WOMEN AND SPORT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 3 December 1940, Page 7

WOMEN AND SPORT

' SUITABILITY FOR ATHLETIC COMPETITIONS DEPARTMENT'S REPORT I United Press Association) , WELLINGTON. 2nd December. Some points on the competition of . females in athletics, their siutability j fot the sport and its effects on them ; j were contained in a report by the physical welfare branch of the Internal j Affairs Department which was presented to the annual meeting at Wellington on Saturday by the New Zealand Ama- | teur Athletic Association. The report was gathered from information avail,overseas and in New Zealand. Delegates discussed it at length without reaching any conclusion, and the report was eventually referred to subj committees of the various centres. | The report stated that there were cerI tain anatomical, physiological and pyschological differences between men and j women which should influence tj-pes i and standards of activities for them. | Women's organs of movements were j weaker than a man’s. The bone construction and ligaments were weaker and the total muscle mass considerably less. The difference was not only quantitative, but qualitative. Men’s shoulders were much more strongly developed. Though men’s hips were strongly developed in proportion to shoulders and upper extremities, the hip development of women was much stronger than her shoulders and upper extremities. The heaviness of women’s hips, which played a decisive role in several physical exercises, were not compensated for by a more solid buvld. Women’s proportions differed from men in that they had a longer trunk and shorter, less muscular legs. This lowered their centre of gravity and interfered with their ability to jump: the masculine type of body with high centre of gravity was the exception. In the trunk there were weak areas from a mechanical viewpoint, and therefore the possibility of strain from twists or jars was great. This had a particular bearing on two phases in jumping, twisting i.i the air, and landing. Running made women become breathless more rapidly than men, because their oxygen reserve and ability to take up oxygen was less Their heart was absolutely and relatively smaller, and their lung capacity two-thirds. NERVOUS SYSTEM EFFECT The nervous system of women was less stable than that of men. and more susceptible to the effects of strong external stimuli of competition. Strong emotional reactions, the # outcome of intense competition, could temporarily create greater energy through glandular imbalance. It was then that the danger of strain and over-fatigue 'was likely. Adolescent girls were even more susceptible to the effects of intense competition than men. The International Women’s Medical Association has stated on research authority that “the general effect of physical activity on the sex organs was favourable.’’ It was stressed that there was marked difference between physical activity and extreme exertion following intense training for national and other competitions. Research was proceeding apace on the subject. Even now there was widespread argument that girls should not be exposed to extremes of fatigue or strain, emotional or physical. In Germany doctors specialising for the degree of sport arts were required to undergo intense study in theory and practice of all modern sports, athletics, games, gymnastics, and sports physiology. These results of investigations by an authority were worth quoting: “The noi*mal distance for a ; race is 75 metres. A distance of 100 1 metres requires hard training and a special constitution. Very few women can stand this hard training. Four hundred to 800-metre races are too strenuous for women. Two hundred metres is the longest race that any woman should undertake, and then only by the rare exceptional athlete.” As a matter. of general interest, stated the report, women, while sprinting, reached their greatest speed at 40 yards, and their sporting efficiency was at its fullest between the ages of 19 and 22, except for swimming, which was at an earlier age. SIX RECOMMENDATIONS The recommendations of the report were: (1) Girls entering competitions should be medically examined, and those entering first-class competition require further examination during training, and just previous to competition; (2) intense training and specialisation should not be commenced before 17 years; (3) sprinting should not exceed 100 yards, and middle and longdistance running should be excluded; (4) hurdles (two feet six inches maximum) should not exceed 80 metres; (5) javelin and discus are suitable if correct Olympic standard weights are used; (6) high jump, broad jump, and shot put are not recommended.