Sport

Before the first world war only the most privileged women received sports training. Women were deemed «too delicate» to undergo «the physical exertions and fatigue required by specialist training». The opposition to women participating in sporting events was, however, also the fruit of the moral sentiment of the times, that looked askance at the spectacle of women athletes competing in agonistic sports. Instead, women’s participation in agonistic sports was authorised in 1928 with the «Carta dello Sport» (the Charter of Sport). Basketball, fencing, skiing, golf, tennis had their own national women's championships inserted in European circuits. Swimming and roller skating were encouraged. University sports also took part in the 1932 Littoriali in Rome, and one year later also at the Turin University International Games. In 1938 there were 4,616 national events for a total of 111,415 participants.