The London 2012 Olympics: A Gender Equality Audit

In this report from the Centre for Sport Policy Studies at the University of Toronto, Peter Donnelly and Michele K. Donnelly have analysed gender equality in sport using the case of the 2012 London Olympics.

The authors of the report argue that there are still major gender inequalities on the level of the athletes and the report has therefore investigated the gender-based structural and rule differences that still exist on the Olympic programme.

The authors see this report as a way to start the discussion of why gender differences were introduced in sports in the first place, what differences remain, how those differences compare across sports, why they remain, and how they may be resolved. In addition, they argue that it is crucial for athletes and former athletes to be involved in these discussions – they are the only experts who really matter.