Fake news is not a 21st century invention. They have probably existed since the appearance of humanity. But as we'll see in what follows, fake news were used in order to sabotage women athletics.
The sabotage
Women events entered the Olympics in 1900. If de Coubertin had had a say in this, women would have been confined to "decorative" roles, like presenting a wreath of flowers to the winner. But the big circus that has been the 1900 Paris World's Fair enlivened with sports events really not worth the "olympic" moniker, had decided otherwise. Women did compete in sailing, golf, tennis and croquet(!). And de Coubertin grudgingly accepted the fait accompli. More "women" sports were added to the olympic program over the years. Alice Milliat with her Federation Sportive Feminine Internationale was instrumental in this. By creating the most successful Women’s Olympic Games (later Women’s Games) she pressured the International Olympic Committee into including women's track and field events in the 1928, Amsterdam, Olympics. And, of course, the misogynism struck again amputating the, initially agreed upon, program of 10 events to a mere handful: 100 m, 800 m , 4x100 m, high jump and discus throw.
One day I will write a longer article on women and the Olympics, but for now let us concentrate on the fateful 800 m.
The first world record, in 1922, was that of G. Lenoir, registered en route from a longer race: 2:30.4. In 1927 L. Radke, the future olympic winner, brought the record down to 2:23.8. Then in 1928, prior to the Olympics, I. Gentzel (the future bronze medalist) improved it to 2:20.4, with Radke reclaiming it a fortnight later with 2:19.6.
In Amsterdam, the 800 m for women was organised on August 1 and 2. Three heats were held on the first day with a total participation of 25. The first three of each heat were selected for the final to be held the next day.
The opprobrious reports
Before going into the description of the pivotal event it is instructive (and a tad nauseating) to read the comments of the newspapers.
• Sportswriter W. Shirer detailed in the Chicago Tribune that five women collapsed after the race and that fifth-place-finisher Florence MacDonald needed to be “worked over” after “falling onto the grass unconscious” at the end of the race. His story also included details that silver medalist Hitomi of Japan required a fifteen-minute revival period after suffering from complete exhaustion.
• Pittsburgh Press and reporter for a press syndicate, K. Rockne, who was in Amsterdam, claimed that only six women finished the race and that five of these women collapsed. He stated, “It was not a very edifying spectacle to see a group of fine girls running themselves into a state of exhaustion". And he added, "If running the half mile for women is an athletic event then they ought to include a six-day dancing contest between couples. One is as ridiculous as the other".
• New York Times correspondent, W. Williams, reported the event similarly. He claimed that six of the women “fell headlong on the ground".
• John McGovern asserted that "most of us feel that the exhibition was pathetic and humiliating", as he recalled the stressed runners gasping on the track. "To see a lot of fine, young, brave girls sprawling about on the ground sobbing, convulsed, and covered with dirt, made us all feel that in 1926 we should have voted against this long race", he insisted.
But it was not only the americans.
• The London Times called the 800-meter race for women “dangerous”.
• The London Daily Mail also decried the race, highlighting the exhaustion of the competitors and claiming that the race was too difficult for women.
Canadians followed suite.
• L. Marsh’s writing for the Toronto Star, mentions that Thompson and her teammate, Rosenfeld, collapsed at the finish.
• Montreal Daily Star took Marsh’s criticisms a step further, calling the race a “disgrace” and recommending that it “should be taken off any future program” because “it is obviously beyond women’s powers of endurance, and can only be injurious to them: women who raced longer than 200 m would age prematurely.
And, surprisingly, the Finnish Olympic officials denounced the race as "unwomanly" and announced that "Finnish girls desired to leave track and field to men".
But the jackpot goes to John Tunis of the New York Evening Post. He reported, “Below us on the cinder path were 11 wretched women, 5 of whom dropped out before the finish, while 5 collapsed after reaching the tape”. And Tunis was not just any unknown wordsmith. According to Norman Cousins in Writing for Love or Money, Tunis was known for producing "fact-packed articles based upon research". Well, we have here the proof that he didn't.
