The 2024 Paris Olympics is set to be the first to achieve full gender parity with an equal number of male and female athletes. But, where did the road to Olympic equality begin, and what still needs work?
There’s a game I like to play at low-key social events to get to know people a little better (and invigorate the conversation, if it’s feeling a tad laboured between new acquaintances). There are no real rules, nor is there a winner or a loser. The crux of it is I want to hear your dream festival line-up; five artists, dead or alive, performing at one glorious – possibly chaotic – event. Responses are telling of genre taste, yes, but also of the tender and touching moments people hold dear to them – memories associated with their chosen music. If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to play a similar game with you – but with a twist. I’d like you to list the five Olympians – currently competing, retired or no longer alive – you would love to watch at their peak, all together at a Games.
