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]

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

Events edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

  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:
  4. ^ Sources:
  5. ^ Sources:
  6. ^ Sources:
  7. ^ Sources:
  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:
  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 edit