I am so proud of our Canadian women at the Olympics in Vancouver. Yesterday was a particularly fine example: gold and silver medal won in women's 2-person Bobsled, silver in short track relay race, and a bronze in 5000m long-term speed skating. Clara Hughes's bronze in particular was impressive. She is the only athlete to have won multiple medals in both the summer (cycling) and Winter (speed skating) Olympics. Wow!
So then, why isn't she on the front page on every Newspaper in this country? Why is the result of the men's hockey game (Russia versus Canada) which was not even a semi-final or final game the headline.
The Canadian Olympic team sent more men (115) than women (91) to these games. Yet, the women have won 75% (11.5) of all medals at these Olympics which is up from the 67% of all medals at the Torino Olympics. The total medal haul for the Canadian women is set to increase again as they are likely to win gold in hockey tonight. In this hockey obsessed nation, the men's game seems to be more celebrated than the ladies. One sports commentator had uttered that if the men did not win the gold in hockey, the Olympics would be a failure for . Canada. What Poppycock and what an insult to the rest of the Canadian Olympic team!
Is this statistic of women winning more medals than the men reflective of gender equality in Canada? To be sure, Canadian girls are encouraged to take up every winter sport from figure skating to skiing to speed skating...and even hockey is socially acceptable for a girl to play in country. There was nearly equal funding for men and women on the Canadian Olympic team.
Even so, why are the Canadian women outperforming the men. Much has been made of the greater depth of field in men's sports compared to women's. In addition, the success of women in Olympic sports has not translated into commercial success. In fact, professional sports in North America is entirely dominated by men. It would seem the only place for women in sports to excel in (especially winter sports) are the Olympics. Yet on this world stage, the Canadian women do seem to shine serving as role models for women in this country and across the world.
