Selling Femininity: The Introduction of Women's Rowing at the 1976 Olympic Games.

This article discusses the introduction of women's rowing as a sports competition in the 1976 Olympic games in Montreal, Quebec. The role of lobbying in the International Olympic Committee's decision to incorporate women's rowing among the sports contests at the games is addressed. The efforts of the British rower Amy Gentry and the Women's Amateur Rowing Association of Great Britain to promote the sport as an Olympic event is framed in terms of their efforts to lobby male rowing administrators who acted as gatekeepers. The promotion of women's rowing during the mid-twentieth century by the Soviet Union Olympic Committee is also explored.