The study analyzes the issues of gender equality in modern international sports. In 2018 the Social Technologies and Mass Communications Department of Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health hosted a round table `Gender equality in the Physical Education and Sport service sector: pros and cons` with participation of the Department faculty and students. Timed to the round table discussions was a questionnaire survey of 41 people designed to complement the research project by the Department faculty. The study and analyses showed that the gender equality issues in preparations for the Olympic Games are formally ranked among the most critical and concerning albeit the actual situation is different in fact. The proposed regulations were found to discredit the notion and meaning of gender equality - that is rather used to disguise the vested commercial, political and other interests of the event organizers in fact. Modern Russian society is unprepared to fully accept the western interpretation of gender equality in sports and impose it on the national communities. Therefore, the Russian research community is recommended to develop a concept of gender equality in sports with due respect to the natural biological, psycho-physiological, socio-cultural and other factors including the ethnic/ national traditions and values.
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