Gender relations in sports: The “beautiful sex” in the mar grande-salvador open sea swimming competition in Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

The article aims to discuss women’s education in sports, focusing on social representations and roles traditionally ascribed to them, starting from the participation in the Mar Grande-Salvador Crossing, in Bahia, Brazil - an open sea swimming competition in the Todos os Santos Bay. This is a historical research focused on thematic oral history and documentary sources. Content analysis allowed us to interpret meanings. The results found include the fact that participants were educated women from Salvador’s elite since 1956 (when that competition started). Despite the advances, resistance remains to open sea swimming. We conclude that women’s participation in that competition contributed to break old patterns such as education that suggests distinct and submissive roles for women, changing the logic of domination and opening up new paths.