Untitled (original) (raw)

Women in the Olympics

By: LaJeim Coleman

The Greeks strived for physical perfection, believing that this would make them more god-like. The Olympic Games were a way to test their physical abilities against other Greeks. Greek women however, were excluded from participation in the ancient Olympic Games. Then athletes competed in the nude and the Greeks felt that a married woman should never see a man other than her husband in the nude. After a certain age females were no longer encouraged to participate in Olympic competition. When Pierre de Coubertin re-established the Olympic Games in 1986 he intended to keep this ancient custom intact. He was able to see this portion of his dream come true at the first modern games in Athens, Greece; there were no female athletes.

Coubertin was most against female inclusion in track and field, fencers, horsewomen and rowing. He believed that female athletic competition would cause women to become manly, and make their bodies unable to produce babies and therefore was unhealthy for them. He overlooked the fact that while married women were excluded from what we refer to as the ancient Olympics, there were females athletes around in that era. It was every Greek's job to exercise their bodies and bring them as close to their Gods as possible; whether they were a man, woman, boy or girl. Many women competed in the Hera Games and received many of the same prizes as their male-counterparts. The Hera Games were held in the Temple of Hera not far from the Temple of Zeus, where the men competed. Though the Heraea Games did not have the prestige of the men's Olympic competition, they were still regarded as a serious athletic event. The exact events in the Heraea Games are unknown but we are us they included footraces.

Two outstanding competitors were: Kallipateria was the first female Olympic boxing coach (440 BC) and Kynisca, a Spartian princess, was first woman to become a champion horse trainer when her horses and chariot competed and won in the Ancient Olympic Games (392 BC.).

Needless to say de Coubertin was among the biggest critics of women's sporting events; and was extremely distraught by the number of female competitors that had gradually increased through the years. In the second Olympic year, 1900, since the revival, women managed to participate in two sports; golf and tennis. These events were followed by swimming, rowing, equestrian and fencing. Coubertin was originally against the Winter Olympics and being a chauvinist he was also against women participation. Despite Coubertin's wishes every year women from around the world experienced the joy of sport. The steady increase of female athletes into the Olympics became a stepping stone towards the fight for Women's Rights. Surely if women were able to compete successfully in such a prodigious event then, this was just cause that women were able to do many others things outside of housework and secretarial work. These changes were slow because of the strong societal view that athletics diminished femininity. The passing of the Title IX provision of the Educational Amendments Act in the USA (1972) changed the nature of women's sports forever (Estes265). Title IX stated that all physical education and athletic teams in high schools were open to sexes (except contact sports) and required equal pay, funding and facilities for these sports. The number of women on US teams doubled in the years following this act.

While the Games themselves were being integrated at an increased speed, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) itself remained a 'boys-only club". Up until 1986 all the members of this committee were male. When a woman was finally granted membership, Anita Defrawntz, dedicated herself towards creating and implementing events for women.

Since it's re-birth the Games have come a long way in regards to women's events. In 1964 Soviet speed skater Lydia Skoblikova won all four women's races and became the first person to win four gold medals in one Winter Games. Skoblikova also was the first person to win six career winter gold medals (she took home two in 1960.) The inclusion of Women's Basketball teams into the Olympics in 1974 increased worldwide interest in women's basketball and a created new demographic in America. With the publicity from the USA's Woman Basketball medal-winning performances, a new professional league the Women's National Basketball League (WNBA) was established in 1997. New events for women are added to the Olympics every year. The US Women's Hockey made history in the 1998 Nagano Games, by winning the first gold medal in the first year of women's Olympic hockey.

Outstanding Female Athletes throughout the Winter Olympics

1932
Norwegian, Sonja Henie, caused a sensation by winning the women's figure skating at the age of fifteen. Her record as the youngest winner of an individual event stood for 74 years.

1948
Women's skiing events were added, giving a grand total of two events that women were allowed to participate in (figure skating was the other).

1952
Princess Ragnhild was given the honor of opening the Games in Oslo (her grand-father the head of state was unable to attend the Opening Ceremonies) Giant slalom event added for men and women along with, the 10-K Nordic ski (cross-country) event Andrea Mead Lawrence of the US won the gold in the slalom event.

1956
Carol Heiss took the Gold medal in figure skating, by earning the first-place votes by all of the nine judges.

1960
Walt Disney was named the design coordinator for these games in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California; Disney promised to make the games unforgettable Women's speed skating approved as an official Olympic event.

1964
Soviet speed skater Lydia Skoblikova won all four women's races and became the first person to win four gold medals in one Winter Games. Skoblikova also was the first person to win six career winter gold medals (she took home two in 1960).

1976
Romanian 14-year-old Nadia Comaneci scored an unprecedented perfect 10 on the parallel bars and another perfect 10 on the balance beam.

1984
Germany's Christa Luding becomes the only Olympic champion to have won medals in both Winter Games (500 & 1,000-meter speed-skate) and Summer Olympic Games (1,000m sprint cycling).

1994
Marja-Liisa H�m�l�inen-Kirvisniemi won a gold medal in 1960, becomes the only woman to have competed in six Winter Olympics (1976-1994). In these Games she at age 38, she was the oldest woman ever to win a medal (two bronze in the 15 and 30km cross-country ski) in an individual event in the Winter Olympics.

1998
The US Women's Hockey wins the first gold medal in the first year of Women's Olympic hockey.

2002
Janica Kostelic became the first skier to win four Alpine medals at an Olympics, winning a medal in every event in which she competed. Jill Bakken and Vonetta Flowers won the inaugural women's Olympic bobsled race Vonetta Flowers is also the first black athlete ever to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. British women win the gold in curling; the first medal won in the Winter Games since 1984.