It’s official: Women have totally dominated the Olympics and there is far too much to discuss

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Literally where do we even start when recapping the last two weeks!? First off: Yesterday Australia celebrated its BEST single day in Olympic history, with four golds and two bronze medals coming through overnight. The Paris Olympics has become our most successful Olympics EVER.

Wondering why? Women have totally dominated. To give you a rough idea, rock n scroll your way down to our ‘Fun Facts’ about how the Fox sisters (Jessica and Noémie) and the female swimmers on the Australian team would perform on the gold medal tally if they were countries…

We absolutely LOVED Ariarne Titmus’ clapback to the Channel 9 Olympics presenters - they asked her whether she was surprised by the performance of the women on the Australian swimming team, and how well they did. Her response? “No….because we’re awesome?” Pinging mainstream media: LETS NORMALISE NOT BEING SURPRISED BY FEMALE EXCELLENCE?!

Whether it’s Imane Khelif making her way to the final, archers and fencers announcing that they competed while pregnant, to women breaking records left, right and centre (hello Simone Biles) - there are so many moments from these Games involving incredible women that make Paris 2024 a year we won’t forget.

Best bit? We’re no-where near done celebrating the achievements of trailblazing women, with the Paralympics coming right up. We can’t wait to watch - see you there?

Cheers,
The Level The Field team

An Aussie in Paris to watch the Matildas Olympics opener

I travelled across France in a train to watch the Matildas take on Germany in the portside city of Marseille in their first appearance in Paris 2024. I crossed the bulky shadows of the Pyrenees and descended down toward the Mediterranean sea, the landscape growing arid with rocky peaks blanketed by a patchwork of vineyards as I rounded the coast and into this iconic city. 

It was hot, the forest of masts that stood in the port were stationary in the windless afternoon. I wandered the narrow streets lined with brasseries and bakeries, stopping to try a white wine from the local appellation or a pan au chocolate. 

But, after all that the Tillies lost. My legs felt like deadweights as I walked into the stadium, the heat sitting on the fans like one of those weighted anxiety blankets. The Tillies played like we all felt: sluggish. 

Stade de Marseille is one of the biggest stadiums in Europe and it felt like it. Entire sections of seating were vacant, the Olympics this year struggling to sell out. And to be frank, being here for the Olympics, stopping to relieve myself from the heat with a cold crisp aperol spritz in the afternoon, did feel a little obnoxious. Mothers with children sat on blankets in the street in some areas, people slept on benches surrounded by their belongings as tourists walked right by and climbed aboard a tour boat headed to an offshore island, their white shirts stained with sweat and their red lipstick starting to smear in the afternoon heat.

It felt like a world of affluence and luxury had descended for a moment on a city, and perhaps a country, that is already cracking at the edges with the weight of the cost of living crisis. While I was here, news of France committing to host the 2030 Winter Olympics broke, which does pose the question - if a country can afford to host two Olympics in six years, surely they can afford to find and build houses for everyone. 

But back to the game. It felt like the Tillies needed the roar of 80,000 homeground fans to help them keep pace with Germany. The eight-time Euro Cup Champions started a little slow, but got a goal from a corner before half time, and the Matildas, normally feisty, seemed like they just couldn’t answer back. Kyra Cooney-Cross looked sharp from the first whistle and seemed to be the only player who could find some space and speed.

While I hate to speak a word of criticism about our Tillies, they do seem to have a problem at times with there being no one there when it’s needed - when Michelle Heyman came on in the last few minutes with fresh legs, she immediately created some opportunities, along with Clare Wheeler, but they seemed to find themselves all alone in the crucial moments. 

Read Lucy’s full article on missingperspectives.com.

Two trailblazing women have competed at the Olympics while pregnant, smashing gender norms

ICYMI: Olympian fencer Nada Hafez has revealed that she was competing while 7 months pregnant - smashing gender norms on the way and paving the way for so many more female athletes in the years to come.

The athlete posted on Instagram: “What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were actually three! It was me, my competitor, and my yet-to-come to our world, little baby!" My baby & I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical and emotional.”

“The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life and sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it. I’m writing this post to say that pride fills my being for securing my place in the round of 16.”

A day after Hafez revealed her pregnancy, Azerbaijani archer Yaylagul Ramazanova also posted a statement on Instagram noting that she was six-and-a-half months pregnant while competing at the Paris Olympics.

One thing is clear: women really ARE unstoppable (and seriously, what iconic mothers these two children will have).

A lil’ sponsored post from the ACT Government

“I tell people the same thing over and over about Canberra: I moved for the job, but really stayed for the lifestyle. Seriously - bear with me.

“Over the months that followed, I fell in love with the city. There was something so special about waking up in the city-where-it-happens (had to include a Hamilton reference, sorry), walking around the stunning Lake Burley Griffin (affectionately known as LBG by locals), and heading up towards the National Triangle to work - a strip containing some of Australia’s most significant buildings. Passing Parliament House each morning was a daily reminder of the importance of the work I was doing in Canberra.”

In a new piece for Missing Perspectives, Phoebe unpacks why she was surprised by how much she loved living in Canberra. Read the full story here.