Kallipateira of Rhodes was a Rhodian Greek woman who, in 428 BC, was caught attending her son Peisirrhodos' competition in the Olympic Games in Elis while disguised as a male trainer, creating a controversy about the ability of women to spectate, and leading to the passage of a rule requiring trainers to strip before entering the stadium.
Biography[]
Kallipateira was born in Ialysos, Rhodes, the daughter of Diagoras of Rhodes, the sister of Dorieus, and, later, the mother of Peisirrhodos. Kallipateira came from an aristocratic family of Olympic champions, and, in 428 BC, the widowed Kallipateira came to Elis to watch her son Peisirrhodos compete in the pankration. Kallipateira was arrested after she was discovered attending the Olympics while disguised as a male trainer, with the Priestess of Demeter Periboea accusing her of seeking to ogle nude male athletes as they competed. Kallipateira pleaded her innocence, and the mercenary Kassandra intervened, decrying the archaic law. Periboea agreed to stay Kallipateira's planned execution if Kassandra presented evidence that Kallipateira was related to Peisirrhodos, for whom she had disguised herself as a man to watch compete, but, as Kassandra gathered evidence, Kallipateira was taken to the Kronion, where she was to be pushed from the mountain if she was found guilty. However, Kassandra arrived and informed Periboea that she had evidence of Kallipateira's innocence, namely a poem by Pindar dedicated in young Kallipateira's honor (about her pride in her father Diagoras' achievements), and the testimonies of Peisirrhodos and the athlete Ale that she was a pious woman. Periboea ultimately agreed to let Kallipateira go, but, from then on, the Olympic judges required male trainers to strip before entering the Olympic stadium to ensure that none of them were women.