The history of women in sport is often confused with the history of women as a whole. While so many Brazilian women were fighting for the right to vote, divorce and free expression, some Brazilian women were fighting for the right to be present at one of the biggest events on the planet: the Olympics. And what could be simple and natural: it was not. Some appearances were dramatic. Others, isolated and lonely. As in society, in sport, women had to earn their rights by force.