1896 Summer Olympics
Encyclopedia
The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, was a multi-sport event
celebrated in Athens
, Greece
, from April 6 to April 15, 1896. It was the first international Olympic Games
held in the Modern era. Because Ancient Greece
was the birthplace of the Olympic Games, Athens was perceived to be an appropriate choice to stage the inaugural modern Games. It was unanimously chosen as the host city during a congress organized by Pierre de Coubertin
, a French pedagogue and historian, in Paris, on June 23, 1894. The International Olympic Committee
(IOC) was also instituted during this congress.
Despite many obstacles and setbacks, the 1896 Olympics were regarded as a great success. The Games had the largest international participation of any sporting event to that date. The Panathinaiko Stadium
, the only Olympic stadium used in the 19th Century, overflowed with the largest crowd ever to watch a sporting event. The highlight for the Greeks was the marathon victory by their compatriot Spyridon Louis. The most successful competitor was German wrestler and gymnast
Carl Schuhmann
, who won four events.
After the Games, Rhys Coubertin and the IOC were petitioned by several prominent figures including Greece's King George
and some of the American competitors in Athens, to hold all the following Games in Athens. However, the 1900 Summer Olympics
were already planned for Paris and, except for the Intercalated Games of 1906, the Olympics did not return to Greece until the 2004 Summer Olympics
, some 108 years later.
The stories surrounding the events and personalities of these Games were chronicled in the 1984 NBC
miniseries
, The First Olympics: Athens, 1896 – starring David Ogden Stiers
as William Milligan Sloane
and Louis Jourdan as Pierre de Coubertin
.
at the Panathenaic stadium, which had been refurbished for the occasion, had an audience of 30,000 people. Coubertin adopted Dr William Penny Brooke's
idea to establish a multi-national and multi-sport event
—the ancient games were in a sense international, because various Greek city-states
and colonies were represented, but only free male athletes of Greek origin were allowed to participate. In 1890, Coubertin wrote an article in La Revue Athletique, which espoused the importance of Much Wenlock
—a rural market town in the English county of Shropshire
. It was here that, in October 1850, the local physician William Penny Brookes had founded the Wenlock Olympian Games
, a festival of sports and recreations that included athletics and team sports, such as cricket
, football and quoits
. Coubertin also took inspiration from the earlier Greek games organized under the name of Olympics
by businessman and philanthropist Evangelis Zappas in 1859, 1870 and 1875. The 1896 Athens Games was funded by the legacies of Evangelis Zappas and his cousin Konstantinos Zappas
and by George Averoff
who had been specifically requested by the Greek government, through crown prince Constantine, to sponsor the second refurbishment of the Panathinaiko Stadium
. This the Greek government did despite the fact that the cost of refurbishing the stadium in marble had already been funded in full by Evangelis Zappas forty years earlier.
On June 18, 1894, Coubertin organized a congress at the Sorbonne
, in Paris, to present his plans to representatives of sports societies from 11 countries. Following his proposal's acceptance by the congress, a date for the first modern Olympic Games needed to be chosen. Coubertin suggested that the Games be held concurrently with the 1900 Universal Exposition
of Paris. Concerned that a six-year waiting period might lessen public interest, congress members opted instead to hold the inaugural Games in 1896. With a date established, members of the congress turned their attention to the selection of a host city.
It remains a mystery how Athens was finally chosen to host the inaugural Games. In the following years both Coubertin and Demetrius Vikelas
would offer recollections of the selection process that contradicted the official minutes of the congress. Most accounts hold that several congressmen first proposed London as the location, but Coubertin dissented. After a brief discussion with Vikelas, who represented Greece, Coubertin suggested Athens. Vikelas made the Athens proposal official on June 23, and since Greece had been the original home of the Olympics, the congress unanimously approved the decision. Vikelas was then elected the first president of the newly established International Olympic Committee
(IOC).
News that the Olympic Games would return to Greece was received favorably by the Greek public, media, and royal family. According to Coubertin, "the Crown Prince Constantine
learned with great pleasure that the Games will be inaugurated in Athens." Coubertin went on to confirm that, "the King and the Crown Prince will confer their patronage on the holding of these games." Constantine later conferred more than that; he eagerly assumed the presidency of the 1896 organizing committee.
