Women’s Firsts in the 2012 Olympics

So as many of you may know, there has been an ongoing struggle for equality with women and sports for the longest time.  Today, finally after so many years, things are pretty equal.  Unfortunately, there is still a struggle for complete equality that goes on. There was a triumphant revival to the modern-day Olympics in 1896 when it was declared, “All sports must be treated on the basis of equality.” The reason given as to why women weren’t allowed to compete in the first Olympic Games was that allowing women is “impractical, uninteresting, unaesthetic and incorrect." I guess they didn’t mean equality equality. Even the ancient Olympic Games added the Heraea Games  in 6 BC for women athletes to compete in honor of the goddess Hera. This is not to say that the ancient Games were equal, but did we really have to start from scratch 2,300 years later?

Women were first allowed to compete in the 1900 Olympic Games in tennis and golf wearing long gowns. They wore long, wool garments when they were allowed to compete in swimming in 1912. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was possibly trying to drown them rather than keep them decent. In 1928, women competed in track and field events for the first time, but because of the "exhausted condition" of some of the women at the end of the 800 meter final, women’s track & field was dropped from the Olympic program until 1960.  God forbid women should breathe hard and sweat at the end of competition.

Women have been tossed sports throughout the years ever since. The latest being: the introduction of women’s shooting events and the marathon in 1984, and then women’s judo in 1992. Women couldn’t compete in Olympic weightlifting or the hammer throw, which is still a sport until 2000. 2012 marks the first year women will compete in boxing at the Olympic level.

As we celebrate the thirtieth Olympic Games, we are still setting significant milestones for women in the Olympics. One hundred and sixteen years after the Games’ modern-day revival, we are still fighting to prove the legitimacy of women as athletes at every level. To our female crossfit kids and young girls out there everywhere, let's fight to prove what amazing athletes and individuals you all are!

Olympic Hopeful?



Warm Up
3 Rounds
5 Pullups
10 Air Squats
100m Run
5 Broad Jumps
10 Dot Jumps
1 Rope Climb


Skill
3 Rounds
5 DB Swings
5 Wall Ball


Test
2 Minutes Max DB Swings


WOD
8 Minute AMRAP
8 DB Swings
8 Wall Ball
8 Burpees