In his article in Runners World R. Robinson debunks the lies and comments:
"What bar was John Tunis drinking in while the race was being run? No wonder he went on to be a successful author of boys sports fiction". I have more to say on Tunis but I will reserve it for the article on women and the Olympics, when/if I write it some day.
Were those "journalists" living in a parallel universe? Had anyone really witnessed the race?
Sport historian M. Dyreson present a plausible explanation of the mindset of the reporters. During the 1920s, when women started participating massively in sport, the press portrayed the women athletes as “objects of desire”, focusing on their appearance rather than their performances. Being exhausted was deemed inappropriate for women. acceptable sports were those where women could remain beautiful—in male eyes—while competing.
The truth
The complete video of the race does exist (here). I watched it (many, many times) and what it shows has nothing to do with the slanderous descriptions above.
There were actually only 9 runners in the race.
All of them were still in the race after one lap.
Entering the final stretch only 8 are visible and, although I watched again and again the movie, I could find no trace of the 9th participant. This, and the fact that no time is given for her, points to a possible dropping out of the race.
Only one runner fell (most probably, B. Rosenfeld, silver medalist in the 100 m), and not from exhaustion, but instead because she was leaning forward trying to beat her competitor.
The officials helped her to her feet and that was that. It is interesting to point out that in this last photo one can perceive in the infield Radke with her arm around Hitomi's shoulder, manifestly neither of the two needing any help, let alone a "revival".
The whole arrival looks pretty much like the finish of any other hard race. And it is important to point out that the first three broke the existing world record (Radtke won with 2:16.8). In fact the time of any of the first 7 athletes would have been a world record in 1927. So, it was perfectly natural for the participants of the race to be exhausted. It wouldn't have been shocking even if some of them lied down in the field in order to recover. But they didn't. They ran a world class race and walked away, some happy for their place and some less so.
It is also interesting to point out that in the very same Olympics P. Nurmi, defeated by V. Ritola in the 5000 m, staggered to the infield, fell down, and lied there. Of course, nobody was shocked and no-one proposed that long races be omitted from the men's olympic program.
The consequences
The IAAF, met just days after the Amsterdam Games to discuss the "incident". Canada, led the fight for the termination of all women’s events, which was really curious given that the canadian women had just won two gold, one silver and one bronze medals, more than any other nation. Finland also demanded the abolition of all women’s events. The USA were in favour of the continuation of the women’s track and field but demanded the eradication of the 800-metre race. The majority of nations sided with this. So, the final decision was to do away with the 800 metres but to increase the number of women’s events from five to six: the 80 m hurdles and the javelin throw were thus added to the program.
The (below the belt) arguments for eliminating the 800-meter from women’s competition were based on shaky scientific reasoning: the 800-meter was too hard for women, and women’s reproductive capability would be impaired by such “terrible exhaustion". So, the event should be erased from the Olympic program. All parties continued to believe and promote mythology about women’s frailty.
Three years later, at the Olympic Congress of 1931, the new IOC President Count Henri Baillet-Latour called again for the abolition of women’s athletics. However the US representatives demanded the inclusion of women’s track and field for the Los Angeles Games and carried the vote.
The program of 6 events remained unchanged till 1948 where the 200 m, the long jump and the shot put were added. It was not until 1960 that the 800 m did return to the olympic program. All in all, the events of 1928 managed to slow down the development of women's endurance running for more than three decades. A pure shame.
PS. While doing research for some future article I ran accross a reference to an article by A. DeFrantz where she tells the story of the 1904 men’s 800 m track event in Saint Louis. Two men truly collapsed on the track: one had to be carried to his training quarters and stimulants had to be administered to revive the other. And, of course, nobody suggested that men's 800 m should be eliminated form the olympic program.
