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Women at the Olympics
In the Ancient Olympic Games women were not allowed to compete at all. And the first modern olympics in Athens in 1896 kept with that tradition. But slowly through the years, women have gained greater acceptance into the Olympic Games. Since 1980, over 20% of the athletes have been women. And in 2004, it is expected to mark another significant step forward for female athletes at the summer olympics. In Athens, 44% of the athletes are expected to be women. And there will be women in the games from Afghanistan (which was prohibited under Taliban rule).
Everyone is well aware of the success and magnificent performances of women in the olympics. Larisa Latynina (most medals in olympic history), Bonnie Blair, Nadia Comaneci, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee are among histories standout female olympians.
Percentage of Participants that are Women in the Summer Olympic Games
Statistics on Women at the Summer Olympics
| Year | Olympics | # of Athletes | Men | Women | % Women | Location |
| 1896 | summer | 245 | 245 | 0 | 0.000 | Athens |
| 1900 | summer | 1225 | 1206 | 19 | 0.016 | Paris |
| 1904 | summer | 687 | 681 | 6 | 0.009 | St. Louis |
| 1908 | summer | 2035 | 1999 | 36 | 0.018 | London |
| 1912 | summer | 2547 | 2490 | 57 | 0.022 | Stockholm |
| 1916 | War | canceled | ng | ng | ng | ng |
| 1920 | summer | 2668 | 2591 | 77 | 0.029 | Antwerp |
| 1924 | summer | 3092 | 2956 | 136 | 0.044 | Paris |
| 1928 | summer | 3014 | 2724 | 290 | 0.096 | Amsterdam |
| 1932 | summer | 1408 | 1281 | 127 | 0.090 | Los Angeles |
| 1936 | summer | 4066 | 3738 | 328 | 0.081 | Berlin |
| 1940 | War | canceled | ng | ng | ng | ng |
| 1944 | War | canceled | ng | ng | ng | ng |
| 1948 | summer | 4099 | 3714 | 385 | 0.094 | London |
| 1952 | summer | 4925 | 4407 | 518 | 0.105 | Helsinki |
| 1956 | summer | 3342 | 2958 | 384 | 0.115 | Melbourne |
| 1960 | summer | 5346 | 4736 | 610 | 0.115 | Rome |
| 1964 | summer | 5140 | 4457 | 683 | 0.133 | Tokyo |
| 1968 | summer | 5330 | 4549 | 781 | 0.147 | Mexico City |
| 1972 | summer | 7123 | 6065 | 1058 | 0.149 | Munich |
| 1976 | summer | 6028 | 4781 | 1247 | 0.207 | Montreal |
| 1980 | summer | 5217 | 4092 | 1125 | 0.216 | Moscow |
| 1984 | summer | 6797 | 5230 | 1567 | 0.231 | Los Angeles |
| 1988 | summer | 8465 | 6279 | 2186 | 0.258 | Seoul |
| 1992 | summer | 9367 | 6659 | 2708 | 0.289 | Barcelona |
| 1996 | summer | 10744 | 7061 | 3683 | 0.343 | Atlanta |
| 2000 | summer | 10322 | 6416 | 3906 | 0.378 | Sydney |
| 2004 | summer | 10500 | n/a | n/a | 0.440 | Athens |
| 2008 | summer | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | Beijing |
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