| Host city | London |
|---|---|
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Dates | 9–11 August 1934 |
| ← 1930 | |
The 1934 Women's World Games (French: 4è Jeux Féminins Mondiaux) were the fourth edition of the international games for women. The tournament was held between 9–11 August at the White City Stadium in London, United Kingdom. These were the last athletic games exclusively for women, a planned fifth tournament for 1938 in Vienna was cancelled as women were allowed to compete in all regular athletics events at the Olympic Games and other international events. The first major tournament were the 1938 European Athletics Championships even though the tournament was split up into two separate events. The 3rd European Athletics Championships in 1946 were the first combined championships for both men and women.
Events
The games were organized by the Fédération Sportive Féminine Internationale under Alice Milliat as a response to the IOC decision to include only a few women's events (100 metres, 800 metres, 4 × 100 m relay, high jump and discus) in the 1928 Olympic Games.
The games were attended by 200 participants from 19 nations (including now dissolved nations): Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Palestine, Poland, Rhodesia, South Africa, Sweden, United States, and Yugoslavia.
The athletes competed in 12 events: running (60 metres, 100 metres, 200 metres, 800 metres, 4 x 100 metres relay and hurdling 80 metres), high jump, long jump, discus throw, javelin, shot put and pentathlon (100 metres, high jump, long jump, javelin and shot put). The tournament also held exhibition events in basketball, handball and football.
The tournament was opened with an olympic style ceremony. The Canadian flag bearer was Lillian Palmer as captain of the Canadian team. The games attended an audience of 15,000 spectators and several world records were set.
The games were the first to include a women's pentathlon.
A special commemorative medal was issued for the participants and the games were closed with a formal banquet.
Medal summary
Another source names Jadwiga Wajs as J Wajsowna, and lists the High Jump winner as M Clark of South Africa. This source also gives the winning 800 metres time as 2:12.4; and the field event measurements in imperial measures (one of which gives rise to a discrepancy), respectively 5'1"; 19'0½", 44'2" (13.46m), 143'8¼", and 139'2¾". It further notes that: World records were set in the 800m, 80m hurdles, shot, discus, and pentathlon; British records in the 100m, 200m, and javelin; Krauß was 2nd (not 3rd) in the discus; that the pentathlon consisted of the 100m, high and long jumps, shot put and javelin; and the home competitors' comparatively poor performances were attributable to them all having competed in the Empire Games earlier that same week.
Also from this same source, it was stated that the Women's World Games incorporated two further championship competitions:
Hazena a fast-moving variant of handball, popular in central Europe, in which Yugoslavia beat Czecho-Slovakia (sic) by 6 goals to 4. (This would appear to be the second World Cup in this sport, in which only these two nations participated).
Basketball France v United States 34-23 points.
The absence of the USA and Yugoslavia from the points table supports the assertion that these (and the untraced football competition) were demonstration events only.
Points table
| Place | Nation | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Germany
|
95 |
| 2 |  Poland
|
33 |
| 3 | United Kingdom
|
31 |
| 4 |  Canada
|
22 |
| 5 |  Czechoslovakia
|
18 |
| 6 |  South Africa
|
14 |
| 7 |  Sweden
|
11 |
| 8 |  Japan
|
10 |
| 9 |  Austria
|
9 |
| 10 |  Netherlands
|
6 |
| 11 |  France
|
2 |
No other competing nation scored any points.
References
- ^ 11 august 1934 Kalenderblatt, Retrieved 10 December 2013
- ^ Rétrospective de l'athlétisme féminin, page 10 Archived 2013-12-10 at the Wayback Machine Sylvain Charlet, Amicale des Entraineurs d'Ile de France d'Athlétisme AEIFA, Retrieved 10 December 2013
- ^ Kidd, Bruce (1994). "The Women's Olympic Games: Important Breakthrough Obscured By Time". CAAWS Action Bulletin. Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
- ^ 11 august 1934 Deutsche Welle, Retrieved 10 December 2013
- ^ Chronique de l'athlétisme féminin Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine NordNet.fr, Retrieved 10 December 2013
- ^ Watman, Mel. "Women athletes between the world wars". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/103699. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ A Right Royal Feast, John Lane, p 122 David & Charles 2011, ISBN 978-1446301616, Retrieved 24 November 2016
- 1934 Women's World Games Intersportstats.com (accessdate 04 July 2021)
- FSFI Women's World Games GBR Athletics, Retrieved 10 December 2013
- "Lillian (Palmer) Alderson". BC Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- Encyclopedia of Sports Games and Pastimes, Fleetway Press, London, 1935, pages 735-736.
- Encyclopedia of Sports Games and Pastimes, Fleetway Press, London, 1935, pages 735-736. Note that this source refers to the United Kingdom as "England", and the Netherlands as "Holland".
External links
- Participation medal
- Film (British Pathé) 1934 Women's World Games
- Picture Grieme Selma at the high jump event
- Menue from the closing banquet
| FSFI Women's World Games | |
|---|---|
| Editions | |
| Related | |
- Women's World Games
- International athletics competitions hosted by England
- Athletics in London
- 1934 in athletics (track and field)
- 1934 in English sport
- Multi-sport events in the United Kingdom
- International sports competitions in London
- 1934 in multi-sport events
- 1934 sports events in London
- 1934 in British women's sport
- August 1934 sports events
- Women's sport in London