Changes

The fact that a few women collapsed on the grass after crossing the finishing line after the eight-hundred-meter race at the 1928 games, won by Germany's Lina Radke with a new world record, was used as an argument against women's athletics and women's sport in general. Officials, journalists, and doctors were not convinced of women's mental and physical ability to cope with the stresses of competitive sports. In a vote the IOC only just avoided abandoning women's athletics, but the eight-hundred-meter race was taken out of the program. Thirty years later the middle-distance race was restored to the Olympic program, again after intensive discussions.

The fact that a few women collapsed on the grass after crossing the finishing line after the eight-hundred-meter race at the 1928 games, won by Germany's Lina Radke with a new world record, was used as an argument against women's athletics and women's sport in general. Officials, journalists, and doctors were not convinced of women's mental and physical ability to cope with the stresses of competitive sports. In a vote the IOC only just avoided abandoning women's athletics, but the eight-hundred-meter race was taken out of the program. Thirty years later the middle-distance race was restored to the Olympic program, again after intensive discussions.

== External links ==

== External links ==

*[http://en.beijing2008.cn/ The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad]

*[http://en.beijing2008.cn/ The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad]

*[http://www.olympic.org/uk/index_uk.asp International Olympic Committee]

*[http://www.olympic.org/uk/index_uk.asp International Olympic Committee]

*[http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/08/04/sports/olympics/20080804_MEDALCOUNT_MAP.html Interactive Map of Olympic Medals], New York Times

*[http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/08/04/sports/olympics/20080804_MEDALCOUNT_MAP.html Interactive Map of Olympic Medals], New York Times

==Further reading==

==Further reading==

* Buchanan, Ian, and Bill Mallon. ''Historical Dictionary of the Olympic Movement'' (2nd ed. 2006) 366pp. [http://books.google.com/books?id=fH3hD3MkIMYC&dq=intitle:Dictionary+intitle:of+intitle:the+intitle:Olympic+intitle:Movement&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=30&as_brr=0 excerpt and text search]  

* Buchanan, Ian, and Bill Mallon. ''Historical Dictionary of the Olympic Movement'' (2nd ed. 2006) 366pp. [http://books.google.com/books?id=fH3hD3MkIMYC&dq=intitle:Dictionary+intitle:of+intitle:the+intitle:Olympic+intitle:Movement&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=30&as_brr=0 excerpt and text search]