Alice Milliat: Breaking Olympic Barriers

⏱️ 16 min read             

Don’t know about you but I love untold stories of history's trailblazers, and do I have one for you. This is the remarkable journey of Alice Milliat, the woman who defied the odds and challenged the world to include female athletes in the Olympics. I’ll share her fight for equality, a century-long struggle finally gaining the recognition it deserves. She was way ahead of her time. Yes, she was woman, and she had a roar!

Welcome to That's Life, I Swear.  This podcast is about life's happenings in this world that conjure up such words as intriguing, frightening, life-changing, inspiring, and more. I'm Rick Barron your host. 

That said, here's the rest of this story  

It's 1922, and you’re in Paris, two years before the City of Light would host the official Olympics, and a revolutionary event unfolds at Pershing Stadium. On a sun-drenched August day, 20,000 spectators gather, their eyes fixed on 77 remarkable athletes poised to make history.

It turns out that all of the athletes were women, and this was no ordinary sporting event.

Alice Milliat. Courtesy of New York Times

At the helm of this event stood Alice Milliat, a 38-year-old visionary who dared challenge the status quo.

With a voice that carried across the stadium, Milliat declared, "I hereby open the first female Olympic Games." Her words, a battle cry for equality, rang out in defiance of a male-dominated sporting world that laughed at the very idea of women in the Olympics, let alone sports competition.

This wasn't just a track and field event; it was a revolution in motion. Every single competitor was a woman, each stride on the track was a step towards a future where athletic courage knew no gender.

While the official Olympic organizers, busy planning their 1924 Paris Games, grumbled about Milliat's audacious use of their term, ‘The Olympics’, they failed to grasp the moment's significance. Their dismissal of women in sports was about to be hurled back at them like a javelin, piercing through decades of discrimination.

Milliat's brainchild, the International Women's Sports Federation, just lit a torch that will burn bright for generations to come. As the crowd roared and records fall, a new chapter in sports history was written, one that refused to be a footnote in history or forgotten.

When the Summer Olympics started in Paris of1924, the gender disparity was quite stark. Of 3,089 competitors, only 135 were women, a token presence in a male-dominated arena. The Games reluctantly allowed female participation in several events, primarily swimming and tennis. However, the doors remained firmly shut for women in most disciplines, including track and field, soccer, rowing, cycling, and surprisingly, even gymnastics.

The sentiment behind this exclusion was embodied by Pierre de Coubertin, the architect of the modern Olympics. His views on women in sports were as immovable as ancient stone. In 1912, he didn't mince words, and I quote: "Having women in the Olympics is impractical, uninteresting, ungainly and, I do not hesitate to add, improper." End quote

Pierre de Coubertin. Courtesy of Telesurtv

This resistance to change persisted until Pierre’s death in 1937.

Fast forward to 2024, and Alice Milliat's vision is finally becoming reality. The Paris Olympics made history with an unprecedented gender balance - equal numbers of male and female athletes competing side by side.

Milliat's, legacy is experiencing a long-overdue renaissance a century after the last Paris Games. She's emerging as the Billie Jean King of her era, a trailblazer whose story is only now being fully told. 

Book author, Sophie Danger, expressed, and I quote:  “That women can participate in sports is largely thanks to her; that there are women in the Olympics is thanks to her”, end quote.

Sophie is the author of a new book, “Alice Milliat: The Olympic Woman,” available, for now, only in French. For Sophie she expresses her admiration for Alice when she said, “Every time I put on my sneakers I think of this woman.”

Sophie called out that Milliat's accomplishments for women's sport are somewhat bittersweet to this recognition. Among the 5,000-plus women who competed in Paris, fair to say not too many know Milliat's name? As Danger observed, "She remains on the fringe of the Olympic movement. The battle continues."

Indeed, parity doesn't automatically equate to equality.  Filmmaker Anne-Cécile Genre, creator of "Alice Milliat: Les Incorrectes" (or "The Unsuitables" in English), draws a broader parallel: "Milliat's fight was about women controlling their own bodies - how they move, how they dress. It's a universal struggle that continues globally today."

