1921 Women's Olympiad

First international women's sports event

1921 Women's Olympiad
Country Monaco
Dates24–31 March 1921[1]
1922 →
Mary Lines
Lucie Bréard
Germaine Delapierre
Frédérique Kussel
Violette Morris

The 1921 Women's Olympiad Olympiades Féminines and Jeux Olympiques Féminins[2] was the first international women's sports event, a 5-day multi-sport event organised by Alice Milliat and held on 24–31 March[3] 1921 in Monte Carlo[4] at the International Sporting Club of Monaco.[5] The tournament was formally called 1er Meeting International d'Education Physique Féminine de Sports Athlétiques.[6] It was the first of three Women's Olympiads or "Monte Carlo Games" held annually at the venue, and the forerunner of the quadrennial Women's World Games, organised in 1922–34 by the International Women's Sports Federation founded by Milliat later in 1921.[7]

Events

The games were organized by Alice Milliat and Camille Blanc,[2][8] director of the "International Sporting Club de Monaco" as a response to the IOC decision not to include women's events in the 1924 Olympic Games.[9] The games were attended by 100 participants from 5 nations: France, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Norway (mentioned by several sources, however no Norwegian athletes appear in the result lists).[9][10]

The athletes competed in 10 events: running (60 metres, 250 metres, 800 metres, 4 x 75 metres relay, 4 x 175 metres relay and hurdling 65 metres), high jump, long jump, standing long jump (exhibition only), javelin and shot put.[11] The tournament also held exhibition events in basketball, gymnastics, pushball and rhythmic gymnastics. The tournament was held at the "Tir aux Pigeons" in the gardens of the Monte Carlo Casino.[2]

Team Nation Participants
1  France 58
2  Italy ?
3  Norway ?
4  Switzerland ?
5  United Kingdom 21

Results

All gold medals went to athletes from France and the United Kingdom. Medalists:[12]

Event Gold Silver Bronze
60 m Mary Lines
 United Kingdom		 8.2 Daisy Wright
 United Kingdom		 ? Hilda Hatt
 United Kingdom		 ?
250 m Mary Lines
 United Kingdom		 36.3 Lucie Bréard
 France		 ? Suzanne Liébrard
 France		 ?
800 m Lucie Bréard
 France		 2.30,1 Mary Lines
 United Kingdom		 2.32,8 Suzanne Porte
 France		 2.44,0
4 x 75 m relay GB Team A
 United Kingdom
Hilda Hatt
Alice Cast
Daisy Wright
Mary Lines		 ? Team Femina Sport
 France		 ? GB Team B
 United Kingdom		 ?
4 x 175 m relay
200 meters in the finals 		Team Great Britain
 United Kingdom
Mary Lines
Bradley
Hilda Hatt
Alice Cast		 1.46,2 Team Femina Sport
 France
Lucie Bréard
Germaine Delapierre
Thérèse Brulé
Suzanne Liébrard		 ? Team FFFSA
 France
Alice Connet
Raymonde Canolle
Antonine Mignon
Paulette de Croze		 ?
Hurdles Germaine Delapierre
 France		 12,6 Suzanne Liébrard
 France		 12,8 Thérèse Brulé
 France		 13,8
High jump Frédérique Küsel
 France		 1.40 Hilda Hatt
 United Kingdom		 shared Gold Madeleine Bracquemond
 France		 1.35
Long jump Mary Lines
 United Kingdom		 4.70 Hilda Hatt
 United Kingdom		 4.60 Lucie Bréard
 France		 4.52
Javelin, two-handed[nb] Violette Morris
 France		 41,53 Francesca Pianzola
 Switzerland		 40,17 Carmen Pomiès
 France		 33,83
Shot put, two-handed[nb] Violette Morris
 France		 16.29 Francesca Pianzola
 Switzerland		 14,01 Marguerite Barberat
 Switzerland		 13,98

The basketball tournament was won by Team Great Britain after a win in the final against Team France with 8–7. A special commemorative medal was issued for the participants.[13]

  • nb Each athlete in the shot put and javelin throw events threw using their right hand, then their left. Their final mark was the total of the best mark with their right-handed throw and the best mark with their left-handed throw.

