Women of Team USA lead the way at 2022 Winter Olympics

After 14 days of competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, the women of Team USA are leading the way. A couple of notes to highlight as these Beijing Winter Games come to a close:

Of the 21 medals earned by U.S. athletes, women have played a role in winning 15 of those (11 in women’s events, four in mixed gender events). In comparison, just six medals have been won in men’s events.

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While the U.S. is currently fifth in the overall medal standings, that’s not the case in the women’s medal standings, where Team USA tops the leaderboard along with the Netherlands.

These 2022 Beijing Winter Games have been called the most “gender equal” Winter Olympics in history. But that doesn’t mean they are actually equal. The current Olympic program includes 46 women’s events compared to 51 for men. (There are also 12 mixed gender events.) A variety of sports and events – including hockey, bobsled, and luge – also have more quota spots for men than women. (A complete guide to gender equity at the 2022 Winter Olympics can be found here.)

So it’s especially notable that the women of Team USA are having this success given that they still have fewer overall medal and participation opportunities.

In the lead-up to Beijing, U.S. women actually had more success in international qualification. American woman secured about 84 percent of available quota spots, while U.S. men qualified about 80 percent.

Even still, women are in the minority on the 2022 U.S. Olympic team. The 224-person roster includes 108 women, 115 men, and one non-binary athlete – though it’s unlikely that all 224 athletes will compete in Beijing and thus earn the title of “Olympian.”

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