“We will have more women than men participating, more women’s teams, and even more women’s soccer teams than men’s. This will leave a great legacy,” stated Nicole Hoevertsz, IOC Vice President and Chair of the Coordination Commission, during a press conference held in Los Angeles after three days of meetings and visits to Olympic venues.
In the official Games program, of the 10,500 athletes who will compete, 5,333 will be women and 5,167 men. In addition, in disciplines not included in the initial program, the participation of 322 women and 376 men is expected. Regarding the number of events, 161 women’s events, 165 men’s events, and 25 mixed events will be held, reflecting a clear advance towards gender equality.
One of the most prominent examples will be the football tournament, which will feature 16 women’s national teams versus 12 men’s teams, a decision that reinforces the IOC’s commitment to equality and the visibility of women’s sports.
“Estoy orgullosa por Los Ángeles y por el equipo que estamos formando. Esta será una edición con un legado duradero para las mujeres en el deporte”, añadió Hoevertsz.
Despite the city having eleven years of preparation since being awarded the Games in 2017, the president of the Commission acknowledged that “there won’t be any days to spare.” However, she positively valued the progress of the work and assured that the IOC is “very happy” with the development of the organization.
At another point in the conference, Hoevertsz addressed the recent immigration measures adopted by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, which could impact the attendance of athletes and delegations. The president signed an executive order that prohibits the total entry into the country of citizens from twelve nations, including Afghanistan, Iran, Haiti, Libya, Sudan, and Yemen. In addition, access from seven others, including Cuba and Venezuela, was partially restricted under national security arguments.
According to the official text, the affected countries “present deficiencies in detection and control processes and represent a very high risk to the United States“.
Faced with these restrictions, the IOC Coordination Commission stated that it is not concerned at the moment, although it is closely monitoring the situation and will seek to ensure universal participation in the Olympic spirit.
