IOC Reports Paris Olympics to have Gender Parity for First Time–72 Years After Men & Women Competed Head-to-Head in Equestrian
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Mar. 7, 2024
The International Olympic Committee reports the Paris Olympics this summer will have gender parity on the field of play for the first time. What the IOC labels a “monumental achievement” comes 72 years after an Olympic equestrian event first included both men and woman competing head-to-head, led by dressage.
Twenty years later in Munich, Germany, the medal teams in the three Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing and jumping included woman while female riders took dressage individual gold and silver and silver in jumping.
To mark International Women’s Day on Mar. 8, the IOC said it was celebrating quota places equally to female and male athletes. “For the first time in Olympic history, there will be full gender parity on the field of play,” it said. “Over the years, the IOC’s commitment to gender equality has led the Olympic Movement to steadily increase the number of female athletes at the Olympic Games. Totaling just 2.2 per cent of the participants at the Olympic Games Paris 1900 when women competed for the first time, the number gradually rose, picking up the pace as of Los Angeles 1984, at 23 per cent; 44 per cent at London 2012; and 48 per cent at Tokyo 2020.”
The first Olympic equestrian competition to include both men and women, according to a review of records by dressage-news.com, was Helsinki in 1952.
Lis Hartel of Denmark captured individual silver and Ida von Nagel was on Germany’s bronze medal team.
Lis Hartel repeated as individual silver medalist in 1956.
Germany’s silver medal team in 1956 was all women–Liselott Linsenhoff, Hannelore Weygand and Anneliese Küppers.
By Munich in 1972, Russia’s gold medal team included Yelena Petushkova who went on to also earn individual silver.
Germany’s Liselott Linsenhoff claimed individual gold in 1972 and was on the silver medal team with Karin Schlüter–Josef Neckermann the sole male.
The entire Swedish bronze medal team was female–Ulla Hakanson, Maud von Rosen and Ninna Swaab.
Great Britain’s Ann Elizabeth Moore took individual jumping silver in 1972 while Kathryn Kusner was on the USA silver medal jumping team.
Mary Gordon-Watson and Bridget Parker were on the British gold medal eventing team.
