A look at last year's 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the ascent of women leading up to the games: The record breaking participation of women in the 2008 Olympic Games was the product of more than a century of progress of women in sports. When Barron Pierre de Coubertin of France proposed a revival of the Olympic Games in the 1890s the world Physical Cycle was near its Peak and the world Emotional Cycle influencing women's issues was near the bottom. Both Pierre du Coubertin and tthe International Olympic Committee (IOC) opposed the participation of women. Although women were excluded from the 1896 Olympics, nineteen women became the first female participants in the 1900 Games in Paris. The number of women in subsequent Olympic Games steadily increased and women took Gold Medals in … [Continue reading...]