Legacy

The tournament was a great success and an important step for Women's sports. The 1922 Women's Olympiad[11] and 1923 Women's Olympiad were held at the same Monaco venue;[14] the 1922 event is sometimes confused with the 1922 Women's World Games held in Paris.[2][9][10] The IAAF unveiled a commemorative plaque at the site of the games in 2008.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Athletics in the First Half of the 20th Century" (PDF). IAAF. 2018. p. 27. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Plaque commemorating first Women's Olympics unveiled in Monte Carlo" (Press release). IAAF. 23 November 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  3. ^ Sources:
    • "Les Olympiades Féminines de Monte Carlo" (in French). L'Éclaireur de Nice, 31 March 1921, page 3. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
    • "Les Olympiades Féminines de Monte Carlo" (in French). Le Petit Niçois, 31 March 1921, page 3. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
    • "Jeux Mondiaux Féminins" (in French). Commission Documentation et Histoire, cdm.athle.com, chapter 7. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  4. ^ Sources:
    • "The Women's Olympic Games". Comité Olympique Monégasque.
    • "Le parcours d'obstacles de l'athlétisme féminin". Granville Athletic Club.
  5. ^ Sources:
    • Pfister, Gertrude; IOC Medical Commission; International Federation of Sports Medicine (15 April 2008). "Women and the Olympic Games". In Barbara L. Drinkwater (ed.). Women in Sport. The Encyclopaedia of Sports Medicine. Vol. VIII. Blackwell Science. pp. 5–6. ISBN 9780470756850. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
    • Bernett, Hajo (1988). "Die ersten olympischen Wettbewerbe in internationalen Frauensport (1988)". Sozial- und Zeitgeschichte des Sports (in German). 2 (2). Sozial- und Zeitgeschichte des Sports, Heft 2/1988 (Jg 2): 66–86. ISSN 0931-7031. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  6. ^ Sources:
    • Martin, Paul (10 May 2011). "Hace 90 años: los inicios del atletismo femenino". Atletismo e Historia (Athletics in History) (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 November 2016.
    • "Beatrice Look Papers". University of Greenwich. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  7. ^ Sources:
    • "Plaque commemorating first Women's Olympics unveiled in Monte Carlo" (Press release). IAAF. 23 November 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
    • Prudhomme-Poncet, Laurence (1 June 2003). "3-3 Les Olympiades féminines". Histoire du football féminin au XXème siècle (in French). Editions L'Harmattan. pp. 96–100. ISBN 9782296327481. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
    • Miragaya, Ana; DaCosta, Lamartine. "Olympic entrepreneurs – Alice Milliat: the 1st woman Olympic entrepreneur" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Autonomous University of Barcelona Centre for Olympic Studies: 105. Retrieved 24 November 2016. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)[permanent dead link]
    • Watman, Mel (January 2013). "Women athletes between the world wars (act. 1919–1939)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/103699. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
    • Charlet, Sylvain (3 November 2008). "L'athlétisme féminin". Féchain Athlétique Club (in French). Nordnet. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
    • "Women and sports at The Polytechnic". University of Westminster. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
    • Charlet, Sylvain. "Rétrospective de l'athlétisme féminin" (PDF). Amicale des Entraineurs d'Ile de France d'Athlétisme. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 December 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  8. ^ The Women's Olympic Games. Comité Olympique Monégasque.
  9. ^ a b c Pfister, Gertrude; IOC Medical Commission; International Federation of Sports Medicine (15 April 2008). "Women and the Olympic Games". In Barbara L. Drinkwater (ed.). Women in Sport. The Encyclopaedia of Sports Medicine. Vol. VIII. Blackwell Science. pp. 5–6. ISBN 9780470756850.
  10. ^ a b Charlet, Sylvain (3 November 2008). "L'athlétisme féminin". Féchain Athlétique Club (in French). Nordnet. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Beatrice Look Papers". University of Greenwich. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  12. ^ Sources:
    • Martin, Paul (10 May 2011). "Hace 90 años: los inicios del atletismo femenino". Atletismo e Historia (Athletics in History) (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 November 2016.
    • Prudhomme-Poncet, Laurence (2003). "3-3 Les Olympiades féminines". Histoire du football féminin au XXème siècle (in French). Editions L'Harmattan. pp. 96–100. ISBN 9782296327481.
    • Watman, Mel (January 2013). "Women athletes between the world wars (act. 1919–1939)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/103699. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
    • Bernett, Hajo (1988). "Die ersten olympischen Wettbewerbe in internationalen Frauensport (1988)". Sozial- und Zeitgeschichte des Sports (in German). 2 (2). Sozial- und Zeitgeschichte des Sports, Heft 2/1988 (Jg 2): 66–86. ISSN 0931-7031. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
    • "Women and sports at The Polytechnic". University of Westminster. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
    • Charlet, Sylvain (3 November 2008). "L'athlétisme féminin". Féchain Athlétique Club (in French). Nordnet. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
    • "Les Olympiades Féminines de Monte Carlo" (in French). Le Petit Niçois, 31 March 1921, page 3. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
    • "Les Olympiades Féminines de Monte Carlo" (in French). L'Éclaireur de Nice, 31 March 1921, page 3. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
    • "Jeux Mondiaux Féminins" (in French). Commission Documentation et Histoire, cdm.athle.com, chapter 7. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  13. ^ "Medailles Sports". Association Numismatique de Monaco. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  14. ^ "Le parcours d'obstacles de l'athlétisme féminin". Granville Athletic Club.

External links

  • Image program (cover) (Vivremaville.mc)
  • Image medals (Worldathletics.org)
  • Mixed pictures 1921 Women's Olympiad (and 1922 Women's Olympiad) (Bibliothèque National de France-BNF)
  • Pictures 1921 Women's Olympiad (Historiatletismo)
  • Film from the 1921 Women's Olympiad (BritishPathe