THE support being provided at the Paris Olympics for athletes who are also parents is just part of a larger trend as the rise of women’s sports puts greater emphasis on maternity and parental needs.

In France, a nursery is available for athletes’ children in the Olympic village for the first time, and private rooms will be provided by organisers for nursing mothers. But the Olympics aren't alone.

Fifa recently added new policies that expanded on ground-breaking regulations adopted in 2020 that gave athletes access to a minimum of 14 weeks of paid maternity leave. The new rules expanded benefits to coaches and gave periods of paid leave to adoptive parents and non-biological mothers.