Proud to be French, a Woman, and Global Citizen: Celebrating the Historic Gender Equality of the 2024 Olympics and to IMAGINE a better world

My dear grandchildren,

Yesterday marked a pivotal moment in history: the 2024 Olympics in France achieved gender equality across all sports for the first time.

This milestone has inspired me to reflect on the world we are leaving for you.

The song "Imagine" resonated deeply with me; its message has carried me since it was recorded, and it felt especially fitting for yesterday’s Opening Ceremony.

We have overcome many challenges, and there should be no reason for wars, climate change, or suffering. I am grateful for your commitment to carrying the torch of change.

I know in my heart that you will make a difference in the world.

The Olympic opening ceremonies yesterday highlighted the importance of peace and beauty on our planet.

Another moment that stood out was a courageous woman , despite her illness, performing on the Eiffel Tower with the stunning backdrop of Paris. To me all women are courageous.

Your great grandparents were refugees from Czechoslovakia in France in 1947, and my mother loved Paris and often told me stories how the French were very kind to her especially when she had her first baby born in France.

My parents had left to Australia in 1949 as my father said he never got his working papers.

So my other 2 sisters and I were the first generation born in Chicago.

But I guess I remembered my mother stories about Paris and came to study here when I was 19 to do my university studies.

At this Olympic 2024 , I feel a sense of being a Global Citizen on this planet. WWIRE World Women in Real Estate has members from over 54 different countries.

I feel pain for our Russian and Ukrainian sisters as well as from Sudan, Palestine and Israel and will miss them at the Olympics.

World Women Impacting Real estate was created in 2012 and has allowed me to discover the difficulties of women in the real estate profession through out the world.

America allowed your great grandmother to become one of the first women in commercial real estate and she created her company in Chicago in 1956 . I always saw my mom love real estate with a real passion and now I carry on her passion.

I later became the first woman in the Capital Markets in France for commercial real estate at 32 years old in 1987 but I couldn't imagine that. I am proud to have been a trail blazer as there a many women in that position today.

I will continue to do my best to contribute to sustainable real estate and fight for justice in this world so that things will get better for your generation.

I have honored to know and have been inspired and have as mentors Ingrid Vanderveldt, M. Arch, MBA founder of EBW , Poonam Barua Forum for Women in Leadership - WILL Forum India author of Leadership by Proxy and Dr Cristina LUNGHI founder of ARBORUS

@EBW Empowering a Billion Women President Ingrid Vanderveldt, M. Arch, MBA in her State of the Union address that the latest McKinsey reported her anger when she read their research that finds, in a full-potential scenario in which women play an identical role in labor markets to men's, as much as $28 trillion, or 26 percent, could be added to global annual GDP in 2025.

But at the same time

“Gender equality is growing more distant. On the current track, UN Women puts it 300 years away,” Guterres said in a general assembly speech ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2023, as he launched two weeks of discussions led by the Commission on the Status of Women.

The equal participation of women and men in the Olympics is a step in the right direction, and I thank the the IOC, the Organising Committees for the Olympic and Paralympic Games to "Imagine" gender equality and made it a reality in 2024.

I hope and Imagine for you that gender equality will never be a problem for you.

The song "Imagine" by John Lennon has become associated with the Olympics over the years, but it first prominently featured as part of the Olympic ceremonies during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, where it was performed by Stevie Wonder Since then, "Imagine" has been used in various Olympic ceremonies, including the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021),

For the first time in history the 2024 Olympics in France became 50% women Olympians through a series of deliberate efforts and policy changes implemented by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee.

Here are the key steps that contributed to achieving this milestone:

1. IOC Gender Equality Strategy: The IOC has been committed to promoting gender equality in sports. Their Gender Equality Review Project, launched in 2018, provided 25 recommendations to achieve gender balance, which included equal representation of men and women athletes at the Games.

2. Quota Systems and New Events: The IOC set specific quotas to ensure equal participation. They introduced new mixed-gender events and adjusted the qualification systems across various sports to encourage more female participation.

3. Investment in Women's Sports: Increased funding and resources were allocated to women's sports, providing better training facilities, coaching, and support systems to female athletes.

4. Advocacy and Support Programs: Programs and initiatives were established to support female athletes, coaches, and officials. This included mentorship programs, leadership training, and campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of gender equality in sports.

5. Policy Changes by National Olympic Committees (NOCs): NOCs around the world were encouraged to promote and support female athletes, ensuring that their national teams had equal representation.

6. Public and Media Support: There was a concerted effort to raise the profile of women's sports through media coverage, public campaigns, and endorsements. This helped to change public perceptions and inspire more young women to pursue sports.

7. Collaboration with International Federations: The IOC worked closely with International Federations (IFs) to implement changes in competition formats and qualification processes that favored gender equality. Through these comprehensive efforts, the 2024 Paris Olympics successfully achieved gender parity, with an equal number of male and female athletes competing in the Games.

These steps should be used for real estate as well because Real Estate buildings are responsible for 40% of the CO2 emission.

Tomorrow I will be going to the Olympics for 11 days as I was fortunate to be chosen from among 350,000 candidates with only 45,000 volunteers selected.

For the next 11 days, I will witness courage, love, compassion, and a passion to succeed.

I hope that you both will see this too and be inspired to succeed to end all wars and bring peace and health to our planet.

With love and hope that you will succeed your gold metals in your life.

Yaya (Grandma in Grec)