Australia heads to Paris with its highest-ever percentage of women on its Olympic team

By: The Associated Press Posted: 9:18 PM CDT Tuesday, Jul. 9, 2024 Last Modified: 10:12 PM CDT Tuesday, Jul. 9, 2024

Advertise with us

SYDNEY (AP) — The Australian Olympic team will head to the Paris Games with its highest-ever percentage of women — 55.6%.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

*No charge for 4 weeks then price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.

SYDNEY (AP) — The Australian Olympic team will head to the Paris Games with its highest-ever percentage of women — 55.6%.

Read unlimited articles for free today:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/07/2024 (504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SYDNEY (AP) — The Australian Olympic team will head to the Paris Games with its highest-ever percentage of women — 55.6%.

The Australian Olympic Committee on Wednesday said that when the Olympics were last held in Paris in 1924, no women were on the team.

This time, there’s 256 women on the 460-member team that will represent Australia in 33 sports. It’s the third consecutive Summer Olympics where the Australian team contains more women than men.

FILE - Australia's Patty Mills (5) reacts as time runs down against Slovenia during the men's bronze medal basketball game at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. The Australian Olympic team said their team is also likely to be the third-largest delegation at the Paris Olympics — despite its relatively small population of 26 million. Ten Indigenous athletes will also represent Australia with NBA star Patty Mills the first five-time Indigenous Olympian. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

It’s the third-largest Australian team to compete at an Olympics staged overseas, behind Tokyo 2020 (486) and Athens 2004 (482). The AOC said the Australian team is also likely to be the third-largest delegation in Paris — despite its relatively small population of 27 million.

Ten Indigenous athletes are on the team for the July 26 to Aug. 11 Paris Games, with NBA star Patty Mills the first five-time Indigenous Olympian from Australia.

The Australian team is predicted to win 48 medals overall, and 13 gold, in a forecast by Nielsen’s Gracenote Sports.

Chef de mission Anna Meares, a two-time Olympic champion track cyclist, says it’s extraordinary that Australia consistently fields athletes across so many sports.

“I think we take it for granted, but we really do punch above our weight,” Meares said.