The Evolution of Turkish Women Throughout Olympic History: A Journey from Past to Present

International Olympics are very important, as countries can express their political power in a more peaceful environment without war through sports competitions. When considering the ancient and modern aspects of the Olympics, mostly males are seen to compete. With growing awareness, significant efforts have been made to ensure women’s participation in competitions regarding social justice and equal opportunities for them. This study aims to highlight the role of Turkish women in both ancient and modern Olympics. While women didn’t actively compete in ancient Olympic games, they were still involved in sports training. With the revival and adaptation of the ancient Olympics to the modern world, women’s participation had failed to be accepted in competitions for a long time in the modern Olympics. However, women managed to enter the Olympics with the federations they established, despite the male-supported ideology they encountered. Meanwhile, Turkish female athletes started participating in the Olympics after 1936 and have maintained their presence with an increasing number of medals. Strengthening and encouraging women in a society is very important in the world of sports, as in every field. Female participation is crucial both politically and socioculturally with regard to Türkiye’s international Olympic representation. In conclusion, the increasing success of Turkish women in the Olympics in our study by emphasizing, we consider that women’s participation in the Olympics should be further encouraged, despite the difficulties women have faced in ancient and modern Olympics.