The incorporation of women into the world of sport has suffered serious impediments throughout history. The obstacles have changed according to the era and location, but some pioneers defied stereotypes and prejudices to achieve their goals. Editor and writer Elisenda Albertí has compiled 19 of their stories in a book –Pioneers of sport– which gathers emotions and joys, but also disappointments and sorrows.“The difficulty of the book was to make a selection, because I gathered many biographies. Athletes, both Catalan and international, appear. This allows us to compare the situations in different countries to know where we were at each moment,” Albertí tells ARA. The role of women in the world of sport began to be claimed at the end of the 19th century in Anglo-Saxon culture. “In our context, we have to wait until the beginning of the 20th century, when there were still many reservations. The sports that were successful among women were few, but the combination of this practice with the first feminist claims served to combat hostilities. In Catalonia, for example, the big change came with the Mancomunitat and the Second Republic, but then this opening regressed,” he assures.Some of the pioneers had problems because of their political ideas. “If a woman opened her mouth, she had problems. When there are changes or novelties, there is always a type of person who criticizes it and burdens it. They had defenders, but also many detractors. There were written media that treated them well, although others mistreated them. Some sports pioneers were insulted, caricatured, and erased from the archives. They had a very difficult time and, with Francoism, many suffered severe repression. The sports records of some of these pioneers were even erased. They disappeared and no longer exist,” he warns.