An Alternative Model for International Competition: The First Women’s World Field Hockey Tournament, Copenhagen 1933

Abstract

The International Federation of Women’s Hockey Associations (IFWHA) held its inaugural tournament in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 6–10 September 1933. It was the first in a series of triennial (later four-yearly) tournaments that would run for the next 50 years, bar 1939–1945, and that came to be regarded as the women’s world field hockey championships. Until 1975, however, there was no title to be won or trophy to be lifted – a unique situation among major team sports. Influenced by the post-World War I peace movement and wary of anything that smacked of professionalism, the IFWHA organized its tournament more like a festival: the social aspect was at least as important to the players and administrators as results on the pitch, although teams competed fiercely for the best results. At a time when that other great festival of sport – the Olympic Games – was increasingly the focal point of international rivalries and political grandstanding, IFWHA’s Copenhagen tournament represented an alternative vision for elite sport. That it was entirely female-run only adds to its importance as a sporting milestone, and the women who organized and played in it deserve wider recognition for their role in the progress narrative of women’s sport.