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This week in Olympic history: 13-19 May - Women's Olympic debut at Paris 1900

Olympics.com explores the week in Olympic sports history, highlighting Olympians' birthdays and notable sporting events from 13-19 May.

4 minBy Ontiou Dasylva
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(CIO)

Welcome to This Week in Olympic Sports History, where Olympics.com remembers the most significant sports events of the past. This week, we'll cover May 13-19.

On this day - 14 May 1900: Women's Olympic debut at Paris 1900

On 14 May 1900, the Olympic Games opened in Paris, marking the transition to the 20th century. Unlike today's elaborate ceremonies, this event had no formal Opening Ceremony. The Games were part of the Universal Exhibition, a vast fair celebrating modernism that began on the same day.

Nevertheless, the Paris 1900 Olympics were notable for their innovative aspects. These Games were the second of the modern era, following the inaugural Athens 1896 edition. What set the Paris Games apart was the inclusion of women's competitions, marking their debut on the Olympic stage.

Hélène de Pourtalès: First female Olympic champion

In 1900, 22 women made history by competing at the Olympic Games for the first time. Despite the limited opportunities, women competed in five events at the Paris 1900 Games: tennis, sailing, croquet, equestrianism, and golf.

Helene de Pourtales, a Swiss-American countess, became the first female Olympic champion by winning a sailing event aboard the yacht Lérina. Another milestone was achieved when Great Britain's Charlotte Cooper became the first female individual champion in Olympic history by winning the tennis competition.

Following a steady increase over the years, Paris 2024 is set to make Olympic history by achieving full gender parity on the field of play for the first time, with 5,250 athletes of each gender participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Notable Olympic birthdays: May 13-19

Quote of the week - Olga Korbut

Don't be discouraged by initial difficulties. That's just the first step. What matters is not giving up; you must conquer yourself.

Born on 16 May 1955, Olga Korbut has always embraced challenges fearlessly. The Soviet sensation made history as the first gymnast to execute a backflip to catch on the uneven bars, a move now famously known as the Korbut Flip.

At the Olympic Games Munich 1972, at just 17 years old, she captured the attention of the world with her bold and captivating performances. With the Soviet team, she earned two gold medals in the balance beam and floor exercise, one silver medal in the uneven parallel bars, and a gold medal.

She continued to achieve success at the Olympic Games Montreal 1976, where she secured a team gold medal and an individual silver in the balance beam event.

After graduating from the Grodno Pedagogical Institute in 1977, she became a teacher and retired from gymnastics competition. Later, she moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where she became the head coach for Scottsdale Gymnastics and Cheerleading.

Make sure to check back on Olympics.com next week for more sports and Olympic history.

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