Track and Field began as a sport for men and opened to women only slowly and reluctantly, its narrow scope limited by social conventions and educational norms. The “image of women” in the early years of the sport was clearly defined by a strong European cultural influence, the tiorms and characteristics of which were defined, as they still are in some areas of the world today, by men.
Exertion and strength were seen as domains preserved for men. Social expectations, especially for the upper and middle (bourgeois) classes, were that physical activities for women would conform to aesthetic norms if they were not to be avoided altogether. Women belonging to the lower social classes had always proved capable of hard physical activity but, as sport was an activity for people who enjoyed leisure time, they were not often able to participate.
Another important influence on the question of the participation of women in athletics in the early years of the sport was exerted by physicians. Forbearance and limitation were their slogans restricting sports for women.
In addition to the early sociocultural and medical restrictions on the participation of women in athletics, the responsibility for the organization of the sport all over the world was at that time exclusively in the hands of men. Because these men saw no reason to go against social convention and the IOC felt committed to the principles held by Baron de Coubertin against women in sport, there was originally no place for women in the Olympic Games.
For this reason the IAAF, founded in 1912, did not feel inclined to comply with requests from women for participation in athletic competions. Because of this competition opportunities for women, especially on an international level, were all but non- existent.
In 1921, a courageous French woman, Madame Mille, founded the International Women’s Sports Federation (FSFI) thus setting up the Iramework for international competition. She organized the “Olympiad for Women” and “Women’s World Games” in 1922 and 1923. Responding to this initiative, the IAAF was then able to support the requests of the sportswomen. Two years later, five athletic events tor women were included in the programme of the Olympic Games of 1928.
Although women had been participating in competitions from time to time, regular engagement in competitive sport, including athletics, followed the opening of international opportunities and began in earnest in the 1930’s and, after a compulsory interval caused by the Second World War, even more vigorously in the fifties. This development was doubtlessly influenced by the fact that women had proven their performance and working capacities in professional as well as family life during the hard years of war. This is one reason for the accelerated development of women’s athletics in Europe. In the following decades, women’s athletics were dominated by Europeans, North Americans and Australians.
IAAF Women’s Committee
The IAAF Women’s Committee was formed in 1983 with the aim of spreading the development of women’s athletics across the World. In the early 1980’s, the committee put forward suggestions to the IAAF of what was needed in order to increase the number of women participating in the sport – with the number one goal of creating a workforce of female coaches:
“The Women’s Committee would like to suggest that in order to increase the credibility of IAAF support for women’s athletics in the developing countries, it is indispensable to set up an obligatory quota for the participation of women in short term courses, officiating courses, diploma courses, etc. This is the only way to assure their participation.
In addition, we would like to emphasise again our request to include the special topics which refer to women’s athletics in the curricula of coaching courses for both men and women. Furthermore, it would seem to be desirable t0 have qualified women as lecturers for courses and seminars.”
In the most recent IAAF Council Meeting held just before the start of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in London 2017, it was agreed that the IAAF Women’s Committee would take the development of women as leaders further by establishing specific development programmes:
“The Council approved a recommendation of the committee to establish IAAF Development Scholarships for women which will be funded by the IAAF. This is an opportunity for women’s leadership development across the sport with representatives from each of the six areas attending the biennial IAAF Congress, Convention and World Championships. A pilot scholarship programme is already underway in London.”
Current IAAF Women’s Committee Members
CHAIRPERSON
- Anne PHILLIPS
USA
MEMBERS
- FATMA ABDALLA ALI
KEN - Kajsa BERGQVIST
SWE - Maria Caridad COLON RUENES
CUB - Myrta DOLDAN
PAR - Esther FITTKO
GER - Jakob LARSEN
DEN - Tatiana LEBEDEVA
RUS - Dennis MARSHALL
BAH - Annette PURVIS
NZL - Kelly SOTHERTON
GBR - Nan WANG
CHN - Maria WOPHILL
NGR
HONORARY CHAIRPERSON
- Ilse BECHTHOLD GER
