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1896 Summer Olympics

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Sports events

   Games of the I Olympiad
   Games of the I Olympiad
   Host city              Athens, Greece
   Nations participating  14
   Athletes participating 241
   Events                 43 in 9 sports
   Opening ceremony       Monday, April 6, 1896
   Closing ceremony       Wednesday, 15 April 1896
   Officially opened by   George I of Greece
   Stadium                Panathinaiko Stadium

   The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I
   Olympiad, were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece. These games were the
   first modern Olympic Games and the first Games since Roman emperor
   Theodosius I banned the Ancient Olympic Games in 393 as part of the
   Christian campaign against paganism. They were held between Monday,
   April 6 and Wednesday, April 15, 1896.

   An 1894 congress organized by Pierre de Coubertin in Paris established
   the International Olympic Committee and appointed the Greek capital of
   Athens as the host city. The Greeks had little experience with
   organizing sports events, and initially had financial troubles as well,
   but managed to have everything ready in time.

   Although the number of participating athletes was low by current
   standards, it had the largest international participation for any
   sports event to that date. In spite of the absence of many of the
   time's top athletes, the Games were a success with the Greek public.
   The athletic highlight for the Greeks was the marathon victory by their
   compatriot Spiridon Louis. The most successful competitor in terms of
   victories was German wrestler and gymnast Carl Schuhmann.

   After the Games, De Coubertin and the IOC were petitioned by, among
   others, Greece's King George and some of the American competitors in
   Athens to hold all following Games in Athens. However, the 1900 Summer
   Olympics were already planned for Paris and, barring the so-called
   Intercalated Games of 1906, the Olympics did not return to Greece until
   the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Election as host city

   During the 19th century, several minor sports festivals named after the
   Ancient Olympic Games were held in a few European countries. Pierre de
   Coubertin also had the idea to revive the Olympics, but as an
   international and multi-sport event. He presented his ideas at an 1894
   congress held in the Sorbonne, Paris, with delegates from sports
   societies of 11 countries present.

   After it had been decided to revive the Olympics, a host city for these
   first Olympics had to be selected. De Coubertin's idea was to hold
   these concurrently with the Universal Exposition of 1900 in Paris.
   Concerned that a six-year waiting period might lessen the interest in
   the Olympics, the congress decided to hold the first Olympics in 1896.
   Several congress members suggested London as the location, but after a
   brief talk with Greek delegate Demetrius Vikelas De Coubertin put
   Athens forward as a possibility. Greece being the original home of the
   Olympics, the congress unanimously approved the proposal. Vikelas was
   elected as the first president of the newly established International
   Olympic Committee (IOC).

   The true origin of the modern Olympics was acknowledged by De Coubertin
   as being in Much Wenlock, a rural market town in the English county of
   Shropshire. It was here that in 1850 the local doctor, William Penny
   Brooks, founded the Much Wenlock Olympics. The first games were held in
   October 1850. It was a mixture of events, including athletics and games
   such as cricket, football, quoits, and others.

Organization

   The restoration of the Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in the
   fourth century BC, was funded by Georgios Averoff. The stadium was used
   again for the 2004 Summer Olympics.
   Enlarge
   The restoration of the Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in the
   fourth century BC, was funded by Georgios Averoff. The stadium was used
   again for the 2004 Summer Olympics.

   The news that the Olympic Games would return to Greece was received
   favourably by the Greek public and media. However, the country was in
   financial troubles and was politically unstable, the job of prime
   minister alternating between Charilaos Trikoupis and Theodoros
   Deligiannis at a high frequency. In late 1894 the organizing committee,
   headed by Etienne Skouloudis, presented a report that the cost of the
   Games would be three times higher than originally estimated by De
   Coubertin. They concluded the Games could not be held, and offered
   their resignation.

   Greek crown prince Constantine, a supporter of the Games, decided to
   set up a new committee, with himself as the president. His enthusiasm
   sparked a wave of contributions from the Greek public, raising 330,000
   drachmas. A special set of postage stamps raised a further 400,000, and
   ticket sales added 200,000 drachmas. At the request of Constantine,
   wealthy businessman George Averoff agreed to pay for the restoration of
   the Panathinaiko Stadium, which would eventually cost 920,000 drachmas.
   As a tribute to his generosity, a statue of Averoff was constructed and
   unveiled on 5 April outside of the stadium, where it still stands.

