The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, with 47% female athlete participation, represent a significant milestone in advancing gender-balanced representation
Abstract: When, in 1924, women took part in the first edition of the Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix-Mont Blanc, they represented only 4.3% of the athletes. At St. Moritz 1948, female participation stood at 11.5%, rising to 16% at Cortina 1956. Since then, gradual but significant changes have taken place, leading to the current edition of the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee describes Milan-Cortina 2026 as the Winter Olympic Games with the highest level of gender balance in history, with 47% of quotas reserved for female athletes — 1,360 women out of approximately 2,900 total participants — and 50 women’s events out of 116 overall competitions.
Keywords: #WinterOlympics #MilanCortina2026 #GenderBalance #GenderEquality #Sport #RightToSport #SilviaZaghi #EthicaSocietas #EthicaSocietasJournal #ScientificJournal #SocialSciences #ethicasocietasupli
AN EVENT CENTERED ON EQUITY AND INCLUSION
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with the participation of 10,500 athletes — 5,250 women and 5,250 men — demonstrated that gender equality on the field is concretely achievable, reaching the unprecedented milestone of the most “gender-balanced” Games in history. When, in 1924, women took part in the first edition of the Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix-Mont Blanc, they represented only 4.3% of the athletes.[1] At St. Moritz 1948, female participation stood at 11.5%.
The world’s attention is now focused on the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, a global sporting event that conveys a broader cultural, social, and human project, with the ambitious objective of consolidating genuine gender equality, building on the path traced by the Paris experience. Sustainability, impact, and legacy form the strategic framework of the Milan Cortina 2026 Foundation. Among its five strategic themes, gender equality represents a cross-cutting pillar, permeating both the competitive dimension and the organizational structure of the event. This is not merely a programmatic statement, but an operational vision supported by qualitative and quantitative monitoring indicators.
GENDER EQUALITY BEYOND THE FIELD
During the first edition of the Winter Olympic Games in February 1924[1], 258 athletes took part, of whom 245 were men and 13 were women. Women competed in only one discipline, figure skating, reflecting the cultural restrictions of the time. The competition included men’s singles, women’s singles, and pairs. The gold medal was won by the very young Norwegian figure skater Sonja Henie.[2]
Today, in February 2026—one century later—approximately 3,500 athletes from more than 90 countries are competing for 195 medals across 16 disciplines. The growing focus on gender equality in sport has led to the introduction of new women’s and mixed events: eight new competitions enrich the program, including women’s doubles in luge, a mixed team skeleton event, women’s freestyle moguls, and the women’s individual large hill ski jumping event.
Balance does not concern only those who compete. At Milan-Cortina, female representation has also increased in decision-making and representative roles: women account for 54% of commentators and 40% of the refereeing body.
The International Olympic Committee has therefore worked on multiple fronts with all stakeholders (international sports federations, broadcasters, etc.) to increase the number of women’s events compared to previous Winter Games editions, reaching a record total of 50 women’s events. Particular attention has also been given to the scheduling of competitions—regarding timing and venues—in order to create favorable conditions for balanced media coverage, such as ensuring media presence across different stadiums rather than concentrating it in only a few locations.
Of particular importance in achieving this objective was the first-time adoption of the Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GeDI) Self-Assessment Tool, a tool developed by the IOC for the Olympic Games Organising Committees (OCOGs). It is designed to promote self-assessment and continuous improvement on GeDI-related issues. Its concrete application has made it possible to achieve significant results, including a symbolic and substantive milestone: the men’s and women’s ice hockey[3] semifinals and finals will all be held at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, contributing to more balanced media coverage. The adoption of this tool represents an innovative best practice within the Olympic movement, with the aim of leaving a lasting legacy of inclusion and the enhancement of diversity.
GENDER EQUALITY BEYOND THE FIELD
Parity in competition does not always coincide with representation in decision-making bodies and within the organizational apparatus. On this basis, the organizers implemented targeted operational choices, focusing first and foremost on “human resources,” the true driving force of the Olympic organization, again through the adoption of the Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (GeDI) Self-Assessment Tool. Significant results have thus been achieved, ensuring a gender-balanced presence within the organizational structure. This also applies to leadership roles: the Italian Games are the first to take place under the leadership of Kirsty Coventry, the first woman to serve as President of the IOC.[4]
Similarly, the Team26 program, aimed at selecting the 18,000 volunteers — who have always represented the distinctive element of every edition of the Games — ensured that, out of the 130,000 applications received from various countries around the world, the selection process respected gender balance. Those selected subsequently undertook internal training pathways with specific attention to issues of diversity and inclusion. This therefore represents a concrete and rare achievement on an international scale, which may serve as a model of equality and inclusion for future editions of the Olympic Games and beyond.
