Australia heads to Paris with its highest-ever percentage of women on its Olympic team

SYDNEY (AP) — The Australian Olympic team will head to the Paris Games with its highest-ever percentage of women — 55.6%.

The Australian Olympic Committee on Wednesday said that when the Olympics were last held in Paris in 1924, no women were on the team.

This time, there’s 256 women on the 460-member team that will represent Australia in 33 sports. It’s the third consecutive Summer Olympics where the Australian team contains more women than men.

It’s the third-largest Australian team to compete at an Olympics staged overseas, behind Tokyo 2020 (486) and Athens 2004 (482). The AOC said the Australian team is also likely to be the third-largest delegation in Paris — despite its relatively small population of 27 million.

Ten Indigenous athletes are on the team for the July 26 to Aug. 11 Paris Games, with NBA star Patty Mills the first five-time Indigenous Olympian from Australia.

The Australian team is predicted to win 48 medals overall, and 13 gold, in a forecast by Nielsen’s Gracenote Sports.

Chef de mission Anna Meares, a two-time Olympic champion track cyclist, says it’s extraordinary that Australia consistently fields athletes across so many sports.

“I think we take it for granted, but we really do punch above our weight,” Meares said.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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