The 2026 Olympics Take the Gold in Women’s Representation

February 4, 2026

The Olympic Games haven’t started yet, but there has already been one big win for  gender representation.

The 2026 Winter Olympics, which kick off Friday in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy, will be more balanced than any other Games in history. In all, 47% of the athletes taking part are women. And, of the 116 events that will take place, 50 of them will be women’s events, a new record.

“These achievements reflect decades of targeted efforts across the Olympic Movement,” International Olympic Committee officials said in a release. “When women competed at the first edition of the Olympic Winter Games, in Chamonix in 1924, they made up a mere 4.3% of competitors, and took part only in figure skating.”

Several women athletes are expected to draw attention and excitement from the international community, including snowboarder Chloe Kim, alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin and bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor, all from the U.S.

Meyers, a record-holder as the most awarded Black athlete in Winter Olympics history,  is also one of several mothers competing this year. She even brought her kids with her to Olympic Village, she told The New York Times, in hopes of showing them resilience through her work. Several of her fellow competing moms did the same.

“I want them to see that, despite obstacles, you can keep pursuing your dream,” she says of juggling her roles as athlete and mom for the Games. “I want them to see me with medals around my neck. But I also want them to see me get knocked down, get back up and fight.”

Pulling double duty as a parent and competitor has been made possible, in no small part, by pioneering women athletes like Olympic track superstar Allyson Felix, who has long been a champion of herself and other moms competing at top levels. In the 2024 Summer Olympics, she partnered with baby brand Pampers to bring childcare options to the Games.

“I think it really tells women that you can choose motherhood and also be at the top of your game, and not have to miss a beat,” Felix said at the time of the collaboration.

In addition to ongoing movement toward gender parity among athletes and events, women also occupy an unprecedented 45% of Olympics leadership roles, the IOC announced. And, women will be more prominently featured as flag-bearers in the Opening Ceremony.

Officials say they are committed to seeing this trend continue, too, and are “working to make Milano Cortina 2026 a defining moment for women in sport – championing strong role models, providing more opportunities and opening new pathways.” The Story Exchange