They made their debut at the Paris 1900 Olympic Games, when they represented only 2.2 per cent of all the athletes. But after more than a century of inspirational performances and record-breaking feats, women now account for nearly half of Olympic athletes – at London 2012, the figure was 44.2 per cent.

Every edition of the Games since Montreal 1976 have seen at least one new event for women added. In London, with the introduction of women’s boxing, they competed in all sports for the first time.

On International Women’s Day (Sunday 8 March), rio2016.com celebrates the contribution of women to the Olympic Movement by listing 10 unforgettable moments that have marked the history of the Games.

1.  Women competed in the Olympic Games for the first time in Paris in 1900, with 22 athletes in five sports: tennis, sailing, cricket, equestrian and golf. British tennis player Charlotte Cooper entered the history books by winning the first women’s gold medal.

British tennis player Charlotte Cooper (Photo: International Olympic Committee)

2.  Mexican hurdler Enriqueta Basilio blazed a new path at the Mexico City 1968 Games by becoming the first woman to light the Olympic cauldron.

Enriqueta Basilio sets the Mexico City 1968 Games off and running (Photo: International Olympic Committee)

3.  Equestrian is the only Olympic sport in which women compete directly with men for medals. At the Munich 1972 Games, Germany’s Liselott Linsenhoff  became the first woman to win gold ahead of her male rivals, in the dressage competition.

Liselott Linsenhoff, right, won the first Olympic medal for a woman in direct competition with a man (Photo: IOC)

4.  Aged 14, Romania’s Nadia Comaneci shot to world-wide fame at Montreal 1976 by producing the first ever perfect performance in gymnastics, receiving a score of 10.00 in uneven bars and then repeating the feat a further six times. The scoreboard was not designed for double figures and 1.00 had to be displayed.

Nadia Comaneci raised gymnastics to a new level (Photo: Getty Images)

5.  At the Los Angeles 1984 Games, Morocco’s Nawal El Moutawakel became the first African and Muslim woman to win an Olympic gold medal, winning the 400m hurdles. Her victory inspired massive celebrations in her hometown of Casablanca and the King of Morocco decreed that all girls born on the date of her victory were to be named in her honour.

Nawal El Moutawakel flys the flag for Morocco in Los Angeles (Photo: Getty Images/Tony Duffy)

6.  Also in Los Angeles, archer Neroli Fairhall of New Zealand became the first female paraplegic athlete to take part in the Olympic Games.

Neroli Fairhall makes history (Photo: International Olympic Committee)

7.  Cathy Freeman was the face of the Sydney 2000 Games. After lighting the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony, the proud Aboriginal overcame intense pressure as the host nation’s only real track and field medal hope to win the 400m in front of 112,524 fans – a victory that was seen as a triumph for a new, multi-cultural Australia.

Cathy Freeman raises the roof in her distinctive all-in-one runnning suit (Photo: Getty Images/Billy Stickland)

8.  At Beijing 2008, having already ensured that she would keep hold of the pole vault title she won at Athens 2004, Russia’s Yelena Isinbaeva raised the bar to 5.05m and sent the Bird’s Nest Stadium into raptures by breaking her own world record. It was the 24th time she had broken the record.

Yelena Isinbaeva wheels away in delight, having broken the world record for a 24th time (Photo: Getty Images/Michael Steele)

9. Women competed in Olympic boxing for the first time at the London 2012 Games, where Nicola Adams won the first gold medal by beating three-time world champion Ren Cancan of China in the flyweight final. Adams’ humble background, smiling personality and explosive punching made her a national hero. ​
 

Nicola Adams punches her way to glory - and into history - at London 2012 (Photo: Getty Images/Scott Heavey)

10.  Also in London, 16-year-old Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen broke the world record in the women’s 400m medley, astonishing onlookers by swimming the last 50m in 28.93 seconds – 0.17 of a second faster than Ryan Lochte, the winner of the corresponding men’s race.

Ye Shiwen showed that women can be faster than men in the pool (Photo: Getty Images/Clive Rose)