   Organized sports were relatively new to Greece, and as such the
   organizing committee had little experience in staging sports events.
   Their duties in this aspect were largely taken over by De Coubertin,
   who had to both elect the rules to follow and to invite athletes. Some
   of the athletes would take part in the Games because they happened to
   be in Athens at the time the Games were held, either on vacation or for
   work (e.g., some of the British competitors worked for the British
   embassy). The concept of a designated Olympic Village for the athletes
   would not appear until the 1932 Summer Olympics; the athletes had to
   care for their own lodging.

Calendar

      ●    Opening ceremony    ●    Event competitions    ●    Event
   finals    ●    Closing ceremony
   April 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th
   Ceremonies ● ●
   Athletics ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
   Cycling ● ● ● ● ● ●
   Fencing ● ● ●
   Gymnastics ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
   Shooting ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
   Swimming ● ● ● ●
   Tennis ● ● ● ●
   Weightlifting ● ●
   Wrestling ● ●
   April 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th

Opening ceremony

   The opening ceremony in the Panathenaic Stadium
   Enlarge
   The opening ceremony in the Panathenaic Stadium

   On 6 April, the Games of the First Olympiad were officially opened. It
   was Easter Monday for the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant
   churches, and was also the anniversary of the outbreak of the war for
   Greek independence.

   The Panathenaic stadium was filled, with an estimated 80,000 spectators
   including King George I of Greece, his wife Olga, and their sons. Most
   of the competing athletes were aligned on the infield, grouped by
   nation. After a speech by the president of the organizing committee,
   Crown Prince Constantine, his father officially opened the Games:

          "I declare the opening of the first international Olympic Games
          in Athens. Long live the Nation. Long live the Greek people."

   Afterwards, 9 bands and 150 choir singers performed the Olympic Hymn,
   composed by Spyros Samaras, with words by poet Kostis Palamas. The hymn
   was well received, and the crowd desired an encore.

   The current Olympic opening ceremonies contain elements of this brief
   opening ceremony. The head of state of the organizing nation still
   officially opens the Games, and the Olympic Hymn (official since 1958)
   is still played. Other elements, such as the parade of nations, the
   lighting of the Olympic Flame and the Olympic Oath were initiated
   later.

Sport by sport overview

   At the 1894 Sorbonne congress, a large roster of sports had been
   mentioned for the programme in Athens. The first edition of the
   official announcement featured sports such as football and cricket, but
   these plans were never carried out. Rowing was scheduled, but had to be
   cancelled due to strong winds on the planned day of competition.
   Yachting was cancelled too, because "we had no proper boats for this,
   nor did any foreign ones appear for the contest" (Official Report).

Athletics

   The athletics events had the most international field of any of the
   sports. The major highlight of the athletics programme, however, was
   the marathon held for the first time in international competition.
   Spiridon Louis, a previously unrenowned water carrier, won the event to
   become the only Greek athletics champion and a national hero. No world
   records were set, as few international top competitors had turned up.
   In addition, the curves of the track were very tight, making fast times
   in the running events virtually impossible, despite this Thomas Burke
   won both the 100m and the 400m for the USA in times of 12.0 and 54.2
   and winning in relative ease.

Cycling

   Between them, Frenchmen Léon Flameng (left) and Paul Masson won four
   cycling events.
   Enlarge
   Between them, Frenchmen Léon Flameng (left) and Paul Masson won four
   cycling events.

   The track cycling events were held at the newly built Neo Phaliron
   Velodrome. Only one road event was held, a race from Athens to Marathon
   and back (87 kilometres).

   Frenchman Paul Masson was the best cyclist on the track, winning the
   one lap time trial, the sprint event, and the 10,000 metres. In the 100
   kilometres event, Masson entered as a pacemaker for his compatriot Léon
   Flameng. Flameng won the event, after a fall, and after stopping to
   wait for his Greek opponent Kolettis to fix a mechanical problem. The
   Austrian fencer Adolf Schmal won the 12 hours race, which was completed
   by only two cyclists, while the road race event was won by Aristidis
   Konstantinidis.

