The Early Olympics and a Century-Long Obsession with Gender

With author Michael Waters

The Olympics officially start tonight! To learn about the origins of the games — and their forgotten history of exclusion — I spoke with Michael Waters, author of The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports.

In his book and in conversation, Michael explores a handful of athletes whose transitions made headlines in the 1930s. Afterward, a small group of sports officials, fearful that trans men might participate in women’s events, implemented a new system of gender surveillance, which would last for many decades. As you’ll see, it’s no coincidence that their invasive efforts originated in Nazi Germany.

A condensed transcript edited for clarity is below. You can also listen to the audio of the conversation, which includes more fun details about the chaos of the early Olympics, the racist and classist instincts of early Olympic officials, queer communities’ support of trans athletes, my support of mimes, and more:

There’s only one way to hydrate before a race

Ben: To begin, can you talk a little bit about the formation of the modern Olympics?

MW: The modern Olympics started in 1896, founded by Pierre de Coubertin, a French aristocrat. He had conflicting motives. On one hand, his idea for a global sports competition stemmed from anxieties about French masculinity following a war defeat. He saw sports as a way to masculinize French men. On the other hand, he envisioned the Olympics as a diplomatic tool to bring different countries together, hoping sports would reduce tension.

So Coubertin was instrumental in getting the Olympics off the ground. However, he wasn’t great with finer organizational details. The early Olympics, like those in 1896, 1900, and 1904, were quite chaotic compared to the well-oiled machine we see today. Things frequently went wrong.

Ben: I was tickled by your descriptions of chaos at early Olympics: sprinters arriving late and taking snack breaks during races; athletes drinking champagne, brandy, and even taking cocaine and strychnine, a common rat poison, to sharpen their focus.

Also, I loved learning that the Olympic torch did not actually burn in a steady succession from Ancient Greece through present day.

MW: Ha, yes. The Olympic flame was first lit in 1928 in Amsterdam.

Ben: Not by coincidence, I believe matches were invented the same year.

MW: ...incredible.

Ben: Could you discuss early gender and class dynamics in the Olympics?

MW: Yes, the early Olympics were almost entirely male-dominated. A few sports were open to women, but these were typically associated with the upper class, like golf and tennis, which required money to participate. Sports that were more accessible, like track and field, were deemed too masculinizing or dangerous for women. The International Olympic Committee, run by wealthy white men, didn’t include a woman until 1981. 

Pierre de Coubertin himself was deeply opposed to women participating in the Olympics, writing often about his dislike for women athletes. Women's participation in elite sports was largely due to Alice Milliat, who created the Women's World Games in the 1920s. These games were quite popular and even threatened to overtake the Olympics at one point.

Ben: Your book focuses on athletes like Zdeněk Koubek and Mark Weston. Can you give us a bit of background on them?

MW: Both athletes, assigned female at birth, transitioned gender in the 1930s. Zdeněk Koubek, a Czech sprinter, came from a working-class family and became obsessed with running in the late 1920s. His career peaked in 1934 at the Women's World Games, where he set a new world record in the 800 meters. He transitioned in 1935 and became a global tabloid fixture.