PERFORMING GENDER EQUALITY: A WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS PERSPECTIVE ON DISCRIMINATION IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES

This thesis investigates the persistence of gender discrimination in sport through the lens of the Olympic Games. It asks: to what extent do CEDAW and international gender equality norms and public policies influence the reduction of gender discrimination in Olympic sport, and how does the Olympic Games function as a global space of symbolic transformation for women’s rights and visibility? The first chapter establishes the historical and theoretical background, tracing women’s exclusion from sport and examining the ideological frameworks of patriarchy, misogyny, and feminist theories. The second chapter provides a literature review of scholars on gender and sport, including feminist perspectives, intersectionality, and debates over whether the Olympic Games act as spaces of inclusion or exclusion. The third chapter analyses international legal frameworks such as CEDAW, the Olympic Charter, and related instruments, assessing their impact on advancing gender equality in sport. The fourth chapter examines the lived reality of female athletes, highlighting both persistent disparities and recent progress, with special attention to the Paris 2024 Olympics. The study concludes that while international norms and institutional reforms have contributed to significant progress, structural inequalities in media representation, leadership, and access to resources persist. The Olympic Games thus function simultaneously as a site of symbolic transformation and as a mirror of broader struggles for gender justice.