However, the country had financial troubles and was in political turmoil. The job of prime minister alternated between Charilaos Trikoupis
and Theodoros Deligiannis
frequently during the last years of the 19th century. Because of this financial and political instability, both prime minister Trikoupis and Stephanos Dragoumis
, the president of the Zappas Olympic Committee, which had attempted to organize a series of national Olympiads, believed that Greece could not host the event. In late 1894, the organizing committee under Stephanos Skouloudis
presented a report that the cost of the Games would be three times higher than originally estimated by Coubertin. They concluded the Games could not be held, and offered their resignation. The total cost of the Games was 3,740,000 gold drachmas.
With the prospect of reviving the Olympic games very much in doubt, Coubertin and Vikelas commenced a campaign to keep the Olympic movement alive. Their efforts culminated on January 7, 1895 when Vikelas announced that crown prince Constantine would assume the presidency of the organizing committee.
His first responsibility was to raise the funds necessary to host the Games. He relied on the patriotism of the Greek people to motivate them to provide the required finances. Constantine's enthusiasm sparked a wave of contributions from the Greek public. This grassroots effort raised 330,000 drachmas. A special set of postage stamps were commissioned; the sale of which raised 400,000 drachmas. Ticket sales added an additional 200,000 drachmas. At the request of Constantine, businessman George Averoff
agreed to pay for the restoration of the Panathinaiko Stadium. Averoff would donate 920,000 drachmas to this project. As a tribute to his generosity, a statue of Averoff was constructed and unveiled on April 5, 1896 outside the stadium. It stands there to this day.
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
). A designated Olympic Village
for the athletes did not appear until the 1932 Summer Olympics
. Consequently the athletes had to provide their own lodging.
The first regulation voted on by the new IOC in 1894 was to allow only amateur athletes to participate in the Olympic Games. The various contests were thus held under amateur regulations with the exception of fencing matches. The rules and regulations were not uniform, so the Organizing Committee had to choose among the codes of the various national athletic associations. The jury, the referees and the game director bore the same names as in antiquity (Ephor, Helanodic and Alitarc). Prince George acted as final referee; according to Coubertin, "his presence gave weight and authority to the decisions of the ephors."
On April 6 (March 25 according to the Julian calendar
then in use in Greece), the games of the First Olympiad were officially opened; it was Easter Monday
for both the Western
and Eastern Christian Churches
and the anniversary of Greece's independence
. The Panathinaiko 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:
Afterwards, nine bands and 150 choir singers performed an Olympic Hymn, composed by Spyridon Samaras
, with words by poet Kostis Palamas
. Thereafter, a variety of musical offerings provided the backgrounds to the Opening Ceremonies until 1960
, since which time the Samaras/Palamas composition has become the official Olympic Anthem (decision taken by the IOC Session in 1958). Other elements of current Olympic opening ceremonies were initiated later: the Olympic flame
was first lit in 1928
, the first athletes' oath was sworn at the 1920 Summer Olympics
, and the first officials' oath was taken at the 1972 Olympic Games
.
and yachting
were scheduled, but had to be canceled due to poor weather on the planned day of competition.
, held for the first time in international competition. Spyridon Louis, a previously unrecognized water carrier, won the event to become the only Greek athletics champion and a national hero. Although Greece had been favored to win the discus
and the shot put
, the best Greek athletes finished just behind the American Robert Garrett
in both events.
No world record
s were set, as few top international competitors had elected to compete. In addition, the curves of the track were very tight, making fast times in the running events virtually impossible. Despite this, Thomas Burke, of the United States, won the 100 meter
race in 12.0 seconds and the 400 meter
race in 54.2 seconds. Burke was the only one who used the "crouch start" (putting his knee on soil), confusing the jury. Eventually, he was allowed to start from this "uncomfortable position".
The rules of the International Cycling Association
were used for the cycling competitions. 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 kilometers).
In the track events, the best cyclist was Frenchman Paul Masson
, who won the one lap time trial
, the sprint event, and the 10,000 meters. In the 100 kilometers 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 Georgios Kolettis
to fix a mechanical problem. The Austrian fencer Adolf Schmal
won the 12-hour race, which was completed by only two cyclists, while the road race event was won by Aristidis Konstantinidis
.
The fencing events were held in the Zappeion
, which, built with money Evangelis Zappas had given to revive the ancient Olympic Games, had never seen any athletic contests before. Unlike other sports (in which only amateurs were allowed to take part at the Olympics), professionals were allowed to compete in fencing, though in a separate event. These professionals were considered gentlemen athletes, just as the amateurs.
