Summary of Notable Early Women Olympians

Overview of Notable Early Women Olympians

This episode of Stuff You Missed in History Class (iHeartPodcasts) surveys the contested early history of women in the modern Olympic Games. It contrasts Pierre de Coubertin’s outspoken opposition to female athletes with the stories of three key figures who either broke ground or fought for women’s inclusion: Hélène de Pourtalès (sailing, 1900), Helen Preece (teen equestrian who attempted to enter the 1912 pentathlon), and Alice Milliat (organizer and activist who founded the FSFI and the Women’s World Games).

Key takeaways

• The 1900 Paris Olympics were chaotic and confusing (held alongside the Exposition Universelle), which complicates records and attribution of “firsts.”
• Women were formally allowed to participate in 1900, but only in five sports: croquet, equestrianism, golf, sailing, and tennis.
• Hélène de Pourtalès (born Hélène Barbey) is widely regarded as the first woman to win an Olympic gold (sailing, 1900), though the yachting events’ format, prizes, and records are disputed.
• Helen Preece, a talented teenage British equestrian, tried to enter the inaugural modern pentathlon (1912). Her application provoked debate and was blocked—triggering public discussion and revealing institutional sexism.
• Pierre de Coubertin, the IOC’s influential founder, publicly opposed women’s participation, calling women’s athletics “impractical, uninteresting, ungainly, and improper” and arguing the Games should celebrate male athleticism.
• Alice Milliat turned opposition into organizing: she founded the Fédération Sportive Féminine Internationale (FSFI), staged the Women’s Olympic Games/Women’s World Games (starting 1922), and pressured international bodies to recognize women’s events—helping force gradual Olympic inclusion of women’s track and field.
• The struggle to fully integrate women into the Olympics was prolonged and political; incremental victories (e.g., partial inclusion in 1928) were hard-won and often unsatisfactory, prompting parallel women’s events and continued advocacy.

Profiles: the people the episode focuses on

Hélène de Pourtalès (née Barbey) — sailing, 1900

• Born in New York City (1868) to a wealthy transatlantic family; lived in Geneva.
• Married into the Pourtalès family and regularly competed in regattas.
• Crewed on La Liberté/other yacht entries (historical sources vary) and sailed for Switzerland in the 1900 Games; part of a team that won in the one–two ton class.
• Because of the disorganized nature of the 1900 events, later reporting confusion, and the fact she competed as part of a crew, Charlotte Cooper was long cited as “first female Olympic champion” until historians clarified Pourtalès’s earlier victory.
• Died in Geneva in 1945.

Helen Preece — teenage equestrian denied entry to the 1912 pentathlon

• Born 1895 in London; an accomplished horsewoman from early childhood who also competed in lacrosse, swimming, and fencing.
• In 1912 attempted to enter the newly created modern pentathlon (events: fencing, shooting, swimming, cross-country running, equestrian jumping).
• Her application exposed an ambiguous process (no national pentathlon committee in Britain, open entries) and led to consultation with the Swedish organizers and Coubertin. Ultimately she was barred after a committee vote.
• The episode frames her story as emblematic of young women pressing boundaries and the paternalistic, exclusionary responses they encountered.
• She continued a long life in the equestrian world, later relocating to the U.S. and remaining active in riding schools and competitions.

Alice Milliat — organizer and activist for women’s sport (FSFI)

• Born Alice Milliat in Nantes (1884); worked in London and became involved in multiple sports including rowing.
• Cofounded national and international women’s sport organizations; in 1921 founded the Fédération Sportive Féminine Internationale (FSFI).
• Created the Women’s Olympic Games (1922) — later called the Women’s World Games — to give women an international competitive stage when IOC/IAAF refused to include them fully.
• The 1922 Paris event drew 20,000 spectators; subsequent Women’s World Games (1926, 1930, 1934) continued to grow and pressured international bodies.
• After protracted negotiations and standoffs, the IOC/IAAF agreed to expand women’s Olympic events (with caveats and partial measures). Milliat’s activism is credited with forcing institutional change and recognition of women’s records.
• Milliat died in 1957. Her legacy lives on in organizations and memorials (e.g., Alice Milliat Association, tributes during the Paris Olympics).

