By Ian Jobling
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
by Ian Jobling trust readers will forgive the little bit of Latin in Alice MILLIAT, and conducted under the auspices of Ithe title of this article. The idea of the question the Federation Societes Feminities Sportives de France.3 "whither thou goest?" arose following my pres- Following the second games in the series, held entation entitled "The Olympic Movement in his- at Gothenburg, Sweden in 1926, the International tory and hysteria: the 800 metres track events at the Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) and the IOC 1928 Amsterdam and 1960 Rome Olympic Games" agreed to a five track and field events at the 1928 at the CESH Conference in Crotone, Italy. Amsterdam Olympics. The events were the high As the title implies/ the 800 metres event for wom- jump, discus throw, 100 metres, 4x100 metres relay en was introduced at the Amsterdam Olympics, and the 800 metres.4 The British Women's Amateur was "banned" and did not return until the 1960 Athletic team, in a protest that a full eleven- Rome Olympics. During the presentation, I specifi- event program of the First Women's International cally posed a question I am currently researching: Championships had been reduced to five, did not "what happened to the women's 800 metres event participate at Amsterdam.5 in the various countries which had competitors in The twenty-six competitors in the 800 metres that event in the 1928 Olympics?" So, this article is race at Stockholm, who came from thirteen coun- more about seeking help and/or collaboration than tries (and their place in the final), were: Australia - in enlightenment. But, before getting down to some Edith ROBINSON; Austria - J. LAUTERRBACH; Belgium specifics about the assistance/collaboration, some -I. DEGRANDE, J. SEGERS; Canada - Fanny ROSENFELD background information might be helpful. (5), Jean THOMPSON (4); France - S. GUYET, M. Although women had participated in archery, NEVEU; Germany - M. DEHUZA, M. DOLLINCER, E. tennis, swimming and diving, fencing and gym- OSTEREICH, Lina RADKE (1), E. WEWER (8); Holland nastics (exhibition) at previous Olympics, it was - W.M.C. DUCHATEAU, A.J. MALLON, A. van NOORT; not until the 1928 that track and field events for Italy - G. MARCHINI; Japan - Kinue HITOMI (2); women were first introduced in Olympic Games Lithuania - P. RADZIULYTE; Poland - G. KIOLOSOWENA conducted by the IOC.2 (7), O. TABACKA; Sweden - I.K. GENTZEL (3), E.C. Track and field events were part of the "Women's PETTERSSON; USA-D.D. BOECKMANN, F. MACDONALD Olympics" (the name was changed to Women's (6), R.B. WILSON.6 World Games) of 1922, promulgated by Madame JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY 14(MARCH 2006)1 43 Another press report, from London, England, in- cluded such phrases as: "The collapse of several women athletes ... ap- parently suffering from dangerous strain; Miss Thompson ...a pretty Canadian girl, with fair bobbed hair, lay faced downwards, with her head on her arm sobbing... she appeared to be in acute pain as well as suffering from disappointment at her defeat."10 A similar report appeared in the New York Times, stating that six of the nine runners were "completely exhausted and fell head long on the ground".11 Any distress shown by the silver medallist, Kinue HITOMI of Japan, may be explained by the fact she was primarily a sprinter and, accord- ing to researcher Shuko HONMA from Japan, had never run an event of that distance.12 Two British researchers, Anita TEDDER and Stephanie DANIELS, have revealed that headshot photographs accom- panying a sensationalist article by British corre- spondent Sir Percival PHILIPS under the headline - "Women Athletes Collapse in Fierce Strain of Olympic Race-Sobbing Girls" - were not those of runners Elizabeth F. in the 800 metres race but of sprinters in the 100 13 Robinson metres. They also explain that Canadian Jeannie THOMPSON'S "collapse" was largely because of an I have done some research about the Australian injury and, after they studied the film footage, they competitor, Edith ROBINSON. The following vi- were of the opinion that no other runner fell. gnette provides some insight about her experience One year later, in July 1929, John TUNIS wrote in with running distance events. ROBINSON comprised Harper's Monthly Magazine that sportswomen need- Australia's female track and field team. She was ed more medical attention than sportsmen: selected for the 100 metre sprint event and came third in the semi-final.7 During the sea-voyage to "Those who doubt this statement should have stood Amsterdam, members of the men's track and field beside me during the eight-hundred-metre run in team collaborated in entering ROBINSON, unbe- the Olympic Games at Amsterdam last summer. known to her, in the 800 metres, a distance she had Below us on the cinder path were eleven wretched never raced before. True to her competitive spirit women, five of whom dropped out before the finish, and sense of occasion, ROBINSON ran but withdrew. while five collapsed after reaching the tape. I was When I interviewed her in 1988, she stated, "I went informed later that the remaining starter fainted 600 metres and I had to pull out then and I've never run in the dressing room shortly afterward."14 one since". 