Sexism at the Olympics

The 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea just concluded last week with other 92 nations that participated and 2,922 athletes. One would think that the women of Team USA had a successful run at the games, including standout performances from seventeen-year-old snowboarder Chloe Kim and Lindsey Vonn's return to skiing, but that was not necessarily the case. Women earned six less medals than their male counterparts, and in some cases, such as sports like speed skating and cross-country skiing, women are required to go for shorter distances, playing into the "women are weaker" mindset.

Additionally, some Olympic athletes were subject to sexist remarks by commentators. After Chloe Kim became the youngest American to win a gold medal in snowboarding, a sports announcer from media outlet Barstool Sports simplified her to "a little hot piece of ass" instead of discussing her achievement. After Anna Veith, a downhill skier from Austria, won a silver medal, one male commentator questioned her ability to compete after getting married.


Olympian Chloe Kim after winner her gold medal in the halfpipe snowboarding event. 

While the Olympics are usually considered a very positive event that brings people of all cultures together, the event has much to improve on in terms of gender equality.