Two publications about Olympics and Africa
The Olympics games held in Paris, France have come and gone. Two articles provide more light about the Olympics. The first one by Aimée-Noël Mbiyozois is about Eurocentric views of femininity. The second one by Francois Cleophas is about ‘the disturbing story of two 1904 marathon runners’ who were the first Africans at the Olympics.
Titled, ‘When are African women athletes woman enough?’ and subtitled ‘The Paris Olympics were a reminder of how sports are the latest chapter in Eurocentric ideals that cruelly affect African women’, the second article challenged the worlds outside Africa to not impose their views on who is a woman on others. You can read the article here. The author is concerned about many African women who have been banned from the sport because they compete like men. The most talked about case this year was of gold winning Kaylia Nemour from Algeria. whose Italian competitor compared to a man. A previous case was that of Mokgadi Caster Semenya from South Africa.
The second article, Who were the first Africans at the Olympics?, can be accessed here. Please read on your own, I will not give a summary.
Some information to know:
- At the 2024, Olympics, Kenya was top in Africa with 11 medals.
- Africa had 39 medals in totals – 13 golds, 12 silvers and 14 bronzes
- Also, Africa has never hosted the Olympics