Fencing

   Fencer Leonidas Pyrgos became the first Greek modern Olympic champion
   by winning the masters foil competition.
   Enlarge
   Fencer Leonidas Pyrgos became the first Greek modern Olympic champion
   by winning the masters foil competition.

   The fencing events were held in the Zappeion, named after Evangelos
   Zappas, who had organized Greek Olympic Games in the mid-19th century.
   Unlike other sports, professionals were allowed to compete in fencing.
   Unlike other professionals, these so-called fencing masters were
   considered gentlemen athletes, just as the amateurs.

   Four events were scheduled, but the épée event was cancelled for
   reasons unknown. The foil event was won by a Frenchman, Eugène-Henri
   Gravelotte, while the other two events, the sabre and the foil for
   masters, were won by Greek fencers. Leonidas Pyrgos, who won the latter
   event, became the first Greek to become Olympic champion in the modern
   era.

Gymnastics

   The German individual gymnastics champions: Schuhmann, Flatow, and
   Weingärtner
   Enlarge
   The German individual gymnastics champions: Schuhmann, Flatow, and
   Weingärtner

   The gymnastics exercises were carried out on the infield of the
   Panathenaic Stadium. Germany had sent an 11-man team, which dominated
   and won 5 of the 8 events, including both team events. In the team
   event on the horizontal bar, the German team was unopposed. Three
   Germans added individual titles. Hermann Weingärtner, who also took two
   seconds and a third place, won the horizontal bar event, while Alfred
   Flatow won the parallel bars. Carl Schuhmann, who also competed
   successfully in wrestling, won the vault.

   The remaining events were won by Louis Zutter, a Swiss gymnast who won
   the pommel horse, while Greeks Ioannis Mitropoulos and Nikolaos
   Andriakopoulos were victorious in the rings and rope climbing events,
   respectively.

Shooting

   Held at a shooting range at Kallithea, there were five shooting
   events—two rifle events and three pistol shooting competitions.

   The first event, for military rifles over 200 metres, was won by
   Pantelis Karasevdas, the only competitor to hit the target with all of
   his shots. The second event, for military pistols, was dominated by two
   brothers, Americans John and Sumner Paine. In order to avoid
   embarrassing their hosts, the brothers decided that only one of them
   would compete in the next pistol event, the free pistol. Sumner Paine
   dominated that event alone, thereby becoming the first relative of an
   Olympic champion to become Olympic champion himself.

   The Paine brothers did not compete in the 25 metre pistol event, as
   their weapons were judged to be not of the required calibre. In their
   absence, Ioannis Phrangoudis won. Frangoudis also placed second in the
   final event, the free rifle, held on the same day. However, the event
   could not be completed due to darkness, and was completed on the next
   morning, when Georgios Orphanidis was celebrated as the champion.

Swimming

   Alfréd Hajós, the first Olympic champion in swimming, is one of only
   two Olympians to have won medals in both sport and art competitions.
   Enlarge
   Alfréd Hajós, the first Olympic champion in swimming, is one of only
   two Olympians to have won medals in both sport and art competitions.

   Unlike today, the 1896 swimming competitions were held at open sea.
   Nearly 20,000 spectators were noted to have watched the event, in the
   Bay of Zea, off the Piraeus coast.

   All four events were held on the same day ( 11 April). For Alfréd Hajós
   of Hungary, this meant he could only compete in two of the events, as
   they were held shortly after one another, giving him little time to
   recuperate. Nevertheless, he won the two events in which he swam, the
   100 metres and the 1200 metres freestyle. Hajós later became one of
   only two Olympians to win a medal in both athletic and artistic
   competitions when he won a silver medal for architecture in 1924.

   The third event, the 500 metres freestyle, was won by Austrian swimmer
   Paul Neumann, beating his opponents by more than one-and-a-half
   minutes. In addition, a swimming event especially for Greek sailors was
   held.

Tennis

   Although tennis was already a major sport by the end of the 19th
   century, none of the top players turned up for the tournament in
   Athens, which was held at the courts of the Athens Lawn Tennis Club,
   and the infield of the velodrome.

