# What Olympic events could men and women compete together in? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 28, 2012, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664 "2012-07-28T11:00:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/1 "2012-07-28T11:00:21Z")
It seems strange to me that men and women don’t shoot together. Apparently equestrian events are mixed. And of course you can have mixed doubles in various racket sports, but that’s not quite the same. What else could men and women compete against each other in? I mostly want to know about Olympic events, but would be interested in opinions on other events too. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/2 "2012-07-28T12:02:58Z")
I think part of the reason men and women don’t shoot together is because if it were mixed, you’d get almost only men because men, on average, have more interest, learned ability and possibly innate ability at shooting. It seems that part of the IOC’s decision is based on making sure that a particular sport isn’t 99% male even if that representation level is based on non-biological factors. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/3 "2012-07-28T12:25:29Z")
Curling (if not limited to Summer Games). [QUOTE=Bozuit] …but would be interested in opinions on other events too. [/QUOTE] I wonder why there are separate U.S. and World Chess Championships. In standard tournaments, the men usually outnumber the women significantly (due to interest, I guess) and the results would be skewed, but in the U.S. Championship and the World Championship, you have approximately an equal number of men and women. For instance, in this year’s U.S. Chess Championship, there were 12 men and 10 women. Why do the women not compete against the men for an overall title? It’s not football. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/4 "2012-07-28T12:32:34Z")
Mince, Why is this so in the US and world championships? If men significantly outnumber women in standard tournaments, why is it so different in those two championships? If it’s because the US and World championships have quotas (or numerical goals, which are completely different from quotas somehow), then I can see why the IOC wouldn’t have it that way; the medal winners would overwhelmingly be men. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/5 "2012-07-28T14:18:03Z")
Perhaps only the very best women continue with the game of chess. Then the number of men competing is larger than the number of women and you see this in tournaments; however, to get to the Nationals you have to be among the very best and now men and women are equally represented. ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/6 "2012-07-28T14:23:51Z")
Wrestling? Since the sport is divided into weight classes, men do not have an advantage of extra body mass. HS girls have won statewide wrestling titles in some states. Archery? I’ve read that in ultra long distance running women actually have an advantage, but at the link it seems the men have all the records. [http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/ultramentor/records\_running.html](http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/ultramentor/records_running.html) Ski jumping? I recall chess from 50 years ago where there was maybe one woman grandmaster. That certainly has changed. At some point I suspect the best chess player will be a woman. Maybe not in my lifetime, but I think it will happen. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/7 "2012-07-28T17:47:49Z")
Not exactly what you are looking for, but you could do a 4x400 relay, 2 men 2 women ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/8 "2012-07-28T17:59:38Z")
I believe men, pound for pound, have a greater percentage of muscle mass, vs. fat mass, so even if they were both the same weight the man probably wouldn’t have any problem with a woman in a wrestling match. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/9 "2012-07-28T18:13:13Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I believe men, pound for pound, have a greater percentage of muscle mass, vs. fat mass, so even if they were both the same weight the man probably wouldn’t have any problem with a woman in a wrestling match. For Olympic lifts, the 56kg male record is significantly higher than the 75kg female record. Yes, men are much stronger pound for pound. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/10 "2012-07-28T19:11:06Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I believe men, pound for pound, have a greater percentage of muscle mass, vs. fat mass, so even if they were both the same weight the man probably wouldn’t have any problem with a woman in a wrestling match. I think Andy Kaufman proved this without a shadow of a doubt. He was a skinny guy and he could beat ANY woman. 😛 OK, I meant that as a joke, but it’s not very funny. And neither was Kaufman. I immediately thought shooting, but that’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![jkirkman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@jkirkman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jkirkman)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/11 "2012-07-28T19:26:09Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > … > > I immediately thought shooting, but that’s about it. I immediately thought “sex”, but that might lead to shooting, so there is that, then… ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/12 "2012-07-28T19:50:53Z")
ping pong? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/13 "2012-07-28T19:56:24Z")