Four events were scheduled, but the épée event was cancelled for unknown reasons. The foil event
was won by a Frenchman, Eugène-Henri Gravelotte
, who beat his countryman, Henri Callot
, in the final. The other two events, the sabre
and the masters foil
, were won by Greek fencers. Leonidas Pyrgos
, who won the latter event, became the first Greek Olympic champion in the modern era.
The gymnastics competition was carried out on the infield of the Panathinaiko Stadium. Germany had sent an 11-man team, which won five of the eight 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
won the horizontal bar event
, Alfred Flatow
won the parallel bars
; and Carl Schuhmann
, who also competed successfully in wrestling, won the vault
. Louis Zutter
, a Swiss
gymnast, won the pommel horse
, while Greeks Ioannis Mitropoulos
and Nikolaos Andriakopoulos
were victorious in the rings
and rope climbing
events, respectively.
, the shooting
competition consisted of five events—two using a rifle
and three with the pistol
. The first event, the military rifle
, 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 American brothers: John and Sumner Paine
became the first siblings to finish first and second in the same event. 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 won that event, thereby becoming the first relative of an Olympic champion to become Olympic champion himself.
The Paine brothers did not compete in the 25 meter pistol event
, as the event judges determined that their weapons were not of the required caliber. In their absence, Ioannis Phrangoudis
won. The final event, the free rifle
, began on the same day. However, the event could not be completed due to darkness and was finalized the next morning, when Georgios Orphanidis
was crowned the champion.
The swimming competition was held in the open sea because the organizers had refused to spend the money necessary for a specially constructed stadium. Nearly 20,000 spectators lined the Bay of Zea
off the Piraeus
coast to watch the events. The water in the bay was cold, and the competitors suffered during their races. There were three open events (men's 100 metre freestyle
, men's 500 metre freestyle
, and men's 1200 metre freestyle
), in addition to a special event open only to Greek sailors
, all of which were held on the same day (April 11).
For Alfréd Hajós
of Hungary, this meant he could only compete in two of the events, as they were held too close together, which made it impossible for him to adequately recuperate. Nevertheless, he won the two events in which he swam, the 100 and 1200 meter freestyle
. Hajós later became one of only two Olympians to win a medal in both the athletic and artistic competitions
, when he won a silver medal for architecture in 1924. The 500 meter freestyle was won by Austrian swimmer Paul Neumann
, who defeated his opponents by more than a minute and a half.
, and the infield of the velodrome used for the cycling events. John Pius Boland
, who won the event, had been entered in the competition by a fellow-student of his at Oxford
; the Greek, Konstantinos Manos. As a member of the Athens Lawn Tennis sub-committee, Manos had been trying, with the assistance of Boland, to recruit competitors for the Athens Games from among the sporting circles of Oxford University. In the first round, Boland defeated Friedrich Traun
, a promising tennis player from Hamburg
, who had been eliminated in the 100 meter sprint competition. Boland and Traun 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.
The sport of weightlifting was still young in 1896, and the rules differed 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 held in a style now known as the "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 to make further attempts, but neither lifter improved, and Jensen was declared the champion.
Elliot got his revenge in the one hand lift
event, which was held immediately after the two-handed one. Jensen had been slightly injured during his last two-handed attempt, and was no match for Elliot, who won the competition easily. The Greek audience was charmed by the Scottish victor, whom they considered very attractive. A curious incident occurred during the weightlifting event: a servant was ordered to remove the weights, which appeared to be a difficult task for him. Prince George came to his assistance; he picked up the weight and threw it a considerable distance with ease, to the delight of the crowd.
No weight classes existed for the wrestling competition, held in the Panathinaiko 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 the competitors had previously been active in other sports. Weightlifting champion Launceston Elliot faced gymnastics champion Carl Schuhmann. The latter won and advanced into the final, where he met Georgios Tsitas
, who had previously defeated Stephanos Christopoulos
. Darkness forced the final match to be suspended after 40 minutes; it was continued the following day, when Schuhmann needed only a quarter of an hour to finish the bout.
by George S. Robertson
, a British athlete and scholar.
Afterwards, the king awarded prizes to the winners. Unlike today, the first place winners received silver medals, an olive branch and a diploma. Athletes who placed second received copper medals, a branch of laurel and a diploma. Third place winners did not receive a medal. Some winners also received additional prizes, such as Spyridon Louis, who received a cup from Michel Bréal
, a friend of Coubertin, who had conceived the marathon event. Louis then led the medalists on a lap of honor around the stadium, while the Olympic Hymn was played again. The King then formally announced that the first Olympiad was at an end, and left the Stadium, while the band played the Greek national hymn and the crowd cheered.
