The 1924 Women's Olympiad (formally called Women's International and British Games,[1] French Grand meeting international féminin) was the first international competition for women[2] in track and field in the United Kingdom.[3] The tournament was held[4][5] on 4 August[6][7][8] 1924[9][10] in London,[11][12][13] United Kingdom.

1924 Women's Olympiad
Host cityLondon
Country United Kingdom
Dates4 August 1924
← 1923
Marguerite Radideau
Mary Lines
Hilda Hatt
Violette Morris

Events

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After the successful first 1922 Women's World Games in Paris and the three Women's Olympiads (1921 Women's Olympiad, 1922 Women's Olympiad and 1923 Women's Olympiad) in Monaco the interest for women's sports also grew internationally. In 1922[2] the "Women's Amateur Athletic Association" (WAAA) was founded in the UK: the WAAA organised the first official British women championships[3] in track and field (WAAA Championships) on 18 August 1923 at the Oxo Sports Ground in Downham outside London. In the US the "Amateur Athletic Union" (AAU) organised the first official American women championships in track and field on 29 September 1923 at Weequahic Park in Newark, New Jersey.

The 1924 Women's Olympiad was organised in cooperation with the newspapers[3] News of the World, Sporting Life and Daily Mirror in cooperation with the WAAA and the Fédération Sportive Féminine Internationale[1] (FSFI) under chairwoman Alice Milliat.

The games were attended by participants from 8[3] nations: Belgium, Canada (exhibition events only), Czechoslovakia, France, Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the USA (exhibition events only). The tournament was a huge promotion for women's sports.

Team Nation Participants
1   Belgium ?
2   Canada ?
3   Czechoslovakia ?
4   France ?
5   Italy ?
6   Switzerland ?
7   United Kingdom ?
8   USA ?

The athletes[14] competed[11] in[9] 12 events:[3] running (100 yards, 250 metres, 1000 metres), relay race (4 x 110 yards and 4 x 220 yards), hurdling 120 yards, racewalking 1000 metres, high jump, long jump, discus throw, shot put and javelin. The tournament also held exhibition events in cycling (two-thirds of a mile bicycle sprint),[10] netball, and gymnastics.

The multi-sport event was held[14][10][12] at Stamford Bridge stadium[6][7][5] in Fulham in southwest London.[13] The games attracted[1] an audience of 25,000 spectators.[6][2]

Results

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Almost all medals went to athletes from France and the United Kingdom.

During the games[14] 7[4][8] world records [3][10] were set: Mary Lines in hurdling 120 yd and running 250 m,[6] Edith Trickey in running 1000 m, Albertine Regel in walking 1000 m, Elise van Truyen[12] in high jump, Violett Morris in discus and Louise Groslimond in javelin. Poorly[4][11] performed measuring[13][9] however led to that only 2 records, Trickey in running 1000 metres and Regel in walking 1000 metres, later were ratified.[14]

Results[11][9] in[3][7] each[4] event:[12]

Event Gold Silver Bronze
100 yds Rose Thompson
  United Kingdom
11,2 sec Eileen Edwards
  United Kingdom
Marguerite Radideau
  France
250 m Mary Lines
  United Kingdom
34,6 sec Vera Palmer
  United Kingdom
Marie Mejzlíková I
  Czechoslovakia
1000 m Edith Trickey
  United Kingdom
3,08,2 min Hilda Hatt
  United Kingdom
Ida Degrande
  Belgium
Relay 4x110 yds UK team Manor Park
  United Kingdom
53,4 sec UK team London Olympiades
  United Kingdom
UK team Middlesex
  United Kingdom
Relay 4x220 yds United Kingdom
  United Kingdom
Vera Palmer
Lesley Gamble
Eileen Edwards
Rose Thompson
1,18.6 min France
  France
1,21.0 min Belgium
  Belgium
Hurdling 120 yds Mary Lines
  United Kingdom
18,2 sec
(17,4 sec in trials)
Hilda Hatt
  United Kingdom
Henriette van Daelen
  Belgium
Walking 1000 m Albertine Regel
  France
5,14.0 min Edith Trickey
  United Kingdom
5,23.2 min Keeling
  United Kingdom
High jump Elise Van Truyen
  Belgium
1,51 m / 4 ft 11½ in Marguerite Patouillet
  France
1,49 m / 4 ft 11 in Ivy Lowman
  United Kingdom
1,48 m
Long jump Mary Lines
  United Kingdom
5,20 m Sophie Eliott-Lynn
  United Kingdom
Bozena Srámková
  Czechoslovakia
Discus Violette Morris
  France
30,12 m Marie Janderová
  Czechoslovakia
26,73 m Florence Birchenough
  United Kingdom
Shot put
two-handed[nb]
Violette Morris
  France
19,95 m Beatrice Manton
  United Kingdom
Marie Mejzlíková I
  Czechoslovakia
Javelin
two-handed[nb]
Louise Groslimond
  Switzerland
47,65 m / 156 ft ¼ in Bozena Srámková
  Czechoslovakia
Adrienne Kaenel
  Switzerland
43,19 m / 141 ft ¼ in
  • 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.
Team Nation Points
1   United Kingdom 61
2   France 31
3   Belgium 15
4   Czechoslovakia 13
5   Switzerland 7
6   Italy ?

Legacy

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The tournament was a huge promotion for women's sports,[3] a follow-up was held in 1925 ("Daily Mirror Trophy"[4]) also at Stamford Bridge. In 1926 the second regular Women's World Games were held at Gothenburg.

References

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  1. ^ a b c DeFrantz, Anita Lucette (1997). "The changing role of women in the Olympic Games" (PDF). Olympic Review. pp. 18–21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 September 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Gordon, Peter; Doughan, David (2001). "Dictionary of British Women's Organisations, 1825–1960". Psychology Press. pp. 156–57. ISBN 9780713002232. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Hargreaves, Jennifer (1994). "Sporting Females: Critical Issues in the History and Sociology of Women's Sport". Routledge. pp. 131–32. ISBN 9780415070287. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e Baldini, Giovanni; Castellini, Ottavio; Martini, Marco (2014). "Il "ventrale" bellezza di un gesto che fu arte prima di essere sport" (PDF) (in Italian). IAAF. pp. 59–60. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Women's Olympiad". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. 6 August 1924. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d "Women's Olympiad". BFI.org. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  7. ^ a b c "Jeux Mondiaux Féminins" (PDF) (in French). Commission documentation et histoire, cdm.athle.com. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Five world's records". The Brisbane Courier. August 6, 1924. p. 19. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  9. ^ a b c d Charlet, Sylvain. "Rétrospective de l'athlétisme féminin" (in French). Association des Entraineurs d'Ile de France d'athlétisme (AEIFA). Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  10. ^ a b c d "Sport: New World's Records". Time. 18 August 1924. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  11. ^ a b c d "Chronique de l'athlétisme féminin" (in French). Marathons.fr. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  12. ^ a b c d "De Vrouwen Meeting Van Londen" (in Dutch). Geïllustreerde Sportwereld, N° 174. 16 August 1924. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  13. ^ a b c "Le parcours d'obstacles de l'athlétisme féminin" (in French). Granville Athletic Club. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  14. ^ a b c d "World records set in Britain". GBR Athletics.com. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
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