The 1923 WAAA Championships were the first national

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

championships for

women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or Adolescence, adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female hum ...

in the UK. The tournament was held on 18 August 1923 at the Oxo Sport Grounds in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

Background

After the successful first

1922 Women's World Games The 1922 Women's World Games (French Jeux Olympiques Féminins, also "Women’s Olympic Games") were the first regular international Women's World Games and the first Track and field competitions for women. The tournament was held on a sing ...

in Paris and the three Women's Olympiads (

1921 Women's Olympiad The 1921 Women's Olympiad and was the first international women's sports event, a 5-day multi-sport event organised by Alice Milliat and held on 24–31 March 1921 in Monte Carlo at the International Sporting Club of Monaco. The tourname ...

, 1922 Women's Olympiad and 1923 Women's World Games) in Monaco the interest for

women's sports The participation of women and girls in sports, physical fitness and exercise, has been recorded to have existed throughout history. However, participation rates and activities vary in accordance with nation, era, geography, and stage of econ ...

also grew internationally. In

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

the "

Women's Amateur Athletic Association The Amateur Athletic Association of England or AAA (pronounced 'three As') is the oldest national governing body for athletics in the world, having been established on 24 April 1880. Historically it effectively oversaw athletics throughout Britai ...

" (WAAA) was founded in the UK, that year several ”national” women’s track meet were held. In 1923 the WAAA now organised the first official British women championships in track and field (WAAA Championships). In the US the "

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

" (AAU) sponsored the first national championship for women in track and field on 29 September 1923.

Events

The meet was held on 18 August at the Oxo Sport Grounds in Downham,

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, c ...

South London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the boroughs, in whole or in part, of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Southwark, Sut ...

. The athletes competed in 11 events:

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This i ...

100 yards, 220 yards, 440 yards, 880 yards,

relay race A relay race is a racing competition where members of a team take turns completing parts of racecourse or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games. Relay races are common in running, oriente ...

660 yards,

hurdling Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...

120 yards,

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a ...

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's c ...

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with the ...

and track walk 880 yards. 3 unofficial world records were set: Mary Lines in running 440 yards and hurdles 120 yards and Edith Trickey i track walk 880 yards. The tournament was a huge promotion for women's sports.

Results

Athletic News, Monday 20 August 1923 Many of the participating athletes also competed in the

1924 Women's Olympiad The 1924 Women's Olympiad (formally called ''Women's International and British Games'', French ''Grand meeting international féminin'') was the first international competition for women in track and field in the United Kingdom. The tournamen ...

at Stamford Bridge.

References

External links

WAAA Championships Medallists (National Union of Track Statisticians)

picture Oxo Sport Grounds (Runner 500)

picture Polytechnic Ladies Athletic Club (Runner 500)

"The Official History of The Women's Amateur Athletic Association", Mel Watman, 2012, SportsBooks Ltd
() {{1923 in athletics WAAA Championships WAAA Championships, 1923 WAAA Championships WAAA Championships WAAA Championships WAAA Championships Sport in the London Borough of Bromley Athletics competitions in England