Pierre de Coubertin’s stance (summary + notable quotes)

• Coubertin is presented as a major institutional blocker of women’s Olympic participation despite his rhetoric about equality in other areas.
• Notable quotations from his 1912 essay Les Femmes aux Jeux Olympiques (excerpted in the episode):
  • He called women’s athletics “impractical, uninteresting, ungainly, and improper.”
  • He stated that women’s competitions would dilute the Games’ purpose to raise athletic records (Sidious—“faster, higher, stronger”) and argued women would never match men in sport.
  • He proposed, cynically, that if women were to compete, it would be a “little female Olympiad alongside the great male Olympiad,” which he found unappealing and impractical.
• The episode critiques attempts to “rehabilitate” Coubertin’s reputation, noting these statements are plainly sexist and consequential.

Context: the messy 1900 Paris Olympics

• The 1900 Games ran as part of the Exposition Universelle in Paris; many events were poorly documented, had cash prizes, and participants sometimes didn’t know they were doing “Olympic” events.
• Conflicting contemporary sources (e.g., Yachting World reporting wildly different boat counts) create ongoing historical ambiguity about winners and official status.
• These ambiguities complicate the question of who was the “first” female Olympic champion and how to treat early women’s events.

Timeline (high-level)

• 1900 — Women allowed in five Olympic sports; Hélène de Pourtalès competes (sailing).
• 1912 — Helen Preece attempts to enter pentathlon; barred; Coubertin publishes anti-women essay.
• 1921–1922 — Milliat founds FSFI; first Women’s Olympic Games/Women’s World Games held in Paris (1922).
• 1926–1934 — Women’s World Games grow; IOC/IAAF negotiations produce partial Olympic inclusion (women’s track & field included experimentally in 1928).
• 1935 — Continued negotiations and concessions; incremental integration continues; Milliat’s pressure contributes to eventual change.
• 2016 onward — Milliat’s legacy recognized via associations and commemorations; Milliat honored during Paris 2024 Olympics celebrations.

Legacy and relevance

• Early women athletes and organizers overcame institutional sexism, confusion, and active resistance to create international opportunities for female competitors.
• Alice Milliat’s model (create parallel institutions, build spectator interest, force negotiations) is a notable blueprint for advocacy when established bodies resist inclusion.
• The episode underscores that Olympic “firsts” can be contested and that historical records often reflect contemporary biases and organizational chaos.

Corrections / historical clarifications (important)

• The transcript contains several name and spelling inconsistencies. Key corrected names:
  • Hélène de Pourtalès (born Hélène Barbey) — correct spelling and commonly accepted name for the 1900 Swiss sailing competitor.
  • Alice Milliat — correct spelling of the French organizer’s name (often misspelled in sources/transcripts).
  • Helen Preece — the British equestrian who sought entry to the 1912 pentathlon.
• The 1900 yachting events and their classification (medals vs. cash prizes, number of races, exact participant counts) remain debated among historians.

Notable quotes from the episode

• From Coubertin’s 1912 essay (summarized/paraphrased): women’s athletics are “impractical, uninteresting, ungainly, and improper” and the Games should remain centered on “the solemn and periodic exaltation of male athleticism.”
• From Alice Milliat (on sport and voting/equality): women must fight for voting rights and space to make their needs publicly felt if they are to keep pace with other nations in women’s sport.

Where to learn more / next steps

• Read primary sources: Coubertin’s Les Femmes aux Jeux Olympiques (1912) to see his statements in context.
• Research Hélène de Pourtalès, Helen Preece, and Alice Milliat individually (biographies, FSFI histories).
• Look into scholarly work on the 1900 Paris Olympics (its connection to the Exposition Universelle) for deeper context on why records are inconsistent.
• For listeners: the episode references related Stuff You Missed episodes and archival coverage of the early Olympics if you want a deeper dive.

(Production notes: the episode includes sponsor reads and listener mail; the hosts emphasize how these stories connect to broader social and political fights for gender equality.)