In the month of the Olympics in Paris, the theme of the month of #todasextacomelas will be Olympic Pioneers. Today we start with the story of a fundamental figure in the history of women's sport, Alice Milliat.
It is worth mentioning that Hélène de Pourtalès was the first woman to participate and be champion in an Olympics, in 1900 and Charlotte Cooper, was the first Olympic champion in individual sport. However, Alice Milliat has an emblematic story in the collective struggle, as I will tell you below.
Born on May 5, 1884 in Nantes, France, Alice Milliat was an athlete, sports director and tireless defender of women's rights in sport.
Her most notable contribution was the creation of the International Women's Sports Federation (FSFI) and the organization of the Women's World Games.
First sports practices
In 1904, Milliat went to England. There she married Joseph Milliat, who was also from Nantes. They had no children, and he died in 1908.
While in England, Milliat took up rowing. She also learned swimming and hockey.
In 1900 the first Olympics took place that allowed female athletes, but only in golf and tennis.
Foundation of the Fédération Française Sportive Féminine
Because she was a member of Fémina Sport , a club founded in 1911, upon returning to France, Milliat helped form the Fédération Française Sportive Féminine in 1917, becoming treasurer and, in 1919, president.
The Federation aimed to promote and organize sports competitions for women, at a time when the International Olympic Committee (IOC), founded by Pierre de Coubertin, did not allow female participation in many sports.
According to him, “Women will always be imperfect imitations, nothing can be learned by watching them act, and thus, those who gather to watch them obey concerns of other kinds. Perhaps women will soon understand that this attempt will not be beneficial either for their charm or for their health. ”
Promotion of Women's Sports
At the head of the Federation, Milliat organized a successful women's football tournament and, in 1920, she assembled and managed a Paris women's football team that toured the United Kingdom staging the first European women's international football tournament. She even promoted football to women in articles she wrote for magazines.
At one point, Milliat asked the IOC to include women's sports in the Olympics, but they refused.
Women's World Games
In response to this decision, Milliat organized the Jeux Olympiques Féminins in 1922, held in Paris. The games were very popular with the public.
The use of the term “Olympic Games” infuriated the IOC, but allowed Milliat to negotiate changing the name to the World Games in exchange for adding 10 women's events to the 1928 Olympics.
A newspaper at the time described the success of the “Women’s Olympics,” which helped push for more inclusion.
The Women's World Games were held in several editions until 1934, helping to increase the visibility and acceptance of women in sport.
Conclusion
Although she faced resistance, Alice Milliat's actions resulted in the gradual inclusion of more women's competitions in the Olympic Games.
Her work paved the way for female participation in high-level sporting competitions and helped change the perception of women in sport.
On March 8, 2021, a statue of Alice Milliat was unveiled at the headquarters of the French Olympic Committee in Paris, in recognition of her efforts towards the recognition of women's sports.