Tobi Amusan of Nigeria reacts after winning the Women’s 100m Hurdles during the 2023 Prefontaine Classic and Wanda Diamond League Final at Hayward Field on September 17, 2023 in Eugene, Oregon.
Kenyan runners Mary Moraa, right, Sarah Moraa, second from right, and Lilian Odira, center, fight for the lead in the women’s 800-meter final during the Kenya Athletics Olympic Trials at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, June 14, 2024.
Azenaide Carlos, left, and Eliane Paulo of Angola celebrate a goal during a women’s handball match between Angola and Netherlands, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, July 25, 2024, in Paris. Netherlands won 34-31.
The 2024 Olympics kicked off Friday, as more than 10,000 athletes converged on Paris dreaming of winning gold, silver or bronze. Among them Nigeria’s huddler, Tobi Amusan, and dozens of women from other African countries, many of whom had overcome major social and economic challenges to get to Paris.
For the first time in history, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said it achieved full gender parity on the field of play at this year’s Olympics.
Female athletes, who once made up only about 2% of Olympic competitors, are now present in the same numbers as men. They accounted for 48% of the athletes at the Olympics in Tokyo three years ago, which was delayed a year because of COVID-19.
Several dozen African women are among those competing. One is Esti Olivier, a member of South Africa’s canoe team. She is competing at the Olympics for the first time after missing the Tokyo Games because of physical and mental health problems.
Said Olivier before the start of the Games: “It’s about keeping focus now and not being overwhelmed by the enormous atmosphere that the Olympics brings but enjoying small increments and moments every step of the way for me at this stage. We still [have] two weeks before we compete and I am sure the closer I get to that, the more the nerves will kick in. But at this stage it is just excitement to get to Paris”.
Canoeing is not a popular sport in Africa. However, canoe teams from Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia are representing the continent at the Olympics.
Olivier said training for the sport was tough on women.
Observed she: “Much of this journey I’ve done by myself and because there are so few females participating in canoe sprints in South Africa. I’ve always had to train among men. So, it’s definitely a challenge. The lack of support is a challenge. And just juggling private life with sports, you know, just because we can’t only focus on being an athlete. As a woman, I have to also be a wife”.
Despite the progress made by female athletes, many of the challenges that slow women’s progress in sports still persist, including lack of equal pay, discrimination and poor training conditions.
Tobi Amusan, Nigeria’s team Flagbearer, is a competitor in 100m, 200m huddles and relay. With her in the fray, Africa can sit a little taller, knowing they have a fighting chance.
Posited a top Nigerian Sports writer on Amusan: “I think Amusan will make gold, silver or bronze. I wouldn’t put it past her to get gold. [Either way], she is going to be on the platform. Expect to see [her] when the medals are handed out at the Olympics”.
A total of 88 Team Nigeria athletes, comprising 63 women and 25 men, are competing in 12 sports at the Paris Olympics.
Middle-distance runner, Lilian Odira, of Kenya, 25, who is competing in the 800 meters, said it was a long journey to get to Paris, but one that was worth the effort.
Intoned she: “Sports opened so many doors for me. It’s given me the confidence to be who I am. It’s given me the confidence to speak out against injustices that I might witness at any point in time.
“It’s given me the opportunity to be an absolute role model to young girls wanting to achieve something big in their lives, showing them that even with controversy in difficult times or various roles that you have to put on, it’s still possible to chase your dream. If you really put your mind to it, it’s possible”.
Besides winning a medal, Odira wants to break her personal best time of 1 minute, 59 seconds.
She said she enjoyed being an Olympic athlete.
Added Odira: “All over the world, everyone knows you, so I think it is an advantage. When it comes to finance and so many things, we know how to tackle and handle it. Healthwise, everybody wants to be healthy. Sports is a nice career”.
Kenya is sending about 20 female athletes to Paris, second only to South Africa, which is sending 24.
African women won 17 medals in Tokyo three years ago and hope to collect even more in France.
