# Questions about sex and physical sports **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670 "2016-03-20T18:17:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/1 "2016-03-20T18:17:05Z")
Are there any physical sports where there is no segregation by sex? I hesitate to use the term “organized”, because this is the SDMB, but in the Olympics, it seems like there’s always a “men’s” X and a “women’s” X, except for things like figure skating, which have “men’s single”, “women’s single”, and heteronormative pairs. This even happens in things like darts, where it wouldn’t seem like there would be any legitimate reason for it. Are there any physical sports where women are better? Usually, the reason given for sex segregation in sports is that if everyone competed together, there wouldn’t be any female champions, but how about the reverse? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/2 "2016-03-20T18:18:12Z")
Oh, before I forget: Translations provided on request. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/3 "2016-03-20T18:26:38Z")
If you don’t mean events largely designed for women, like rhythmic gymnastics and synchronised swimming (think what you will about the implied concept of femininity), probably equestrian events, like show-jumping and dressage, but then there’s a question as to whether it’s the rider (male or female) or the horse that should get the credit - and maybe sailing? ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/4 "2016-03-20T18:41:49Z")
Endurance sports? long-distance swimming and ultra-marathons? I’m not sure if they are segregated by sex, but (some) women seem to be better than (most) men. Equestrian sports aren’t segregated by sex but the horse provides the physical part so I don’t think that counts. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/5 "2016-03-20T19:06:56Z")
Car racing has women and men competing side-by-side in the same race. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/6 "2016-03-20T19:15:42Z")
I once read a trivia note that said rifle shooting and yacht racing are the only two Olympic events in which men and women compete directly. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/7 "2016-03-20T19:41:48Z")
From 1968 to 1980, men and women competed together in the pistol and rifle events. From '68 to '92 they competed together in skeet and trap. There are now separate men’s and women’s events. In the Paralympics, some shooting events are currently single-sex and some are mixed. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/8 "2016-03-20T19:58:40Z")
In the Society for Creative Anachronism, heavy armored combat, rapier combat and missile combat are not segregated by sex. The men do tend to dominate the heavy combat field, but I’m not sure about rapier or missile combat. Also, since we’re talking about physical sports, I don’t know that missile combat (archery, knife- and axe-throwing) should be included here, as they aren’t shooting at each other. Well, not usually. Actually, yeah, let’s keep it on the list. The SCA also has a distinction that some places allow children to compete against adults. The grups usually stomp the onlies there, too. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/9 "2016-03-20T20:08:57Z")
Curling usually has mixed teams but not at the Olympic level. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/10 "2016-03-20T20:09:52Z")
Interesting replies, everyone. I completely forgot about car racing and the successful female NASCAR drivers and so on, but [ultramarathoning is both sex-segregated and male-dominated.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultramarathon) SCAdians are nuts, granted, but if FIFA can be considered organized so are they, and missile combat sports are certainly physical. They require fine motor coordination, and [there might be some scientific dispute over whether males or females have an inherent advantage in fine motor skills and aiming.](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16350603) (That just links to _one_ study, from 2005.) (And, yes, I’m willing to accept driving as physical. None of you have ever seen my brother drive. Don’t drive like him, BTW.) ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/11 "2016-03-20T20:11:35Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Curling usually has mixed teams but not at the Olympic level. Interesting. I’m beginning to wonder if there’s something… _special_ about Olympic sports and sex segregation. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2016, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/12 "2016-03-20T21:17:56Z")
Xgames are segregated. Highlander games are segregated. I’ve often wondered why their cannot be mixed teams in say relay races in track, team volleyball, or other sports where you have to have an equal number of men and women. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/13 "2016-03-21T02:29:51Z")
Fencing competitions are usually mixed at the local level, but always separated by sex at the highest levels (nationals, Olympics, etc.). It’s still largely a male-dominated sport, though. I’ve always thought that there isn’t any real reason that women should be better or worse at fencing than men. Strength, while needed, isn’t the most important thing. And I’ve known plenty of female fencers that can kick my ass, as well as lots of other men’s asses. Anecdotally, on average women tend to fence differently from men. They fence more defensively, waiting for their opponent to attack and then reacting, rather than going on the attack themselves. Bouts between two women often take a long time. That’s just a general statement of course, I’ve also known plenty of aggressive female fencers and passive male fencers. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/14 "2016-03-21T03:16:40Z")
dog sports are not segregated by sex, aka dock diving, agility, obedience. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/15 "2016-03-21T03:32:59Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > From 1968 to 1980, men and women competed together in the pistol and rifle events. From '68 to '92 they competed together in skeet and trap. There are now separate men’s and women’s events. Interesting. Do you know why they separated? ---
**Author:** ![svd678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@svd678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/svd678)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/16 "2016-03-21T03:47:01Z")
Last I heard Extreme Frisbee was not segregated. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/17 "2016-03-21T03:49:23Z")
Apparently [open water swimming](http://www.active.com/swimming/articles/men-vs-women-in-endurance-sports?page=2) is an endurance sport where women on average tend to perform as well as or better than men in absolute terms at sub-elite levels, and not very far from men at world-class levels (unlike, say, marathon running, where even the top female runners are nowhere near competitive with the top male ones). > [@](#): > > As the distances increase, the women get better and better relative to their male colleagues, but at all distances, the comparative differences are small. > > In particular, the average time of women in the Catalina Channel is seven minutes faster than the average time for men. What is notable is that the overall records in both directions are held by women […] > > Because men and women do not swim at the same time during Catalina Channel swims, the analysis also looked at marathon swims where men and women swim together such as the 24-mile Tampa Bay Marathon Swim (years 2000—2010) and the 28.5-mile Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (years 2009 and 2010). > > Around the rivers of New York City, the women—on average—reign supreme with an average time of nearly 15 minutes faster (8 hours and 21minutes for the women to 8 hours and 36 minutes for the men). > > A ten-year analysis of Tampa Bay results shows an exception to these preliminary findings: the men reached shore first with an average time nearly 23 minutes faster than the women (11:00.9 to 11:23.2). […] > > Based on the data, it appears that open water swimming may be the most competitive amateur sport when men and women race together. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/18 "2016-03-21T03:50:24Z")
I know approximately nothing about the organized sport of [Orienteering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orienteering), but from what little I’ve heard about it, I’m not aware of any gender segregation in the sport. The linked Wikipedia doesn’t mention any such thing. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/19 "2016-03-21T03:50:48Z")
How about ballroom dancing? It is a sport, even if some folks don’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2016, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670/20 "2016-03-21T04:04:28Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I know approximately nothing about the organized sport of [Orienteering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orienteering), but from what little I’ve heard about it, I’m not aware of any gender segregation in the sport. The linked Wikipedia doesn’t mention any such thing. I used to orienteer and knew a couple of national high-achievers, although my own performance seldom attained even the lesser heights of mediocrity. In championship orienteering, women and men run the same course at the same time, but [the winning times are separated by gender and by age category](http://www.us.orienteering.org/orienteers/on-foot/championships/naoc). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-sex-and-physical-sports/749670.md?page=2)