This young woman, once captain of the women’s national team for almost a decade, never understood the logic of the disciples of patriarchal interpretations that violated the most elementary human rights.
Kiran Khan, a Pakistani swimmer at the Beijing Olympics (2008) and one of the first to represent her country in foreign waters, had to assume a manly appearance during her teens to train at a local club, simply because the law there prohibited the access to girls.
About 1,500 kilometers away, Iranian gymnast Nasim Hasampur had to change her passion, sport shooting, because she was forbidden to wear tights in competitions, while Afghan soccer player Khalida Popal had to endure garbage thrown at her and named a prostitute, for her love to football.
Hassiba Boulmerka, winner of the 1,500 meters in the athletics specialty in Barcelona (1992) and world champion in Tokyo (1991) and Gothenburg (1995), had no better luck. The Algerian woman suffered death threats from fundamentalist groups for running in shorts and not wearing a hijab (Muslim veil).
These stories do not make up the script for a fiction film, although they could well be. It is the most magnificent and crude scenario. Women face discrimination on their path to sporting glory in the face of the staunch design of machismo, which does not fluctuate to blow the whistle and sing its offside.
PROTAGONISM ON THE COURT
Willingness, courage and her own demands led Cuban Mireya Luis to the top of world volleyball and, as a premonition of destiny, the number three on her shirt marked the Olympic titles in her record.
Luis, with only 10 years old and no prototype for that sport, pointed out to the teacher Cándida Rosa Jiménez with childish innocence: “teacher, I touch the ceiling.” And then he caressed the deck with both hands, with the same hands that he would then execute his very powerful shots of more than three meters.
With the freshness of a winter afternoon, without any impulse or shock, he agreed to a dialogue with Scanner, remembering the occasion when he managed to hang himself from the 3.05-meter basketball hoop still 12 springs and, some time later, give a 3.40-meter touch of height (one of the best marks in his career).
Such abilities in a woman always lead to comparisons. In their case, due to their jumping ability, they have measured it against the star of world athletics, El Hijo del Viento: Carl Lewis; before His Majesty, of basketball, Michael Jordan and with the Prince of the heights, his compatriot Javier Sotomayor.
She never suffered any aggression or offense for being a female athlete, although she does know of fellow victims of gender discrimination, just because of the size of her biceps.
The star of world voly well knew how to lead a luxury team since the eighties of the last century. However, Alejandrina (her first name) also knows the sweet sacrifice of belonging to the so-called weaker sex, in a profession of exquisite physical training for which constant time and work are required.
The woman is part of a show. I think that the most important demand we have is improvement. A woman who surpasses herself will demonstrate her importance and value, said the current leader of the North, Central American and Caribbean Athletes Commission.
The allegation comes from the mouth of someone who faced motherhood in the middle of a sports career, because after the advent of her daughter, with only nine days after giving birth, she prepared for the Women’s Volleyball World Championship in Prague, 1986, where she gave away to Cuba a silver medal.
At the same time, together with the group of women stars and guided by the best coach of the 20th century, Eugenio George, they won gold in the World Cups in 1989, 1991 and 1995, and stormed the Olympus of Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 with imperious shots that, both on the court and in life, put an end to offensive plays.
THE OLYMPIC FACE
From the very mission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the purpose of “stimulating and supporting the promotion of women in sport, at all levels and in all structures, in order to put the principle of equality into practice. between man and woman ”.
In a chronological walk from Athens (1896), when they resumed the Hellenic festival with evident sustenance of discriminatory schemes, the prominence gained by women is visible. His glorious Olympic journey began in Paris (1900) with the gold of the English tennis player Charlotte Cooper.
The new millennium brought the Olympic Games to Sydney (2000) and, according to statistics released by the IOC, 10,651 athletes participated, of which 4,691 were women and 6,582 men (38.2%). percent female representation).
Four years later, in Athens (2004) the attendance of 10,568 athletes, left a balance of 4,306 women and 6,662 men (40.7 percent female representation).
It was not until London (2012) that for the first time all states registered competitors in their delegations, including countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei. In this contest, the difference was marked in women’s boxing, which opened three of the 10 pesos with 250 men and only 36 women.
Tokyo 2020 is planted, clearly, as an encounter that will break with that last. The president of the IOC, Thomas Bach, assured changes in the opening ceremony and in the traditional parade of participating countries where, instead of a single flag bearer, there may be a couple of each sex.
For the first time we will have at least one athlete and one athlete on each of the 206 teams, and on the refugee team, Bach noted.
The headline aims to leave a milestone in Olympic history and ensured the absolute parity of men and women in terms of numbers of competitors and disciplines at the Paris Games (2024), where breakdancing, skateboarding, climbing and surfing will also debut .
GODDESSES OF SPORTS IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM
Heroines of sports in the new millennium, women demolished stigmas, did not take into account political and religious doctrines and, many times, appeared to be men to access Olympus.
Which successors of the priestess Demeter, goddess of the Hellenic world, but no longer seated to obey and contemplate, have demonstrated their virtue with an egregious protagonism in a terrain highly dominated by the male sex that still argues stereotypes and prejudices.
In the spirit of Mireya, Kiran Khan, Hajar Abulfazl and many others of the same lineage, women’s sport has shone gold, showing that even with a tight dress, bustier cut, low waist, trapeze style, tight pants or burkini, they can win medals and prominence.
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* Journalist for the Cultura de Prensa Latina newsroom.
This work had the collaboration of the community manager Giselle Hernández, the webmaster Wendy Ugarte and the journalist Jhonah Díaz González.
