Loveday Writing

Never stop**

Why the 2012 London Olympics game is proof that progression should never stop

The legacy of the 2012 London Olympic Games would be progression.

The London 2012 Olympic Games were the first Games where every country had a female competitor, thanks to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei making the decision to allow female athletes their chance to compete. This in itself shows progression in their countries, let alone the Olympics, but that’s a story for another day.

Not only was there progression for women in regards to the competitors themselves, but also in the sports they could compete in, with Women’s Boxing included for the first time. This also meant that there were not only female competitors from every country, but also in every sport.

While it took 112 years to reach this progression from when it all began for Olympic women in 1900, continuing in 1928 with more sporting opportunities to shine, and continuing in every Olympics since, it was certainly better late than never at London.

You could argue that progression is the legacy of any Olympic Games, each one is more spectacular than the last, records are always broken, and spectacular unforgettable moments are written into the history books. However the 2012 London Olympic Games truly showed progression for women and I hope it never stops.

 

 

**Reference: Marsden J 1998, Everything I Know About Writing, Pan Macmillan, Australia.