Synchronized swimming? ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/14 "2012-07-28T22:07:41Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > ping pong? At the Olympic level it’s a highly athletic endeavor. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/15 "2012-07-28T22:22:00Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > I think Andy Kaufman proved this without a shadow of a doubt. He was a skinny guy and he could beat ANY woman. > 😛 > OK, I meant that as a joke, but it’s not very funny. And neither was Kaufman. > > I immediately thought shooting, but that’s about it. [10m air pistol records.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10_metre_air_pistol) Men:695.1 Women: 493.5 [10m air rifle records](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10_metre_air_rifle#Current_world_records) Men:703.8 Women:505.6 [50m rifle(.22LR) three position](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50_metre_rifle_three_positions#Current_world_records) Men:1287.9 Women: 698.0 ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/16 "2012-07-28T23:02:53Z")
Until recently, women DID compete directly against men in shooting. In 1976, a woman shooter named Margaret Murdock NEARLY won the gold. She finished in a tie for first with Lanny Bassham. Both of them wanted to do a playoff round, but that wasn’t allowed. Bassham was declared the winner. Bassham had Murdock stand on the top tier of the podium with him during the playing of the national anthem, and they both held the gold medal. > **[Margaret Murdock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Murdock)** > > Margaret Thompson Murdock (born August 25, 1942) is a nurse and former United States Army officer most widely known for her success in international shooting competitions, including a silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. > Murdock is the first woman to win a medal in Shooting at the Summer Olympics and the first to win an individual open World Shooting Championship. In international competition Murdock set four individual world records and nine team world records. She is a member of five hal... ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/17 "2012-07-28T23:04:20Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Until recently, women DID compete directly against men in shooting. In 1976, a woman shooter named Margaret Murdock NEARLY won the gold. > > She finished in a tie for first with Lanny Bassham. Both of them wanted to do a playoff round, but that wasn’t allowed. Bassham was declared the winner. > > Bassham had Murdock stand on the top tier of the podium with him during the playing of the national anthem, and they both held the gold medal. > > [Margaret Murdock - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Murdock) How did they determine the winner? ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/18 "2012-07-28T23:20:38Z")
Yes, I know it is not an “Olympic” sport but in dogsled racing men and women 18-80 race against each other. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/19 "2012-07-28T23:29:55Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > Not exactly what you are looking for, but you could do a 4x400 relay, 2 men 2 women That’s a nice idea actually. > [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I believe men, pound for pound, have a greater percentage of muscle mass, vs. fat mass, so even if they were both the same weight the man probably wouldn’t have any problem with a woman in a wrestling match. I was thinking that but not certain enough that it would apply to Olympic athletes. Looks like it’s true though, if **Snarky\_Kong** is right. > [@runner pat](#): > > [10m air pistol records.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10_metre_air_pistol) > Men:695.1 Women: 493.5 > > [10m air rifle records](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10_metre_air_rifle#Current_world_records) > Men:703.8 Women:505.6 > > [50m rifle(.22LR) three position](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50_metre_rifle_three_positions#Current_world_records) > Men:1287.9 Women: 698.0 Wow, I don’t know why I didn’t think of looking that up. Can you shed any light on why the records are so different? I find it hard to believe men could be inherently so much better, especially at the 50 metre level which is a huge difference. Perhaps it’s just down to fewer women shooting, but even if that’s the case I’m surprised. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664/20 "2012-07-28T23:49:05Z")
> [@Bozuit](#): > > That’s a nice idea actually. > > I was thinking that but not certain enough that it would apply to Olympic athletes. Looks like it’s true though, if **Snarky\_Kong** is right. > > Wow, I don’t know why I didn’t think of looking that up. Can you shed any light on why the records are so different? I find it hard to believe men could be inherently so much better, especially at the 50 metre level which is a huge difference. Perhaps it’s just down to fewer women shooting, but even if that’s the case I’m surprised. WAG-sheer strength. The pistol shooting is done one handed, the rifle is standing and the target is very tiny. Even a very small error will make a big difference in the score. Just for comparison, the records for [300m rifle prone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_metre_rifle_prone#Current_world_records) are only one point apart. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-olympic-events-could-men-and-women-compete-together-in/629664.md?page=2)