8 The final of the 800 metres race brought about A different and more positive perspective is pro- speculation and a controversial decision about its vided in this extract from a report of the Games future existence in the women's athletic programs published by German Olympic Committee imme- at Olympic Games. Numerous journalists wrote diately after the Games: their perceptions of the scenes of this race, won by Lina RADKE of Germany, in a new world-record time "In almost every specific sporting nation there of 2.16-8, with Kinue HITOMI of Japan second. The are women whose constitution and somatotyp- Bulletin, a weekly periodical in Australia included: ing vary from extreme femininity to the boyish or young men's. There was, therefore, an unmistak- "After the 800 metres race at the Olympiad able advantage from those nations where physical knocked out and hysterical females were floun- education for girls and boys differ very little. This dering all over the place. Competition is such boyish type with the obvious advantages in the events can serve no useful or aesthetic purpose in areas of sprinting and jumping was seen in com- feminine existence."9 petitors mainly from the USA and Canada."15 44 JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY 14(MARCH 2006)1 Soon after the conclusion of the Amsterdam Games, the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) rejected a proposal by 16 votes to 6 to elim- inate all women's track and field events from fu- ture Olympic Games.16 Instead, along with the 800 metres, that body and the IOC removed the long jump, shot put and 200 metres from the women's track and field events programme. In Canada, the Globe newspaper reported some of the details of the discussion and outcome: "Those opposing the retention of the women's events in the Olympics were headed by a country whose women athletes won the present Olympic women's track and field meet n Canada. The Canadian delegates were supported by Great Britain, Ireland, Finland, Hungary and Italy. Australia and South Africa bolted the British Empire's united front and voted for the wom- en's events, as did also the United States, Japan, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland. The 800 metres event, which was the most hotly contested of all the program, was rejected by a 12-to-9 vote, with one abstention, while the broad jump, shot put and 200m flat also failed to com- Kinue Hitomi mand a majority. " 17 Track and held events for women began to flour- sider whether or not to withdraw from competi- ish globally following the 1928 Olympic Games.18 tion in the Games if women were deprived from Organisational structures for women devel- taking part there. "23 oped: in Australia the Women's Amateur Athletic Associations of t h e states of Queensland and Victoria At the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games there was were formed in April and December 1929, respec- a three-event limit placed on each female athlete.24 tively.19 The Australian Women's Amateur Athletic As stipulated by the IAAF, the longest women's race Union (AWAAU) was established in 1932 and this in 1932 and, again at the 1936 Berlin Olympics was body conducted the first Australian Women's Track the 100 metres.25 Indeed, prior to the 1936 Olympic and Field Championships in Melbourne in 1933.20 Games the possibility of eliminating women's track In Berlin in 1930, IOC president, Count BAILLET- and field events was again the agenda of the IAAF. LATOUR, suggested to the Olympic Congress that Avery BRUNDAGE, who became president of the women be permitted to participate only in "aesthet- United States Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) in ical" events.21 Eventually, on a clear understanding 1928, was against women's participation in track that "a vote would be taken separately as to whether and field events, and after the Los Angeles and women should be admitted in athletics and fencing, the Berlin Olympics he became an outspoken ally of vote for swimming, gymnastics, lawn tennis and skating the anti-Olympic movement in women's sports.26 was passed 26 votes to 1."22 The question of allowing There was also much discussion in the Australian women to compete in athletics was then put and ac- press after the 1936 Olympic Games about women's cepted 17 votes to 9, with one abstention.