TY - JOUR T1 - When women can be stars in sports, why is it so difficult in sports and exercise medicine research? JF - BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine JO - BMJ OPEN SP EX MED DO - 10.1136/bmjsem-2021-001218 VL - 8 IS - 1 SP - e001218 AU - Kristina Fagher AU - Evert Verhagen Y1 - 2022/01/01 UR - http://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/8/1/e001218.abstract N2 - Watching the Olympic and Paralympics Games, we notice that both men and women achieve world-class performances. We see the world’s best sports stars perform extraordinary athletic feats, regardless of who they are or where they come from. This equity was not always present at this world stage. For instance, until 1984, women were prohibited from running marathons during the Olympic Games.1 It may also surprise you that it was not until the 2012 London Games that all delegations sent a team consisting of both sexes.Over the last decades, the Olympic and Paralympic movements have worked proactively for equity through leadership development and advocacy campaigns, leading to opportunities for women to also become sports stars. Nonetheless, it appears that we in Sports and Exercise Medicine (SEM) are falling behind. Although most of us aim for equity and equivalence, women are still heavily underrepresented in SEM research. In this editorial, we discuss existing concerns and possible solutions.When we both reviewed our publications, we realised that we have published our papers with mostly male coauthors; our cumulative author lists consist of 67% (KF) and 74% (EV) male authors. We can also use our journal, BMJ Open Sports & Exercise Medicine, as an example. Even though our journal strive for equality,2 of all manuscripts published in 2021 to date, only 33% of all authors are women, and an equal percentage of women are first authors. Similar numbers are seen across SEM journals such as British Journal of Sports Medicine and American Journal of Sports Medicine and reflect the work that still needs to be done. Further, during the recent International Olympic Committee’s … ER -