This narrative serves as a reminder that while we've come far, the journey toward true equality in sports is far from over. Milliat's story isn't just about athletics; it's about women's autonomy and freedom, themes that resonate just as strongly in our modern world.

A Trailblazer's Journey: From London to the Fields of Change

At the age of18, Alice Milliat left France for London, unknowingly embarking on a path that would reshape the world of sports. As a young bride working as a nanny and stenographer, she discovered a world where women's athletic pursuits weren't mere fantasies. Rowing and other sports, alien concepts for women back in France, became her passion.

Fate dealt Milliat a cruel hand when her husband's untimely death left her a childless widow. Returning to Paris during the uproar of World War I, she found herself at the cusp of an expanding feminist movement. As men marched off to war, women stepped into workplaces - and onto playing fields and gymnasiums.

1915 marked a turning point. Milliat ascended to the presidency of a local women's sports club, and by 1917, she had co-founded a national federation. Her rallying cry? "Women's sport has its place in social life the same way as men's sport."

Meanwhile, the Olympic movement, led by Pierre de Coubertin, remained strongly resistant to change. He envisioned the Olympics as a celebration of male athletes, famously declaring in 1912, and I quote:  "We must continue to strive for the solemn and periodic exaltation of male athletes, based on internationalism, fairness, and artistic setting, with the applause of women as a reward." End quote

Milliat's Vision: Pushing Boundaries, Breaking Barriers

Alice Milliat, envisioned a sporting world where gender didn't dictate opportunity. Her audacious goal? To see women compete in every event men did, from the rough-and-tumble of rugby to the finesse of soccer. But she knew change needed a strategic approach.

Track and field became her chosen battleground. Its glamour and ancient Olympic roots made it the perfect stage for her revolution. Yet, she hit a wall of rejection when she approached Coubertin's all-male Olympic committee with her proposal for the 1920 Belgium Games. The push back didn’t stop, Milliat, and she pressed on.

Milliat's next bold move was when she founded the International Women's Sports Federation, on October 31, 1921; a groundbreaking organization that united national federations under one banner. This wasn't just about competition; it was about setting standards, keeping records, and most importantly, putting women at the helm.

With Milliat as president, the federation became a hub of activity. A new era in women's sports began to take shape. This wasn't just an organization; it was the blueprint for a revolution.

Milliat's Media Masterclass: Crafting a New Narrative

Alice Milliat was more than an athlete or organizer - she was a savvy media strategist. Recognizing the power of the press, she cultivated relationships with newspapers, particularly in France, ensuring regular coverage of women's sports. Her crowning achievement? A women's soccer match in Manchester, England, in 1920 that drew an astounding 25,000 spectators, proving that women's sports could command attention and fill stadiums.

Then she set her sights on the Olympics. And she would use that word for her event, scheduled every four years between the cycles of Coubertin’s mostly male Olympic Games.

“To her, ‘Olympics’ was just a vocabulary word,” Sophie Danger said. “She was intelligent and funny. She said if they don’t grant our request to join the Olympic Games, we will continue to organize our own.”

At the 1926 International Women's Sports Federation meeting, Milliat addressed the "women's issue" head-on. The federation's report from that meeting reads like a manifesto: "Participation in the Olympic Games can only be understood if it is total. Women's sport has proven itself and should not serve as an experiment for the Olympic Committee. Such limited participation cannot serve the propaganda of women's sports."

In essence, Milliat was saying: all or nothing. Women athletes weren't asking for token inclusion or to be test subjects. They demanded full recognition of their abilities and achievements. This wasn't just about sports - it was a bold statement about women's place in society at large.

A Pyrrhic Victory: The Double-Edged Sword of Olympic Inclusion

In a calculated compromise, Milliat agreed to abandon the term "Olympics" in exchange for women's inclusion in track and field events at the Games. The 1928 Amsterdam Olympics marked a watershed moment - women's athletics debuted globally. Yet, it was a bittersweet victory. Milliat's vision of ten events was whittled down to just five, and she found herself the lone female judge in a sea of men.

