Answer: The word with the positive connotation in this pair is "omit".
Explanation: The connotation of a word is the idea or the feeling that this word suggests. In that way, words can have a positive connotation or a negative connotation. A word with a positive connotation invokes a good or satisfying feeling; in contrast, a word with a negative connotation is associated with a negative or unpleasant feeling. <u>The word with the positive connotation in the pair "neglect" vs. "omit" is "omit" since it invokes a good feeling</u>,<u> while "neglect" implies a negative feeling</u>, mainly due to the fact that <u>the action of neglecting is considered to be offensive</u>.
The central idea refers to the number of existing women to see the show, which outnumbered the number of men. Despite the fact that cycling is not considered a sport for women, attendance at the show suggests the great number of followers that this sport had in itself.