 Up until the early 1920s , track and field had been almost exclusively a male @-@ only pursuit . A growing women 's sports movement in Europe and North America led to the establishment of the Women 's World Games in 1921 and this ultimately caused the introduction of five track and field events for women in the athletics at the 1928 Summer Olympics . In China , women 's track and field events were being held in the 1920s , but were subject to criticism and disrespect from audiences . In 1923 , physical education advocate Zhang <unk> called for greater equality and participation of women in Chinese track and field . The rise of <unk> <unk> and her 1928 Olympic medal for Japan signified the growth of women 's track and field in East Asia . More women 's events were gradually introduced as years progressed ( although it was only towards the end of the century that the men 's and women 's programmes approached parity of events ) . <unk> an increasingly inclusive approach to the sport , major track and field competitions for disabled athletes were first introduced at the 1960 Summer Paralympics . 