The 800-meter race became the flashpoint of controversy. As the first three finishers shattered the world record, several competitors collapsed at the finish line - a common sight in grueling races. However, the media's reaction exposed the deep-seated biases of the time. Sportswriters criticized the scene as disturbing, arguing that such exertion was beyond a woman's capacity. This myopic view led to the 800 meter event, to go on a 32-year Olympic hiatus, from 1932 to 1956, and not returning until 1960.

Women competing in the 100 yard dash at the 1920 Summer Olympic Games. Courtesy of: New York Times

Sophie Danger observed: "It was not a scandal for men to do the same thing. But it was a scandal for women." This double standard epitomized the uphill battle Milliat and her contemporaries faced.

The backlash was swift and harsh. Milliat, found herself the target of ridicule in newspapers and editorial cartoons. Yet, she remained persistent.

Refusing to be silenced, Milliat continued to organize all-female games. Gothenburg in 1926, Prague in 1930, and London in 1934 saw these events grow, with the London games boasting over 300 participants. Officially dubbed the Women's World Games, some media outlets, including The New York Times, occasionally referred to them as the Women's Olympic Games - a subtle nod to Milliat's original vision.

The Ebb and Flow of Progress: Women's Sports in Turbulent Times

As the 1930s unfolded, the tide of the feminist momentum that had propelled women's sports forward began to recede. The global stage was set for much darker events: 

·       economic depression gripped nations worldwide 

·       the ominous drums of another world war began to beat 

·       The Olympic flame, once a beacon of hope, was extinguished for 1940 and 1944

In this climate of uncertainty, the landscape of women's sports shifted. While somewhat more inclusive, international federations remained bastions of male authority, the very scenario Milliat had warned against. The precariousness of women's place in sports was laid bare in 1934 when the International Olympic Committee contemplated eliminating women from the program. By the narrowest of margins - a 10 to 9 vote - women clung to their hard-won, albeit limited, Olympic presence.

The road to parity proved to be a marathon, not a sprint. The Rome Olympics of 1960 painted a stark picture: a mere one in ten athletes was female. Even as late as 1984, women comprised less than a quarter of the Olympic teams in Los Angeles. It wasn't until the 2008 Beijing Games that female participation reached 40 percent.

This slow march towards equality serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring obstacles faced by women in sports, and to this day still face adversity.

The Olympic Equity Paradox: Progress and Persistence

In recent years, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has brandished equity as its new standard-bearer. Yet, the playing field remains uneven. The 2024 Paris Games offer a mixed bag of progress and lingering disparities. While the 50-kilometer race walk - long considered a male bastion - has given way to a mixed relay, women are still confined to the seven-event heptathlon, denied the opportunity to tackle the more comprehensive ten-event decathlon.

After resigning from her position, Milliat watched as the International Women's Sports Federation she had built faded into obscurity. Her passing in 1957 went largely unnoticed, her revolutionary contributions to sports unknown even to her neighbors.

This narrative of progress, punctuated by persistent inequalities and fading memories, underscores the ongoing need for vigilance and advocacy in women's sports. It serves as a call to honor the legacy of trailblazers like Milliat, by continuing to push for true equity in all aspects of athletics.

Milliat's Renaissance: A Beacon for Ongoing Battles

In honor of the work she accomplished to get women the justice they deserved, The Alice Milliat Foundation, was established in France in 2016, which is a testament to her enduring influence on women's sports. 

While progress has been made, and Milliat would likely be proud, we must look beyond the athletes. The coaches, judges, and federation leaders remain predominantly male. True equality encompasses more than just participation numbers.

The struggle for equity in sports continues to evolve. Women across the globe still struggle with issues of access, fair compensation, and even the right to choose their athletic attire. These ongoing battles echo Milliat's own fights from a century ago, underscoring the recurring nature of progress and resistance. 

What can we learn from this story? What's the takeaway?

This resurgence of interest in Milliat serves to honor her legacy and inspire and inform current and future generations. It highlights that while significant strides have been made, the path to true equity in sports remains a marathon, not a sprint. 

Well, there you go, my friends; that's life, I swear

For further information regarding the material covered in this episode, I invite you to visit my website, which you can find on Apple Podcasts/iTunes for show notes and the episode transcript.

As always, I thank you for the privilege of you listening and your interest. 

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