Like the Greek king, many others supported the idea of holding the next Games in Athens; most of the American competitors signed a letter to the Crown Prince expressing this wish. 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 somewhat over-shadowed by the concurrently held Universal Exposition
.
The concept of national teams was not a major part of the Olympic movement until the Intercalated Games 10 years later, though many sources list the nationality of competitors in 1896 and give medal counts. There are significant conflicts with regard to which nations competed. The International Olympic Committee gives a figure of 14, but does not list them. The following 14 are most likely the ones recognized by the IOC. Some sources list 12, excluding Chile and Bulgaria; others list 13, including those two but excluding Italy. Egypt is also sometimes included because of Dionysios Kasdaglis
' participation. Belgium and Russia had entered the names of competitors, but withdrew.
Ten of the 14 participating nations earned medals, in addition to three medals won by mixed teams, i.e. teams made up of athletes from multiple nations. The United States won the most gold medals (11), while host nation Greece won the most medals overall (46) as well as the most silver (17) and bronze (19) medals, finishing with one fewer gold medal than the United States.
During these inaugural Olympics, winners were given a silver medal, an olive
branch, and a diploma, while runners-up received a copper medal a laurel
branch, and diploma. The IOC has retroactively assigned gold, silver and bronze medals to the three best placed athletes in each event to comport with more recent traditions.
, the mother of a 17-month-old boy, ran the marathon course on April 11, the day after the men had run the official race. Although she was not allowed to enter the stadium at the end of her race, Revithi finished the marathon in about five hours and 30 minutes, and found witnesses to sign their names and verify the running time. Revithi intended to present this documentation to the Hellenic Olympic Committee
, hoping that they would recognize her achievement. Neither her reports nor documents from the Hellenic Olympic Committee have been discovered to provide corroboration.
Multi-sport event
A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports between organized teams of athletes from nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the modern Olympic Games.Many...
celebrated in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, from April 6 to April 15, 1896. It was the first international Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
held in the Modern era. Because Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
was the birthplace of the Olympic Games, Athens was perceived to be an appropriate choice to stage the inaugural modern Games. It was unanimously chosen as the host city during a congress organized by Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin was a French educationalist and historian, founder of the International Olympic Committee, and is considered the father of the modern Olympic Games...
, a French pedagogue and historian, in Paris, on June 23, 1894. The International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC) was also instituted during this congress.
Despite many obstacles and setbacks, the 1896 Olympics were regarded as a great success. The Games had the largest international participation of any sporting event to that date. The Panathinaiko Stadium
Panathinaiko Stadium
The Panathinaiko or Panathenaic Stadium , also known as the Kallimarmaro , is an athletic stadium in Athens that hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896...
, the only Olympic stadium used in the 19th Century, overflowed with the largest crowd ever to watch a sporting event. The highlight for the Greeks was the marathon victory by their compatriot Spyridon Louis. The most successful competitor was German wrestler and gymnast
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
Carl Schuhmann
Carl Schuhmann
Carl Schuhmann was a German athlete, who was born in Münster and won four Olympic titles in gymnastics and wrestling at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, becoming the most successful athlete at the inaugural Olympics of the modern era...
, who won four events.
After the Games, Rhys Coubertin and the IOC were petitioned by several prominent figures including Greece's King George
George I of Greece
George I was King of Greece from 1863 to 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly, which had deposed the former king Otto. His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers...
and some of the American competitors in Athens, to hold all the following Games in Athens. However, the 1900 Summer Olympics
1900 Summer Olympics
The 1900 Summer Olympics, today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1900 in Paris, France. No opening or closing ceremonies were held; competitions began on May 14 and ended on October 28. The Games were held as part of...
were already planned for Paris and, except for the Intercalated Games of 1906, the Olympics did not return to Greece until the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, some 108 years later.
The stories surrounding the events and personalities of these Games were chronicled in the 1984 NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
, The First Olympics: Athens, 1896 – starring David Ogden Stiers
David Ogden Stiers
David Ogden Stiers is an American actor, director, vocal actor, and musician, noted for his roles in Disney movies, as well as his performances in the television series M*A*S*H as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III and the science fiction drama The Dead Zone as Reverend Gene Purdy...
as William Milligan Sloane
William Milligan Sloane
William Milligan Sloane was an American educator and historian, born at Richmond, Ohio.-Biography:...
and Louis Jourdan as Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin was a French educationalist and historian, founder of the International Olympic Committee, and is considered the father of the modern Olympic Games...
