129 Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympics, opposed the presence of women as he believed it would not reflect the spirit of the original Olympics, where only male athletes competed. Furthermore, he believed that women were mainly destined to be mothers and feared that sports practice could affect their fertility. Search for the video and discuss it with the class. GENDER INEQUALITY IN SPORT The struggle of women in sport Historically, women s participation in sport was very limited and often discouraged. For centuries, claims about women s body fragility were used to justify their exclusion from competitive sports activities. The first modern Olympic Games in 1896 were exclusively for men ; women were only allowed to compete from the 1900 edition, but initially only in golf and tennis. Other events, like the Olympic marathon for women, were only introduced in 1984. However, even when they were admitted to competitions, women were treated differently from men. For example, at an Olympic level, women who performed well often had to undergo gender confirmation exams: this practice started in the 1968 Olympics and lasted until 1999, when it was officially abolished. Even so, the World Athletics and other federations still require tests for high testosterone for female athletes, while no equivalent testing has ever been demanded for male athletes. ONLINE RESOURCES Muslim women in sports Gender transformation in sport counterpart: controparte to undergo: sottoporsi 236 HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, AND CIVIC EDUCATION The need to raise awareness Inequalities in sport between male and female athletes still continue today, especially in sports that are normally considered as male ones. The disparities mainly concern the following fields: pay: female athletes earn considerably less than their male counterparts in many sports, particularly in football, golf, and basketball; media coverage: media coverage of women s sports is still far behind men s. The scarcity of media coverage of female sports events limits visibility and sponsorship opportunities, and this is one of the reasons why sponsors invest less on female than on male athletes. Moreover, the smaller focus on female athletes makes it difficult to have female role models to be inspired by and to promote sports among the younger generations; leadership roles: women are much less represented than men in leadership and coaching positions inside sports organisations. Only a small percentage of sports federations are led by women, and female coaches are a minority in almost all sports at all levels; facilities and opportunities: men s facilities are generally better than those provided to women. For example, in 2021, during the NCAA basketball tournament, a video by Oregon s player Sedona Prince showed the bigger amount and better quality of training facilities provided for male players, in sharp contrast with those provided for women players. The video soon became viral and forced the NCAA organisers to provide better facilities for women players. Episodes like this generally raise indignation, and this can be useful to increase public awareness of the situation. Eliminating the gender gap in sports is essential for promoting gender equality, fighting stereotypes and driving positive change in the whole of society.