MEDIA COMMUNICATION AS AN EXPRESSION OF EQUALITY
Media communication and the representation of sporting events play a fundamental role in shaping gender balance. Words can either reinforce or dismantle stereotypes and prejudice. Language, images, and voices are never neutral; they influence the perception of the sporting value of athletes. For this reason, the Milan-Cortina 2026 Foundation oversaw the publication of the first Italian edition of the International Olympic Committee’s Portrayal Guidelines. This document represents an important step forward for the Italian sporting movement, adapting international guidelines to the national context and to the specific features of the Italian language.
These guidelines are intended to promote fair and balanced representation of athletes during the Games and throughout the Olympic Movement. They have been widely disseminated among athletes, journalists, federations, schools, and universities. The language used and the footage produced must be inclusive, non-sexist, and respectful of the dignity of women and men. Concretely, actions should aim at:
• dismantling both female and male stereotypes;
• ensuring overall balanced coverage of women’s and men’s competitions;
• guaranteeing equal visibility for female and male athletes;
• promoting heterogeneous and inclusive representation of women athletes;
• achieving balance between female and male journalists covering sporting events.
CONCRETE ACTIONS AGAINST VIOLENCE, DISCRIMINATION, AND ABUSE IN SPORT
Sport is an environment of growth, well-being, and inclusion, especially for young people. However, the risks of abuse, violence, and discrimination that may arise within this environment cannot be ignored. The growing attention to the protection of athletes’ psycho-physical integrity has led to the introduction of specific regulations, such as Legislative Decree No. 39/2021[5], as well as the adoption of safeguarding guidelines by sports federations.
On the occasion of the Olympic Games, a program was launched to contribute to the protection of athletes in cases of violence, discrimination, and abuse. The Milan-Cortina 2026 Foundation, in collaboration with CONI and the IOC, trained 17 experts from CONI, the Sports Prosecutor’s Office, and the athletes’ community as trainers for the IOC Safeguarding Essentials course. In this way, action is taken on a key preventive element — the training of qualified professionals — with a commitment that will continue beyond the Games.
Furthermore, a partnership was signed with the Milan Bar Association to provide specialized training for a group of lawyers, and a new initiative was launched with the National Bar Council to establish a national training model for lawyers assisting victims and perpetrators of violence during the Games.
THE LEGACY OF MILAN-CORTINA 2026
Gender equality is also fundamental in sport and requires the adoption of programs that define concrete actions and tools to achieve Goal 5 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.[6] The tangible increase in mixed competitions included in the Olympic agenda conveys an even more powerful message: winning together the challenge of building an increasingly inclusive, equal, and rights-based society that respects the dignity of women and men.
NOTES
[1] The first edition of the Winter Olympic Games, originally known as the International Winter Sports Week, was held in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (France) from January 25 to February 5, 1924. During the 24th Session of the IOC, held in Lisbon, the governing body officially decided to establish the Winter Olympic Games, to be held every four years, similarly to the already existing Summer Olympic Games. At the same session, the IOC resolved to designate the Chamonix competitions retroactively as the I Winter Olympic Games.
[2] Sonja Henie repeated her gold medal victory in 1932 at Lake Placid and in 1936 at Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Beginning in 1936, she moved to Hollywood, where she starred in numerous films, performing in her sporting specialty: Thin Ice (1937), Happy Landing (1938), Sun Valley Serenade (1941), Iceland (1942), It’s a Pleasure (1945).
[3] Women’s ice hockey was introduced into the Olympic program at Nagano in 1998.
[4] A former swimmer, winner of three medals (one gold, one silver, and one bronze) at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and four medals (one gold and three silver) at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, she later became a sports executive. Since 2019, she has served as Minister of Youth, Sport, and Recreation of her country, and since 2025 she has been President of the International Olympic Committee.
[5] Legislative Decree No. 39/2021 (Official Gazette, General Series No. 68 of March 19, 2021), adopted within the broader reform of the sports system, introduced the obligation for both amateur and professional sports associations and clubs to adopt organizational and control models for sporting activities, as well as codes of conduct consistent with the Guidelines issued by the relevant affiliating body, aimed at protecting minors and preventing harassment, gender-based violence, and any other form of discrimination as provided for by the Equal Opportunities Code between men and women or based on ethnicity, religion, personal beliefs, disability, age, or sexual orientation.
[6] Goal 5 of the 2030 Agenda, endorsed by the 193 Member States of the United Nations, is dedicated to achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.
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