The sabotage
Women events entered the Olympics in 1900. If de Coubertin had had a say in this, women would have been confined to "decorative" roles, like presenting a wreath of flowers to the winner. But the big circus that has been the 1900 Paris World's Fair enlivened with sports events really not worth the "olympic" moniker, had decided otherwise. Women did compete in sailing, golf, tennis and croquet(!). And de Coubertin grudgingly accepted the fait accompli. More "women" sports were added to the olympic program over the years. Alice Milliat with her Federation Sportive Feminine Internationale was instrumental in this. By creating the most successful Women’s Olympic Games (later Women’s Games) she pressured the International Olympic Committee into including women's track and field events in the 1928, Amsterdam, Olympics. And, of course, the misogynism struck again amputating the, initially agreed upon, program of 10 events to a mere handful: 100 m, 800 m , 4x100 m, high jump and discus throw.
One day I will write a longer article on women and the Olympics, but for now let us concentrate on the fateful 800 m.
The first world record, in 1922, was that of G. Lenoir, registered en route from a longer race: 2:30.4. In 1927 L. Radke, the future olympic winner, brought the record down to 2:23.8. Then in 1928, prior to the Olympics, I. Gentzel (the future bronze medalist) improved it to 2:20.4, with Radke reclaiming it a fortnight later with 2:19.6.
In Amsterdam, the 800 m for women was organised on August 1 and 2. Three heats were held on the first day with a total participation of 25. The first three of each heat were selected for the final to be held the next day.
The opprobrious reports
Before going into the description of the pivotal event it is instructive (and a tad nauseating) to read the comments of the newspapers.
• Sportswriter W. Shirer detailed in the Chicago Tribune that five women collapsed after the race and that fifth-place-finisher Florence MacDonald needed to be “worked over” after “falling onto the grass unconscious” at the end of the race. His story also included details that silver medalist Hitomi of Japan required a fifteen-minute revival period after suffering from complete exhaustion.• Pittsburgh Press and reporter for a press syndicate, K. Rockne, who was in Amsterdam, claimed that only six women finished the race and that five of these women collapsed. He stated, “It was not a very edifying spectacle to see a group of fine girls running themselves into a state of exhaustion". And he added, "If running the half mile for women is an athletic event then they ought to include a six-day dancing contest between couples. One is as ridiculous as the other".
• New York Times correspondent, W. Williams, reported the event similarly. He claimed that six of the women “fell headlong on the ground".
• John McGovern asserted that "most of us feel that the exhibition was pathetic and humiliating", as he recalled the stressed runners gasping on the track. "To see a lot of fine, young, brave girls sprawling about on the ground sobbing, convulsed, and covered with dirt, made us all feel that in 1926 we should have voted against this long race", he insisted.
But it was not only the americans.
• The London Times called the 800-meter race for women “dangerous”.
• The London Daily Mail also decried the race, highlighting the exhaustion of the competitors and claiming that the race was too difficult for women.
Canadians followed suite.
• L. Marsh’s writing for the Toronto Star, mentions that Thompson and her teammate, Rosenfeld, collapsed at the finish.
• Montreal Daily Star took Marsh’s criticisms a step further, calling the race a “disgrace” and recommending that it “should be taken off any future program” because “it is obviously beyond women’s powers of endurance, and can only be injurious to them: women who raced longer than 200 m would age prematurely.
And, surprisingly, the Finnish Olympic officials denounced the race as "unwomanly" and announced that "Finnish girls desired to leave track and field to men".
But the jackpot goes to John Tunis of the New York Evening Post. He reported, “Below us on the cinder path were 11 wretched women, 5 of whom dropped out before the finish, while 5 collapsed after reaching the tape”. And Tunis was not just any unknown wordsmith. According to Norman Cousins in Writing for Love or Money, Tunis was known for producing "fact-packed articles based upon research". Well, we have here the proof that he didn't.
In his article in Runners World R. Robinson debunks the lies and comments:
"What bar was John Tunis drinking in while the race was being run? No wonder he went on to be a successful author of boys sports fiction". I have more to say on Tunis but I will reserve it for the article on women and the Olympics, when/if I write it some day.
