When the modern Olympics were first held more than a century ago, 997 athletes competed, only 22 of them women.

Fast forward to this year’s Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where nearly half of those vying for medals are women.

The Olympic motto is ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger,’ and the UN entity working towards gender equality, UN Women, has joined with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to encourage girls to stick with sports as they grow up.

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is in Rio.

She told Dianne Penn about their involvement in the Games.

Duration: 4'31”