For normal pregnant women, the seventh month of pregnancy is a time when every woman needs to rest, recuperate and should not do or wear anything too heavy. But in the 2024 Olympics held in Paris, it is different.
On the day 3 of the 2024 Olympics, in fencing, Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez, instead of enjoying the last months of her pregnancy, wore protective clothing, a sword and a mask with her unborn child in her belly to compete at the historic Grand Palais.
In the Fencing Women’s Sabre Individual Table, Nada Hafez won by defeating American fencer Elizabeth Tartakovsky 15-13 in her first round. However, the 26-year-old woman was defeated in the round of 16 after losing 15-7 to fencer Jeon Hayoung from South Korea. The 26-year-old fencer later revealed that she joined the competition while she was in the seventh month of pregnancy.
She shared on her Instagram “My baby and I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical and emotional”, “The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life and sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it. I’m lucky to have shared the trust of my husband [Ibrahim Ihab] and that of my family to be able to come this far. This specific Olympics was different; three times Olympian but this time carrying a little Olympian one!”.
In fact, the Paris Olympics is a big celebration for sports mothers. This year, more women with children than ever before attended the Olympics and Paralympics. And for the first time in Olympics history, the Olympic Village has a nursery to celebrate the efforts of all women who are professional athletes and address the difficulties that parents, who are professional athletes face, when balancing their careers with childcare.
In May, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and global Olympic partner P&G shared that Pampers would support this new project. Pampers supports items like diapers and wipes. Moreover, parents as well as children have areas to play and mothers have a private space for breastfeeding.
According to the IOC, “The IOC and IOC Athletes’ Commission (AC) want to ensure that pregnancy and motherhood do not mean a career end in particular for female athletes”. “The nursery forms part of an ongoing commitment from the IOC and IOC AC to ensure parent athletes are cared for and supported at the Games”.
Although the IOC organization has not provided any numbers on how many athletes will use this benefit, the representative confirmed that they are satisfied with “good interest” before the Games take place.
