The Olympics are about breaking records and often about betting on who will break those records through sites like ATS.io, but this year, it is also helping to breakdown stereotypes while illuminating lingering, deep-seeded sexism and inequality. This past week, Simone Manuel, the first African-American to win gold in swimming, proved that race doesn’t impact one’s ability to pull ahead in the pool. Those who weren’t prejudiced about Manuel’s chances could have won lots of money by betting on this swimmer, perhaps by using one of these top 10 online sportsbooks. Anyone who did not believe Manuel was capable of a gold medal, therefore, missed out.

As an unprecedented number of women complete in the Olympic games and take the stage in Rio, elsewhere they are taking to the streets. Nearly 50,000 people marched in Peru’s capital and other cities over the weekend to protest wide-spread gender-based violence in the country. Peru ranks third in the world – behind Bangladesh and Ethiopia – on the scale of victims of sexual violence.

What can be done to change these staggering statistics and the reality of millions of women’s lives around the world? Data 2x’s Emily Courey Pryor points to closing the gap in data collected on marriage registration in order to boost gender equality.

The Latest – The United Nations and The Global Goals:

In the midst of celebrations, Brazil offers a stark message about climate change during the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics, The Washington Post reports. In Olympics Opening Ceremony, Brazil Goes Big on Climate Change. “During primetime viewing, Brazil showed a video, narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Judi Dench, that used data visualizations, maps, and graphs to show how global warming is spiking temperatures, melting ice sheets, and raising sea levels around the world.”

An analysis compiled by the Marshall Islands finds that the world is within 1% of the pledges needed for the Paris Agreement to enter into force this year. Paris Agreement Pledges Nearing Critical Threshold; Likely to Enter Into Force This Year. “We could be closer to meeting the Paris Agreement than we think: According to an analysis compiled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, about 58 countries have now ratified, or have pledged to work to ratify, the Paris Agreement by the end of 2016. What’s more, these countries represent about 54% of the world’s global emissions.”

Obama’s weekly address to the United States has a special focus on one of his legacy issues: climate. Providing a Better, Cleaner, Safer Future for Our Children. “During the Obama Administration, we have made ambitious investments in clean energy and achieved reductions in carbon emissions – increasing wind power and solar power, and decreasing the amount of carbon pollution from our energy sector to its lowest level in 25 years. We have also set standards to increase the distance cars and light trucks can travel on a gallon of gas every year through 2025.”

Global Trends – What Experts Are Reading and Writing About:

New research from Switzerland shows the longer refugees wait for their papers, the less likely they are to find a job at all. It’s the Waiting That Kills Your Chances for Work After Asylum. “According to a study just published in the journal Science Advances, employment prospects dwindle for every month that an asylum seeker waits to enter the labor force.”

The ecosystems where cutting-edge financial inclusion thrives: Mexico Illustrates Global Drive Toward Advancing Financial Inclusion. “The global financial inclusion landscape is rapidly evolving, as evidenced by robust progress toward strengthening the digital and financial ecosystems among the 26 geographically, economically, and politically diverse countries featured in the 2016 FDIP Report.

Looking Ahead – What We’re Paying Attention To:

World Humanitarian Day is Friday, August 19. UN Aid Chief Spotlights Need To Bridge Humanitarian-Development Divides. Ban Ki-moon has called for the international community to undertake a new way of working and financing that promotes “not just surviving, but also thriving.”

Has the e-commerce giant Ali Baba unpacked a new way of catalyzing philanthropy? Alibaba’s Blockchain Embrace: A Watershed Moment for Financial Transparency? “China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba made a big splash into the issue of financial transparency in July when it announced plans to use blockchain technology to track donations that are made to charities and other aid organizations using the company’s online payment platform.”

Image: Simone Manuel, the first African-American female swimmer to win a gold medal at the Olympics. Reuters.