   Irishman John Pius Boland, who was in Athens on holiday, had been
   entered in the competition by a Greek friend, and won relatively
   easily. In the first round, he defeated Friedrich Traun, a German who
   had been eliminated in the 800 m competition. They decided to team up
   for the doubles event, in which they reached the final and defeated
   their Greek and Egyptian opponents after losing the first set.

Weightlifting

   Launceston Elliot, winner of the one-armed weightlifting event, was
   popular with the Greek audience, who found him very handsome.
   Enlarge
   Launceston Elliot, winner of the one-armed weightlifting event, was
   popular with the Greek audience, who found him very handsome.

   The sport of weightlifting was still very young in 1896, and the rules
   different from those in use today. Competitions were held outdoors, in
   the infield of the main stadium, and there were no weight limits.

   The first event was the two-handed event, held in a style now known as
   " clean and jerk". Two competitors stood out: Scotsman Launceston
   Elliot and Viggo Jensen of Denmark. Both of them lifted the same
   weight; but the jury, with Prince George as the chairman, ruled that
   Jensen had done so in a better style. The British delegation,
   unfamiliar with this tie-breaking rule, lodged a protest. The lifters
   were eventually allowed make further attempts, but neither lifter
   improved, and Jensen was declared the champion.

   Elliot got his revenge in the single handed " snatch" event, which was
   held immediately after the two-handed one. Jensen had been slightly
   injured in his last two-handed attempt, and was no match for Elliot,
   who won the competition easily ahead of Jensen. The Greek audience was
   very charmed by the Scottish victor, whom they considered very
   attractive. Allegedly, he even received a marriage proposal from a
   "highly placed lady" in the audience.

Wrestling

   Schuhmann (left) and Georgios Tsitas shake hands before the final match
   of the wrestling competition.
   Enlarge
   Schuhmann (left) and Georgios Tsitas shake hands before the final match
   of the wrestling competition.

   No weight classes existed for the wrestling competition, held in the
   Panathenaic Stadium which meant that there would only be one winner
   among competitors of all sizes. The rules used were similar to modern
   Greco-Roman wrestling, although there was no time limit, and not all
   leg holds were forbidden (in contrast to current rules).

   Apart from the two Greek contestants, all competitors had previously
   been active in other sports. Weightlifting champion Launceston Elliot
   faced gymnastics champion Carl Schuhmann from Germany. The latter won
   easily and advanced into the final, where he met Georgios Tsitas. Their
   final match had to be abandoned after 40 minutes of wrestling when
   darkness fell in and was continued the following day, when the German
   finished the bout within a quarter of an hour.

Closing ceremony

   On the morning of Sunday 12 April, King George organized a banquet for
   officials and athletes (even though some competitions were not to be
   held). During his speech, he made clear that, as far as he was
   concerned, the Olympic should be held in Athens permanently.

   The official closing ceremony was held the following Wednesday, being
   postponed from Tuesday due to rain. Again the royal family attended the
   ceremony, which was opened by the national anthem of Greece and an ode
   composed and cited by George S. Robertson, a British athlete and
   scholar.

   Afterwards, the king awarded prizes to the winners. Unlike today, the
   winners received silver medals and the second-placed athletes bronze
   medals. Some winners also received additional prizes, such as Spyridon
   Louis, who received a cup from Michel Bréal, a friend of De Coubertin
   who had conceived the marathon event. Louis then led the medallists on
   a lap of honour through the stadium, while the Olympic Hymn was played
   again. The King then formally closed the Games, saying "I declare the
   First International Olympic Games terminated."

   Like the Greek king, many others supported the idea of holding the next
   Games in Athens as well; most of the American competitors signed a
   letter to the Crown Prince expressing this wish. De Coubertin, however,
   was heavily opposed to this idea, as he envisioned international
   rotation as one of the cornerstones of the modern Olympics. According
   to his wish, the next Games were held in Paris, although they would be
   subdued by the concurrently held Universal Exposition.

Participating nations

   Participating countries
   Enlarge
   Participating countries

   The concept of national teams was not a major part of the Olympic
   movement until the Intercalated Games ten years later, though many
   sources list the nationality of competitors in 1896 and give medal
   counts.

