Women entered Olympic athletics in 1928. However, only five events were included in the programme, and one of them faced criticism from the Olympic committee after the games.
The Olympic Games were not new territory for women in athletics, as unofficial World Championships for female athletes, known as the Women's World Games, had been held every four years since 1922. Additionally, annual Women's Olympiads were held between 1921 and 1925.
Women's track and field was not highly regarded in some countries, including Finland. Especially, figures like Tahko Pihkala and Martti Jukola wanted to prevent women from entering the track and field arena. Jukola, a pioneer in sports commentary on radio, criticized the eligibility of female athletes for the Olympics and grumbled in 1928:
This is the result of women's general tendency towards masculinization.
Women had been competing in the 100 meters at the Finnish Championships since 1913, but the event was removed from the championship programme in 1923. No female athletes from Finland were sent to the Amsterdam Olympic stage.