ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, July 20, 1996 TAG: 9607220009
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DEBBIE HORN KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
In light of the Atlanta Games and inspiration from a friend's recent visit to Greece, I thought I would share a historical perspective on the female Olympic athlete. Depending on how old you are, you may recall that there wasn't always a FloJo, Nadia or Mary Lou to serve as role models for women in sports. The tides of women in athletic competition have reversed themselves repeatedly over the past 3,000 years. Let's take a look at a few of the highlights of women and the Olympic games.
Before the ancient games began, Egyptians and Spartans depicted women who not only participated in sporting events, but whose strength and athletic ability were an attractive quality. This ancient society believed that athletic participation actually increased fertility.
Leaping forward to the Olympic games in Greece around 776 B.C., we find a rather severe digression from the open-minded views of the Egyptians. Women were not only banned from participating, but, if found in Olympia at all during the games, they were immediately hurled off a cliff.
At the first modern-day Olympic games in Athens in 1896, women were not allowed to compete, but an unofficial female runner actually finished the 40 kilometer race. Her time was 4.5 hours, well behind the winner, but ahead of many of the remaining male competitors.
At the turn of the century, the societal outlook on women in sports took a turn for the worse. Much of the medical literature at the time suggested that exercise compromised fertility and should be minimized and non-strenuous. Society also frowned upon strength and ability, and instead chose to idealize a kind of gentle frailty.
Despite popular opinion, in Paris at the 1900 games, 11 women competed in two sports - golf and tennis. Unfortunately, the United States Olympic Committee decided in 1908 to oppose female competition in any sport in which women could not wear skirts.
In 1928 in Amsterdam, women competed in many events including tennis, swimming, diving, figure skating and some track and field events. However, after female participants in the 800-meter run fell prey to heat exhaustion (perhaps they weren't properly hydrated before the race), the International Olympic Committee banned women from competing in any race longer than 200 meters. This restrictive ban remained in effect for more than three decades.
During the 1940s, '50s and '60s, women began to broaden their sporting events, including gymnastic and equestrian competition. By 1968, gender testing became a necessity to prevent men from crossing over and competing in women's events.
The picture brightens in the '70s and '80s as women increased their number of Olympic sports to 14. New events included basketball, field hockey and rowing. During this time, more than half the nations attending the Olympics were sending female athletes.
At the 1984 summer games in Los Angeles, women were finally permitted to compete in the Olympic marathon, 88 years after that first unofficial female runner in Athens. The summer games in Seoul and Barcelona added more events like cycling, the heptathlon, judo and a 10-kilometer run.
What does this mean for us today? A generation of physically active women, who enjoy demanding more from our bodies and minds, are forging ahead into new territories every day. Young women just starting their athletic careers in schools across the nation probably don't realize the drastic changes that have occurred - especially over the past 20 years - to open the doors of athletic competition.
Without a doubt, the Atlanta games will inspire women and men across the world. And it seems finally, the only limitations for a woman in competitive or recreational sports are the ones the individual places upon herself.
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: File photo Mary Lou Retton won the gold medal inby CNBgymnastics at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.