Ancient Greek Women
History of Sport
Tutorial Paper 1: Women and Sport in the Ancient World
Is there evidence of female participation in the ancient Olympic Games?
According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) there have been over 30,923 women participating in the modern Olympic Games over the period of 108 years since the first women participated at the 1900 Paris Olympic Games. At the latest Olympic Games held in Beijing, out of the 11,196 total athletes, 4,746 were women that were involved at the Games. Although female participation has grown, the number of female athletes is still less than half of those participating. Women are still fighting stereotypes that began with the Olympics in Ancient Greece where women were banned from watching …show more content…
Ancient Greek married women were forbidden to watch or participate in the Olympic Games or they were sentenced to death. There hasn’t been any evidence of women being thrown to death by being caught at the Ancient Games. Today women are competing at the Olympic Games but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Even though women first competed at the Olympic Games in 1900, the number of events were strictly limited to tennis and in 1904 to archery. Slowly the contest open to women increased but for many years the longest running event was the 3,000 metre run and it wasn’t until 1984 that the women’s marathon was introduced at the Games.
I believe that women participating in the Olympic Games has come a long way from Ancient times. Even though the founder of the Modern Olympic Games Pierre de Coubertin disapproved of women participating, unless they could play every sport as well as men, I believe women could have played every sport as well as men if they were given the opportunity. Women should be proud of their achievements and what they have accomplished throughout the Ancient and Modern Olympic …show more content…
Swadding, J, 2002, The Ancient Olympic Games, 2nd edn, University of Texas Press.
Mouratidis, J 1984, ‘Heracles at Olympia and the Exclusion of Women from the Ancient Olympic Games’, Journal of Sports History, vol. 11, winter 1984, viewed 15 March 2010, pp. 41-55, .
Wiedemann, A, n.d, A Princess and a Gold Medalist: Women Olympians can have it all, viewed 15 March 2010,
Pausanias 5. 1-15 2007, Elis, Mythical History, viewed 15 March, 2010,
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[1] Wiedemann, A n.d, A Princess and a Gold Medalist: Women Olympians can have it all, viewed 15 March 2010,
[2] Pausanias 5.6.7
[3] Mouratidis, J 1984, ‘Heracles at Olympia and the Exclusion of Women from the Ancient Olympic Games’, Journal of Sports History, vol. 11, winter 1984, viewed 15 March 2010, pp. 41-55, http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH1984/JSH1103/jsh1103c.pdf
[4] Swadding, J 2000, The Ancient Olympic Game, 2nd edn, University of Texas Press.
[5] Swadding, J 2000, The Ancient Olympic Game, 2nd edn, University of Texas Press
[6] Scanlon, T 2002, Eros and Greek Athletics, Oxford University Press
[7] Swadding, J 2000, The Ancient Olympic Game, 2nd edn, University of Texas
Tutorial Paper 1: Women and Sport in the Ancient World
Is there evidence of female participation in the ancient Olympic Games?
According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) there have been over 30,923 women participating in the modern Olympic Games over the period of 108 years since the first women participated at the 1900 Paris Olympic Games. At the latest Olympic Games held in Beijing, out of the 11,196 total athletes, 4,746 were women that were involved at the Games. Although female participation has grown, the number of female athletes is still less than half of those participating. Women are still fighting stereotypes that began with the Olympics in Ancient Greece where women were banned from watching …show more content…
Ancient Greek married women were forbidden to watch or participate in the Olympic Games or they were sentenced to death. There hasn’t been any evidence of women being thrown to death by being caught at the Ancient Games. Today women are competing at the Olympic Games but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Even though women first competed at the Olympic Games in 1900, the number of events were strictly limited to tennis and in 1904 to archery. Slowly the contest open to women increased but for many years the longest running event was the 3,000 metre run and it wasn’t until 1984 that the women’s marathon was introduced at the Games.
I believe that women participating in the Olympic Games has come a long way from Ancient times. Even though the founder of the Modern Olympic Games Pierre de Coubertin disapproved of women participating, unless they could play every sport as well as men, I believe women could have played every sport as well as men if they were given the opportunity. Women should be proud of their achievements and what they have accomplished throughout the Ancient and Modern Olympic …show more content…
Swadding, J, 2002, The Ancient Olympic Games, 2nd edn, University of Texas Press.
Mouratidis, J 1984, ‘Heracles at Olympia and the Exclusion of Women from the Ancient Olympic Games’, Journal of Sports History, vol. 11, winter 1984, viewed 15 March 2010, pp. 41-55, .
Wiedemann, A, n.d, A Princess and a Gold Medalist: Women Olympians can have it all, viewed 15 March 2010,
Pausanias 5. 1-15 2007, Elis, Mythical History, viewed 15 March, 2010,
-----------------------
[1] Wiedemann, A n.d, A Princess and a Gold Medalist: Women Olympians can have it all, viewed 15 March 2010,
[2] Pausanias 5.6.7
[3] Mouratidis, J 1984, ‘Heracles at Olympia and the Exclusion of Women from the Ancient Olympic Games’, Journal of Sports History, vol. 11, winter 1984, viewed 15 March 2010, pp. 41-55, http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH1984/JSH1103/jsh1103c.pdf
[4] Swadding, J 2000, The Ancient Olympic Game, 2nd edn, University of Texas Press.
[5] Swadding, J 2000, The Ancient Olympic Game, 2nd edn, University of Texas Press
[6] Scanlon, T 2002, Eros and Greek Athletics, Oxford University Press
[7] Swadding, J 2000, The Ancient Olympic Game, 2nd edn, University of Texas