   Sources conflict as to which nations competed. The International
   Olympic Committee gives a figure of 14, but no list. The following 14
   are most likely the ones which the IOC figure includes. Some sources
   list 12, excluding Chile and Bulgaria; others list 13, including those
   two but excluding Italy. Egypt is also sometimes included, as Dionysios
   Kasdaglis was Greek-Egyptian and living in Egypt.
    1. Australia Australia – Despite Australia's lack of independence from
       the British Empire, the results of Teddy Flack are typically given
       with him listed as Australian.
    2. Austria Austria – Austria was part of Austria-Hungary at the time,
       though the results of Austrian athletes are typically reported
       separately.
    3. Bulgaria Bulgaria – The Bulgarian NOC claims that gymnast Charles
       Champaud was competing as a Bulgarian. Champaud was a Swiss
       national living in Bulgaria. Mallon and de Wael both list Champaud
       as Swiss.
    4. Chile Chile – The Chilean NOC claims to have had one athlete, Luis
       Subercaseaux, compete in the 100, 400, and 800 metre races in the
       athletics programme. No further details are given. No mention is
       made of Subersaceaux in Mallon, de Wael, or the Official Report.
    5. Denmark Denmark
    6. France France
    7. Germany Germany
    8. Great Britain Great Britain – The United Kingdom of Great Britain
       and Ireland has historically maintained separate athletic
       organizations for each of its constituent kingdoms. The major
       exception to this has been the Olympic Games, in which the country
       is considered as a single entity. However, it has conventionally
       used the name "Great Britain" at the Olympics rather than the more
       common shortening of the name to "the United Kingdom".
    9. Greece Greece – Greek results typically include the results of
       competitors from Cyprus and Smyrna. Occasionally, Kasdaglis of
       Egypt is also included in the Greek count.
          + Cyprus – Some sources give Cypriot results separately, though
            most count Anastasios Andreou, a Greek-Cypriot and the only
            athlete from Cyprus, as Greek. Cyprus was a protectorate of
            the United Kingdom at the time.
          + Smyrna – The two athletes from Smyrna are nearly always
            included in the Greek listings, similarly to the Cypriot
            athlete.
   10. Hungary Hungary – Hungary is usually listed separately from
       Austria, despite the two being formally joined as Austria-Hungary
       at the time. However, Hungarian results are considered to include
       those of athletes from Vojvodina (now part of Serbia) and Slovakia.
   11. Italy Italy
   12. Sweden Sweden
   13. Switzerland Switzerland
   14. United States United States

Entered nations that did not compete

   Belgium and Russia had entered the names of competitors, but withdrew.
   Whether or not the Chilean athlete competed is questionable. Many
   sources list Italy in this category, as the most prominent Italian
   involved with the games, Carlo Airoldi, was deemed a professional and
   excluded from competition. However, the shooter listed by name simply
   as Rivabella was also Italian and did compete.

Medal count

   Currently, many media sources publish medal counts for the Olympic
   Games. This was not the case in 1896, but many sources have tallied the
   1896 medals to be able to compare the 1896 edition with later Games.
   These statistics should be used with care, however.

   It should be noted, first, that no gold medals were awarded at all, and
   the third place finishers did not receive any prize in Athens.
   Secondly, national teams as we know now hardly existed. Greece and
   Hungary had held selection matches, but most other athletes represented
   their clubs or themselves. Furthermore, not all of the countries listed
   below did actually exist as of 1896. For example, Australia was not yet
   independent of the UK, and Hungary and Austria were formally joined
   together as one nation. Nevertheless, most sources have the countries
   as listed below.
   Medal awarded in Athens
   Medal awarded in Athens
    Rank            Nation            Gold Silver Bronze Total
   1      United States United States 11   7      2      20
   2      Greece Greece (host nation) 10   17     19     46
   3      Germany Germany             6    5      2      13
   4      France France               5    4      2      11
   5      Great Britain Great Britain 2    3      2      7
   6      Hungary Hungary             2    1      3      6
   7      Austria Austria             2    1      2      5
   8      Australia Australia         2    0      0      2
   9      Denmark Denmark             1    2      3      6
   10     Switzerland Switzerland     1    2      0      3

Female competitors

   Women were not allowed to compete at the 1896 Summer Olympics. One,
   named Stamata Revithi and nicknamed Melpomene after the Greek muse of
   tragedy, protested by running the marathon course on 11 April, the day
   after the men had run it.
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