahul Tiwari
khelja|26-07-2024
You are a Shaheen, flying is your job, There is more sky in front of you…. Allama Iqbal
Education, sports, army, cinema, there is no such field left where women are not flying their flag, showing their talent, but it was not that easy. Women who were confined inside their homes for years are today touching the sky, today they are winning gold and silver for the country. The first Olympics in the world were played in the year 1896, at that time not a single woman participated in the Olympics, after which in the year 1900 2.2 percent women became a part of the Olympics, but today the number of women has reached 50 percent in the Olympics.
After 128 years, the day has come when the number of male athletes in the Olympic field will be the same number of women who will compete in various sports. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) informed that this time there will be equality between men and women in the Olympics, which we have been expecting for years. This time 10,500 athletes from 206 countries will participate in the Olympics. Which will include 5,250 women and 5,250 male athletes. This time there will be 152 events for women and 152 for men.
Along with this, there will be 20 such competitions in which both will compete together.While the number of women in the Olympic field across the world has reached 50 percent, India is also not far behind. 117 athletes from India have arrived to participate in the Paris Olympics 2024, which includes 70 male athletes and 47 female athletes. These include PV Sindhu, who has won silver medal for the country twice, Mirabai Chanu, Vinesh Phogat, Nikhat Zareen and 43 other women. However, it is also a matter of pride here that the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is also headed by a female athlete, PT Usha.
Olympics 2024 is being organized in Paris on 26th July, but this will turn out to be a historic day, a historic year. Where in earlier years the presence of women in the Olympics was limited to 2 percent, today it has reached 50 percent. If we look back at the pages of history, women have fought a long battle after which they have been able to make this place for themselves. While women have fought a battle with society and the world, they have also fought a battle with themselves.
Every month women have periods (MENSURATION CYCLE), but by defeating that pain also, she is moving ahead rapidly on the path of victory.The land of Paris is the land where women first entered the world of Olympics and competed, and this is the same land of Paris where the journey of women in Olympics began with 2 percent, only 22 women participated in many competitions including tennis. History has been created on this land before and once again history will be created today, when on the same land where the journey of women to Olympics began with 2 percent, today 50 percent women will participate from the same place.
In 1900, five-time Wimbledon champion British tennis player Charlotte Cooper became the first female Olympic champion. Out of 997 athletes, only 22 women took part in the field, who competed in tennis, horse riding and golf. After which the number of women increased in 1952 and it reached 10.5 percent. In 1964 it was 13.2 percent, in 1992 it was 28.9 percent. After which in the year 2020, the number of women reached 40.8 percent and now in 2024 it has become 50 percent.
The year 1952 was the year in which Indian women entered the Olympics for the first time and opened the doors for all Indian women. That year, 64 athletes from India participated in the Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland, including 4 women. Neelima Ghosh, Mary D'Souza, Aarti Saha and Dolly Nazir were included. These four women created history and became an example. Neelima Ghosh entered the field at the age of just 17 and participated in the 100 meter and 80 meter races. However, she could not win a medal. Mary D'Souza entered the field in hockey. Aarti Saha and Dolly Nazir competed in swimming. These Indian women opened the way for women in the Olympics. Since then, Indian women are participating in the Olympics with great enthusiasm and bringing glory to the entire country.
After entering the Olympics for the first time, Indian women gradually made their place in the Olympic arena and in the year 2000, Karnam Malleswari became the first daughter of India who gave a medal to India. Karnam Malleswari created history by winning the first bronze medal among Indian women. She became the first woman to win a medal. She hoisted this flag in weight lifting. Karnam Malleswari became the first Indian woman to hoist the Indian flag on the ground of Sydney.
After which, this trend of Indian women winning medals one after the other continued. Saina Nehwal and Mary Kom hoisted the flag on the land of London in the year 2012. Saina Nehwal won bronze in badminton and Mary Kom won bronze in boxing.
Many female athletes have won bronze medals for India, but athlete P.V. Sindhu ended India's wait for the silver medal. In 2016, she became the first Indian woman to win silver for India. P.V. Sindhu created history in badminton in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and won silver for the country. Not only this, P.V. Sindhu made another history. In 2020 in Tokyo, P.V. Sindhu once again won bronze. She became the first athlete to win medals not once but twice and increased India's honor and once again gave India a chance to be proud of its daughter. After P.V. Sindhu, in 2020 itself, Mirabai Chanu became the second woman to win a silver medal in weightlifting in Tokyo.
So far, Indian women have given India a chance to be proud of them 8 times. Indian women are firmly standing in the field and have been showing their talent and skills for years. The trend of winning medals that started in the year 2000 is still continuing and women athletes are working their magic. So far, 7 women of India have won 8 medals. In which they won silver medal only 2 times and bronze medal 6 times. In which women athletes won the most medals in Tokyo in the year 2020, that year women athletes brought three medals to India.
India has won 35 medals so far, out of which India won 10 gold and 9 silver and 16 bronze. Abhinav Bindra had aimed directly at the gold in Beijing in 2008 and created history by winning gold in shooting. In the year 2020, Neeraj Chopra created history in javelin throw in Tokyo and India got another gold medal. Although the daughters of India have stood strongly in the field, still no Indian female athlete has been able to win gold. Hope is a beautiful thing that keeps the courage alive and this hope is in the heart of every Indian that the daughter who has reached the Olympic field from home will soon end this wait on the strength of her courage, skill and bravery.