U.S. Olympic team to field more women than men
By Mary Pilon, New York Times
The news that the United States will send more women than men to compete on its Olympic team in London reflects a turnaround in women’s participation in the modern Games that’s evolved over the past century.
The 530-member U.S. Olympic team is comprised of 269 women and 261 men, spanning 25 different sports.
In 2008, the U.S. sent 306 men and 282 women to Beijing (588 total) and 279 men and 254 women (533 total) went to Athens, according to the International Society of Olympic Historians. In 2000, 332 men went to Sydney and 253 women for a total of 586 athletes.
Women also represent both ends of the age spectrum of the U.S. 2012 team. Karen O’Connor, a 54-year-old equestrian, will be the oldest member of the team, and swimmer Katie Ledecky, 15, is the youngest. (The average age for the team is 27, according to the U.S.O.C.) There are 54 dads and 13 moms on the team.
