The 1923 Women's Olympiad (, and ) was the fourth international event in

women's sports Women and girls have participated in sports, physical fitness, and exercise throughout history. However, the extent of their involvement has varied depending on factors such as country, time, geographical location, and level of economic develo ...

, the tournament was held 4 to 7 April 1923 in

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

. The tournament was formally called "''Les Jeux Athlétiques Féminins à Monté Carlo''". The games were a runner-up to the

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 ...

and

1922 Women's Olympiad The 1922 Women's Olympiad ( and ) was the secondmulti-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of intern ...

was as previous years organised by Fédération des Sociétés Féminines Sportives de France (FSFSF) under chairwoman

Alice Milliat Alice Joséphine Marie Milliat née Million (5 May 1884 – 19 May 1957) was a pioneer of women's sport. Her lobbying on behalf of female athletes led to the accelerated inclusion of more women's events in the Olympic Games. A member of Fémi ...

and

Camille Blanc Camille Blanc (; March 29, 1847, in Paris – December 21, 1927) was a French municipal leader, with many interests in Monaco. From 1904 to 1925, he was founding mayor of Beausoleil, a town adjacent to Monte Carlo, which had previously formed pa ...

, director of the "International Sporting Club de Monaco" as a response to the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

(IOC) decision not to include women's events in the 1924 Olympic Games. The games were attended by participants from 8 nations: Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Italy, Monaco, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The tournament was a huge promotion for women's sports. The athletes competed in 11 events: running (

60 metres 60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At indoor events, the 60 metres is run on lanes set out in the mi ...

, 250 metres, 800 metres, 4 x 75 metres relay, 4 x 175 metres relay and hurdling 65 metres),

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 gr ...

javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon. Today, the javelin is predominantly used for sporting purposes such as the javelin throw. The javelin is nearly always thrown by hand, unlike the sling ...

shot put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...

and

Athletics pentathlon In the sport of athletics, pentathlons have taken various forms over the history of the sport, typically incorporating five track and field events. The only version of the event to remain at a high level of contemporary competition is the women' ...

. The tournament also held exhibition events in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

and

rhythmic gymnastics Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop (rhythmic gymnastics), hoop, ball (rhythmic gymnastics), ball, Clubs (rhythmic gymnastics), clubs, ribbon (rhythmic gymnastics), ...

. The tournament was held at the "Tir aux Pigeons" in the gardens Les jardins du Casino of the

Monte Carlo Casino The Monte Carlo Casino, officially named Casino de Monte-Carlo, is a gambling and entertainment complex located in Monaco. It includes a casino, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, and the office of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo. The Casino de Monte-Carlo ...

in the ward of Monte Carlo. Among the spectators were Prince Louis II,

Princess Charlotte Princess Charlotte may refer to: People * Charlotte of the United Kingdom (disambiguation), various princesses ** Princess Charlotte of Wales (born 2015), granddaughter of King Charles III and only daughter of William, Prince of Wales * Charlott ...

and Prince Pierre. Prior to the tournament a gymnastics event ("La Quatrième Fête Fédérale de Gymnastique et d'Éducation Physique Féminines" in the ward of Fontvieille with about 1200 participants from 71 gymnastic clubs (this event is sometimes confused with the athletic event).

Results

Almost all medals went to athletes from France and the United Kingdom, medalists for each event: * Each athlete in the shot put and javelin throw events threw using their right hand, then their left. Their final mark was the total of the best mark with their right-handed throw and the best mark with their left-handed throw. Sophie Eliott-Lynn later also competed at the

1926 Women's World Games The 1926 Women's World Games (Swedish II. Internationella kvinnliga idrottsspelen, French 2èmes jeux féminins mondiaux ) were the second regular international Women's World Games, the tournament was held between 27

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

where she finished fourth in the javelin event. Marie Janderová competed in the javelin event, her result of 25,50 metres was a

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

, however she finished fifth in the totals with 42,11 metres. World record holder in 800 metres Georgette Lenoir and world record holder in shot put

Violette Morris Violette Morris (18 April 1893 – 26 April 1944) was a French athlete and Nazi collaborator who won two gold and one silver medal at the Women's World Games in 1921–1922. She was later banned from competing for violating "moral standards". ...

also competed at the games but without gaining any medals. The basketball tournament was won by Team France after a win in the final against Team England with 19-1. A special commemorative medal was issued for the participants.

Legacy

The tournament was a huge promotion for women's sports. However it was the last of three

Women's Olympiad The Women's World Games were the first international women's sports events in track and field. The games were held four times between 1922 and 1934. They were established by Alice Milliat and the Fédération Sportive Féminine Internationale ( ...

s. The event continued as

Women's World Games The Women's World Games were the first international women's sports events in track and field. The games were held four times between 1922 and 1934. They were established by Alice Milliat and the Fédération Sportive Féminine Internationale ...

with the first event already being held in Paris in 1922.

References

External links

picture high jump Ivy Lowman (L'Équipe.fr)

picture running event (L'Équipe.fr)

picture hurdles event (Getty Images)

newspaper Le Petit Journal Illustré cover (22 April 1923)

newspaper Le Petit Journal Illustré in french (22 April 1923) (Bibliothèque nationale de France – BnF)

pictures (Národní muzeum Česka /National museum Czech Republic)

film gymnastics event (British Pathé)

film gymnastics event (YouTube)

Participation medal
{{1923 in athletics Women's World Games International sports competitions hosted by Monaco 1923 in multi-sport events 1923 in sports 1923 in Monaco Multi-sport events in Monaco 1923 in women's sport

Women's sport in Monaco