Activists want the Olympics to ban Saudi Arabia from participating until the country allows women to compete. Here's a look back at the long history of women fighting for equality as Olympic athletes.
Ancient Greece: The very first Games included no women.
Married women were not even allowed to watch, and they faced a penalty of death if they did. Unmarried women were allowed to attend.
Source: images.betterworldbooks.com
1896: The first Modern Olympics in Athens take place with no lady competitors.
Women did not compete because of beliefs at the time that if a woman competed in athletics: "She wouldn't be able to bear children; that her uterus would fall out; that she might grow a mustache; that she was a man, or wanted to be one."
Source: 0.tqn.com
1900: Women compete for the first time at the Paris Olympics.
Just 19 of them got to participate in tennis and golf, compared with the 1,206 men who competed in the Olympics that year.
Source: bbc.co.uk
1912: Women's swimming is added.
The British women's team wore these sheer swimsuits, which were seen as scandalous. No Americans competed since they were only allowed to compete in events where they could wear long skirts.
Source: 0.tqn.com
