Olympics coverage is rife with sexism and here's what needs to change

LONDON -- It's the sporting event we've been waiting for. Rio 2016 is in full swing and Team GB is dominating in second position on the medal table.

But, while Team GB's successes are swelling the nation's heart with pride; there's one thing that is certainly not cause for celebration: the sexist Olympics coverage.

SEE ALSO: The most sexist moments at the Olympics — so far

With more women competing in Rio 2016 than in any other Olympics, there is still a notable difference in the way female and male athletes are discussed in media coverage. Now -- 116 years since women were first permitted to enter the Olympic Games -- sexism and the Olympics remain unfortunate bedfellows.

Since the opening ceremony of Rio 2016, UK commentators and publications have garnered criticism for all the wrong reasons. BBC presenter John Inverdale forgot about the existence of women's tennis; BBC commentators referred to the judo final between Majlinda Kelmendi and Odette Giuffrida as a "cat fight"; and Team GB rower Helen Glover was asked by the Daily Mailabout her skincare regimen and the effect of training on her hair.

Majlinda Kelmendi of Kosovo (blue) celebrates winning the gold medal in the judo final against Odette Giuffrida of Italy. Credit: Laurence Griffiths/ Getty Images

U.S. Olympians are also on the receiving end of sexist coverage. When U.S. gymnast Simone Biles -- the greatest gymnast of all time -- delivered a fantastic performance on the uneven bars, one NBC commentator stated, "I think she might even go higher than the men." Meanwhile, U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky was hailed the "female Michael Phelps" by the Mail Online. And, Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hosszu's husband was credited for her gold medal win by NBC.

Sam Smethers -- chief executive of women's rights organisation Fawcett Society -- says that the Rio 2016 media commentary on female medallists has been "offensive and demeaning."

Stop referring to women's sport as a separate entity

The problem, according to Smethers, lies in talking about "women's sport" as a separate entity from that practiced by male athletes.

"When we stop talking about women’s sport and instead just recognise them as equal to the men and athletes in their own right, we know we will have changed the terms of the debate," Smethers said in a statement.

Indeed, a recent report by Cambridge University Press (CUP) examined more than 160 million words in two multibillion word databases of written and spoken English language within the domain of sport to explore the role of language in creating gendered attitudes.

Katie Ledecky of the United States celebrates winning gold in the Women's 200m Freestyle Final on Day 4 of Rio 2016. Credit: Al Bello/ Getty Images

Researchers found that the words "men" and "man" were referenced twice as many times as "woman" in one database, while another database showed that men are mentioned three times more often than women.

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However, the only instance where women are mentioned more often is to "mark their sports as other" -- "women's football" for example.

"Men’s sport is often considered the default – for example, we are more inclined to refer to women’s football, whereas men’s football is just called football," read a CUP blog post on the research.

That goes for referring to female athletes as female "versions" of successful male athletes.

When female athletes succeed, don't talk about luck

The unequal language of sport doesn't just relegate female athletes as "other," it also serves to undermine their achievements.

The language used by commentators when female athletes succeed focuses more on luck and less on physical ability, according to a 2012 study by University of Delaware. However, the research also found that when male athletes succeed, commentators extol their skill and commitment.

This same skill and commitment -- which is so prevalent in discussions about male athletes -- should also be the focus when talking about the achievements of female athletes.

Quit mentioning marriage and babies

CUP's research found that frequent words commonly associated with female athletes -- but not male athletes -- include "pregnant," "married," "un-married," "aged" and "older." The top word combinations for male athletes were found to be "fastest," "strong," "great" and "big."

SEE ALSO: When an athlete's relationships are more important than success in her sport

Google Search data emailed to Mashablesuggests that these word associations aren't limited to media coverage. The top related searches in the UK for the most searched male and female Team GB athletes revealed a striking difference.

The top search terms for Andy Murray were "Olympics," "news," "Olympic final," "Del Potro" and "score." However, the top search terms for Jessica Ennis-Hill were "husband," "baby," "new worth," "Rio 2016" and "How old is Jessica Ennis Hill?"

Jessica Ennis-Hill competes in the Women's Heptathlon 100m Hurdles Heat 1 during London 2012. Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

It's time to shift the conversation away from the personal lives of female athletes, and focus instead on their strength, speed and successes.

Stop calling female athletes 'girls'

Women in sport are far more likely to be referred to as "girls" than men are called "boys," according to CUP's research. And, similarly, women are twice as likely to be referred to as "ladies," despite the fact that male athletes are consistently referred to as "men" and not "gentlemen."

Note to self: they're women, not girls.

It's not all that difficult when you think about it. Commentators should be mindful of treating female athletes as anything other than equal to their male counterparts. Commentators should stop chatting about athletes' marital statuses and children, and discuss their achievements. Similarly, presenters should be reminded that it takes years of gruelling training and a huge amount of dedication to compete in the Olympics -- it has nothing to do with luck.

Just as Sam Smethers says: "They are Olympic stars in their own right – not thanks to a man."