Women starred at 2022 Winter Olympics, but men photographed most of the action

Millions of moments were captured by photographers at the 2022 Winter Olympics: From sky-high aerial action and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it speed to raucous team celebrations and the solitary, still seconds in between.

But while women were responsible for many of the most memorable moments from the Beijing Games, most of their achievements – as well as their disappointments – were documented by men.

The Beijing Winter Games were technically the most “gender equal” in history, with women representing 45 percent of all athletes, but the media covering the Olympics were far less gender balanced. The International Olympic Committee helped highlight this disparity when the organization released the final number of validated media accreditations following the Closing Ceremony.

In Beijing, 9,388 individuals received media credentials. That total includes three categories: press organizations (1,952); rights-holding broadcasters (3,607); and host-broadcaster representatives (3,829).

The IOC released a gender breakdown for the first category, which includes print reporters and photographers. Of the 1,952 media members in Beijing, just 23 percent – 443 individuals – were women. Within that group, women photographers were the least represented, percentage-wise: Of the 603 photographers accredited at the Games, only 13 percent – 80 individuals – were women.

“I think it’s jarring to see the numbers in print because my impression, honestly, when I was there is that the numbers were improving,” said Getty Images photographer Maddie Meyer, whose resume includes four Olympic Games, 10 FIFA World Cups (women and men) and the Super Bowl.

Meyer, a 2014 Ohio University grad and Boston resident, was stationed in “Z-Zone” in Beijing, formally