Games Of All Mothers

Now that pregnancy no longer marks the end of an athlete’s career, many will go on to break old records as new moms

- Jane Thornton & Margie Davenport

Sprinter Allyson Felix could have retired with an unmatched legacy when she became pregnant in 2019. But she didn’t. Instead, the decorated Olympian is returning to Tokyo for her fifth Olympic Games — and her first as a mother

In March, the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Organizing Committee announced that the Tokyo Games would be the “first gender-balanced Olympic Games in history.”

The gender gap in sport is well-established. Men have historically dominated the elite sport for centuries, but thanks in part to the advocacy of organizations like the IOC Women in Sport Commission, global female representation in sport is greater than ever.

Central to this movement is the increased visibility of elite female athletes competing and succeeding at the Olympic Games, inspiring future female Olympians across the globe. Yet, major barriers still remain, particularly those faced by athletes who are mothers.

Breastfeeding at the Olympics

Mothers have been competing at the Olympics since the Paris 1900 Games when women’s events were first added. But the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games have highlighted the barriers faced by mothers and mothers-to-be as they vie for coveted spots on the Olympic roster.

Veteran Canadian basketball player Kim Boucher recently made a plea via social media to be allowed to bring her three-month-old daughter (whom she was still breastfeeding) to Tokyo. The organizing committee’s initial answer was no, given pandemic restrictions. When international media pressure mounted, the committee’s stance shifted.