When Charlotte Cooper won gold in womens tennis at the 1900 Paris Olympics, it was nothing short of remarkable.She played in an ankle-length Victorian dress and couldnt hear a sound, having?gone completely deaf years earlier. She represented Great Britain -- a country that had yet to recognize the womens right to vote like so many others at the time. Paris was the first modern Olympics that even allowed women to compete after the addition of womens tennis and golf to the Games. In winning, Cooper became the first woman ever to earn an individual Olympic gold medal.More than a century later, some 4,700 women traveled to Rio in hopes of following in her footsteps -- the highest number of women ever. As they competed on the largest world stage in sports, it became clear how far women have come from the days of Charlotte Cooper -- and how far they have yet to go.Saudi Arabia set a country record by doubling the number of women it sent to the Olympics, with four women traveling to Rio for only the second Summer Games that Saudi women were permitted to compete.Rafaela Silva won Brazils first gold medal in Rio in a triumphant comeback from her judo loss at the previous Olympics in London. Yet in an emotional interview after her championship match, she noted how little support she received from her fellow Brazilians.Everyone criticized me. They said judo wasnt for me, said Silva, who as a black woman from a poor neighborhood in Rio, has overcome many hurdles to get where she is today. They said I was an embarrassment to my family. And now Im an Olympic champion in my own home.Media coverage offered other reflections of gender bias. Of the record 170 commentators, around 20 percent were women. The skewed representation of women reporters could help explain why some commentators referred to women athletes as girls, or why some outlets seemed to give credit to athletes husbands instead of the women themselves. One study of Olympic news coverage found that media reports focused on womens age and marital status, while highlighting mens strength and speed.The U.S. media coverage seemed to be the rule, not the exception. The Associated Press published a story that led with Michael Phelps tying for second in the mens 100-meter butterfly, while Katie Ledeckys record-setting win in the womens 800-meter freestyle was an afterthought to both the headline and the lead of the story, which covered both races.Gymnast Simone Biles pushed back on some of the more subtle sexist media coverage that used men as proxies to explain womens accomplishments.Im not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps, she said after winning gold in the womens all-around final. Im the first Simone Biles.These moments transcend the world of sports to show the world of gender equality. Secretary of State John Kerry sometimes uses sports metaphors in discussions where hes advancing gender equality. After the Olympics, that seems all the more appropriate.Sports offer a lens through which we can see the status of women and girls in society. Is a country literally keeping half its population on the bench? Does society hold back women and girls from reaching their full potential by diminishing their accomplishments or lashing out at their willingness to try? The 2016 Olympic Games offer some sobering answers to these questions.But perhaps what matters most isnt the Olympics ability to illustrate the state of sexist media or opportunity for women in sports. Perhaps what matters is what happens after the Olympics when the athletes are back home.Last week, the BBC aired a fascinating story about the post-Olympic homecoming of Sakshi Malik, the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal and one of only two Indians -- both women -- to win a medal in Rio.Whats remarkable is the sheer number of women who have turned out to greet Sakshi Malik, BBC journalist Sanjoy Majumder declared in a video documenting the event. Old women, middle-aged women, little girls as well.As he spoke, the camera panned to show dozens and dozens of women and girls watching as Malik, a young woman who broke stereotypes and overcame financial barriers to make it to Rio, is celebrated in an Indian state working to overcome barriers to eliminate female feticide and educate girls.The scene represents the true potential of the Olympic Games to achieve its lofty goal of promoting peace and prosperity. As more and more women compete -- and bring their communities and countries glory and pride while doing so -- the world will see exactly what women are capable of when theyre given the opportunity.Maybe in another 100 years the world will look back on the 2016 Olympics as another remarkable turning point, when Silva, Ledecky, Biles, Malik and thousands of other women who competed, returned home and changed history.Cathy Russell is the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Womens Issues. Jerseys Soccer China . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5. China Jerseys Cheap . JOHNS, N. http://www.jerseyssoccercheap.com/ . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. China Soccer Jerseys . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. Lords has hosted many memorable encounters over the years, but Wednesdays meeting between the counties and the ECB executive promises to rival the best of them for ferocity and, in its way, significance.The chairmen and chief executives of all 18 counties and the MCC are meeting to discuss their options for the future shape of the domestic T20 competition in England and Wales. It is no exaggeration to state that the conclusions reached could amount to the most significant changes to the face of England cricket since the introduction of limited-overs cricket in 1963 or the birth of professional T20 cricket in 2003.On one side you have those who insist a new T20 tournament featuring eight city-based teams is essential if cricket is to recapture the interest of the general public. On the other, you have those who warn that such a move will marginalise several first-class counties and further decrease the visibility of the game in the market towns and small cities where it is still relevant.The issue of free-to-air broadcasting and the value of potential broadcast deals will also be relevant. Some counties are incredulous at the difference in value placed on the options by the ECBs independent broadcast analysts. Some insist that free-to-air is essential if the game is to return to relevance in the public consciousness.It seems unlikely the consensus the ECB executive seeks will be reached today. They were hoping to agree one of the five options they set before the counties a few weeks ago with a view taking it to the ECB board for approval in October. But, with counties still asking for more information about the details and several insistent that their members have to be consulted, not enough seem ready to commit.Indeed, as they consider the implications of a city-based tournament - and as their members learn of those implications - it seems support for a two division tournament featuring all 18 teams has grown once more. This was the original recommendation of the ECB working party charged with looking into options a year or two ago, but it was subsequently shelved after concerns that it might limit the opportunity for lucrative local derbies.But a suggestion made by Glamorgan could offer a solution. ESPNcricinfo understands that they have put forwaard a plan whereby the T20 season would start with a weekend of local derbies - double-headers if necessary - that do not have any connection with the competition.dddddddddddd. While it is not a perfect solution - the issue of who would host such games is one problem - it may be enough to convince the waverers.One of the primary concerns is the implication to all other cricket by trying to create a July window for the new T20 tournament. The counties are worried that either the Championship will be diluted by the absence of around 100 of the best players, or that it will not be played at all for a month.ESPNcricinfo understands a suggestion has been made about cutting the Championship season to as few as 10 games - featuring three divisions of six teams - to make space for the new T20 competition while even Mike Fordham, the man hired by the ECB to launch the new competition (he fulfilled a similar role with the IPL and the CPL) has warned against comparisons with the BBL. Research has shown a tournament based in eight Test-hosting cities in England and Wales would cover only 25% of the population compared to 65% in Australia cover by the six BBL-hosting cities.While NatWest Blast attendances have risen by more than 60% since the introduction of a predictable schedule (generally on Friday nights) three years ago, it is ironic that many of the potential hosts of the eight-team tournament have seen ticket sales stall in recent times.Hampshires have grown by just 1% in that time (and dropped in 2016) while Lancashires have grown by 3% and again shrunk in 2016. Yorkshires and Durhams attendance figures also fell in 2016. It may well grate on those counties where attendances have increased sharply - Northants, Gloucestershire, Essex and Worcestershire, for example - to forgo their place in the premier T20 competition to those who have failed to seize the formats potential as well.If the ECB executive force a vote - and it seems unlikely they will take such a chance - it is far from certain they will win. And if they lose, it may well be that the resignation of the ECB chief executive and, perhaps, its chairman are requested. ' ' '