A gifted athlete from a young age, Eva Dawes broke high jump records at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1932, earning a bronze medal for Canada. Two years later she competed at the British Empire Games in London, where she won silver.

In 1935, Dawes competed in a sporting competition in Moscow not sanctioned by the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada (AAUC). On her return to Canada, Dawes was suspended by the AAUC. Although invited to rejoin so that she could represent Canada in Berlin, she refused.

Unapologetic about her trip to Russia, Dawes joined several other Canadian athletes boycotting the 1936 Berlin Games. She decided to attend the People's Olympiad in Barcelona, commenting: “I will be glad to compete in an Olympiad where the true meaning of sport will exist.” If not for her refusal to participate in the Berlin Olympics, Eva Dawes might well have won medals at these Games.