Were those "journalists" living in a parallel universe? Had anyone really witnessed the race?
Sport historian M. Dyreson present a plausible explanation of the mindset of the reporters. During the 1920s, when women started participating massively in sport, the press portrayed the women athletes as “objects of desire”, focusing on their appearance rather than their performances. Being exhausted was deemed inappropriate for women. acceptable sports were those where women could remain beautiful—in male eyes—while competing.
The truth
The complete video of the race does exist (here). I watched it (many, many times) and what it shows has nothing to do with the slanderous descriptions above.
There were actually only 9 runners in the race.
All of them were still in the race after one lap.
Entering the final stretch only 8 are visible and, although I watched again and again the movie, I could find no trace of the 9th participant. This, and the fact that no time is given for her, points to a possible dropping out of the race.
Only one runner fell (most probably, B. Rosenfeld, silver medalist in the 100 m), and not from exhaustion, but instead because she was leaning forward trying to beat her competitor.
The officials helped her to her feet and that was that. It is interesting to point out that in this last photo one can perceive in the infield Radke with her arm around Hitomi's shoulder, manifestly neither of the two needing any help, let alone a "revival".
The whole arrival looks pretty much like the finish of any other hard race. And it is important to point out that the first three broke the existing world record (Radtke won with 2:16.8). In fact the time of any of the first 7 athletes would have been a world record in 1927. So, it was perfectly natural for the participants of the race to be exhausted. It wouldn't have been shocking even if some of them lied down in the field in order to recover. But they didn't. They ran a world class race and walked away, some happy for their place and some less so.
It is also interesting to point out that in the very same Olympics P. Nurmi, defeated by V. Ritola in the 5000 m, staggered to the infield, fell down, and lied there. Of course, nobody was shocked and no-one proposed that long races be omitted from the men's olympic program.
The consequences
The IAAF, met just days after the Amsterdam Games to discuss the "incident". Canada, led the fight for the termination of all women’s events, which was really curious given that the canadian women had just won two gold, one silver and one bronze medals, more than any other nation. Finland also demanded the abolition of all women’s events. The USA were in favour of the continuation of the women’s track and field but demanded the eradication of the 800-metre race. The majority of nations sided with this. So, the final decision was to do away with the 800 metres but to increase the number of women’s events from five to six: the 80 m hurdles and the javelin throw were thus added to the program.
The (below the belt) arguments for eliminating the 800-meter from women’s competition were based on shaky scientific reasoning: the 800-meter was too hard for women, and women’s reproductive capability would be impaired by such “terrible exhaustion". So, the event should be erased from the Olympic program. All parties continued to believe and promote mythology about women’s frailty.
Three years later, at the Olympic Congress of 1931, the new IOC President Count Henri Baillet-Latour called again for the abolition of women’s athletics. However the US representatives demanded the inclusion of women’s track and field for the Los Angeles Games and carried the vote.
The program of 6 events remained unchanged till 1948 where the 200 m, the long jump and the shot put were added. It was not until 1960 that the 800 m did return to the olympic program. All in all, the events of 1928 managed to slow down the development of women's endurance running for more than three decades. A pure shame.
PS. While doing research for some future article I ran accross a reference to an article by A. DeFrantz where she tells the story of the 1904 men’s 800 m track event in Saint Louis. Two men truly collapsed on the track: one had to be carried to his training quarters and stimulants had to be administered to revive the other. And, of course, nobody suggested that men's 800 m should be eliminated form the olympic program.
Thanks Vasilis! The history of women in the Olympics is fascinating! 100 years later women wish to compete in decathlons instead of heptathlons so progress continues! My grandfather Bevil Rudd won gold silver and bronze in 1920 for South Africa. Family legend had it that his younger sister Mona was faster than he was (although there is limited evidence to support this claim!). Since this is the centenary year of his Olympic achievements we are looking for ways to celebrate. The Achilles Club that organises all Oxford and Cambridge Athletics competitions has proposed an inaugural decathlon event for women in August 2020.
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