Meters Flat one silver medal in the 400-Meters Relay (Williams, 1928; Sheppard, 1928). Since 1928, women's events have been a standard feature of Olympic competition.
There seems to be evidence, then, that women have been urged by various sources to participate in sports in the modern period. But as we shall shortly see, the record of Madame Alice Milliat and the FSFI is rather the exception than the rule. Further, Mitchell's assessment of the history of women's participation in the modern Olympic Games is at variance with certain facts about international attitudes on one hand, and most particularly about American and West European attitudes on the other. Indeed, there is compelling evidence that a myth that sports, particularly competitive sports, should be restricted to male participation has been a feature of the prevailing culture throughout the modern period. Indeed, as a matter of private custom and public policy, long before any civil-rights-related initiatives were undertaken to redress an imbalance in the allocation of resources toward the development of women's athletics, females were actively and programmatically discouraged from participating in athletics, particularly competitive athletics.
One important aspect of this appears to have been a commingling of moral and physical goals and objectives where the participation of women in sport was concerned. A 1909 manual designed for the administration of school sports for girls illustrates part of the problem. On one page, much attention is given to the need to develop something like showmanship and professionalism where pleasing the audience is concerned; starting on time and discipline of the crowd are mentioned as important elements, and "attention to these details" will create "deeper interest in games" and of course "lessens the skepticism with which men regard women's activities--all of the utmost value to the development of a good standard of athletics" (Dudley and...