.
Reviving the Games
During the 18th century, several small-scale sports festivals across Europe were named after the Ancient Olympic Games. The 1870 OlympicsZappas Olympics
The Zappas Olympics , simply called Olympics at the time, were a series of athletic events held in Athens, Greece, in 1859, 1870, and 1875 sponsored by the Greek businessman Evangelis Zappas. These games were the first revival of the ancient Olympic Games in the modern era...
at the Panathenaic stadium, which had been refurbished for the occasion, had an audience of 30,000 people. Coubertin adopted Dr William Penny Brooke's
William Penny Brookes
Dr. William Penny Brookes was an English surgeon, magistrate, botanist, and educationalist especially known for his promotion of physical education and personal betterment...
idea to establish a multi-national and multi-sport event
Multi-sport event
A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports between organized teams of athletes from nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the modern Olympic Games.Many...
—the ancient games were in a sense international, because various Greek city-states
Polis
Polis , plural poleis , literally means city in Greek. It could also mean citizenship and body of citizens. In modern historiography "polis" is normally used to indicate the ancient Greek city-states, like Classical Athens and its contemporaries, so polis is often translated as "city-state."The...
and colonies were represented, but only free male athletes of Greek origin were allowed to participate. In 1890, Coubertin wrote an article in La Revue Athletique, which espoused the importance of Much Wenlock
Much Wenlock
Much Wenlock, earlier known as Wenlock, is a small town in central Shropshire, England. It is situated on the A458 road between Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth. Nearby, to the northeast, is the Ironbridge Gorge, and the new town of Telford...
—a rural market town in the English county of Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
. It was here that, in October 1850, the local physician William Penny Brookes had founded the Wenlock Olympian Games
Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games
The Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games, dating from 1850, are a forerunner of the modern Olympic Games. They are held each year in Much Wenlock in Shropshire, England.-Overview:...
, a festival of sports and recreations that included athletics and team sports, such as cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, football and quoits
Quoits
Quoits is a traditional game which involves the throwing of metal, rope or rubber rings over a set distance, usually to land over or near a spike . The sport of quoits encompasses several distinct variations.-The history of quoits:The history of quoits is disputed...
. Coubertin also took inspiration from the earlier Greek games organized under the name of Olympics
Zappas Olympics
The Zappas Olympics , simply called Olympics at the time, were a series of athletic events held in Athens, Greece, in 1859, 1870, and 1875 sponsored by the Greek businessman Evangelis Zappas. These games were the first revival of the ancient Olympic Games in the modern era...
by businessman and philanthropist Evangelis Zappas in 1859, 1870 and 1875. The 1896 Athens Games was funded by the legacies of Evangelis Zappas and his cousin Konstantinos Zappas
Konstantinos Zappas
Konstantinos Zappas was a Greek entrepreneur and national benefactor. Together with his cousin Evangelis Zappas he played an essential role in the revival of the Olympic Games....
and by George Averoff
George Averoff
George M. Averoff , alternately Georgios Averof , was a Greek businessman and philanthropist of Aromanian origin....
who had been specifically requested by the Greek government, through crown prince Constantine, to sponsor the second refurbishment of the Panathinaiko Stadium
Panathinaiko Stadium
The Panathinaiko or Panathenaic Stadium , also known as the Kallimarmaro , is an athletic stadium in Athens that hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896...
. This the Greek government did despite the fact that the cost of refurbishing the stadium in marble had already been funded in full by Evangelis Zappas forty years earlier.
On June 18, 1894, Coubertin organized a congress at the Sorbonne
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, in Paris, to present his plans to representatives of sports societies from 11 countries. Following his proposal's acceptance by the congress, a date for the first modern Olympic Games needed to be chosen. Coubertin suggested that the Games be held concurrently with the 1900 Universal Exposition
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
of Paris. Concerned that a six-year waiting period might lessen public interest, congress members opted instead to hold the inaugural Games in 1896. With a date established, members of the congress turned their attention to the selection of a host city.
It remains a mystery how Athens was finally chosen to host the inaugural Games. In the following years both Coubertin and Demetrius Vikelas
Demetrius Vikelas
Demetrios Vikelas, or Bikelas was a Greek businessman and writer; he was the first president of the International Olympic Committee , from 1894 to 1896....
would offer recollections of the selection process that contradicted the official minutes of the congress. Most accounts hold that several congressmen first proposed London as the location, but Coubertin dissented. After a brief discussion with Vikelas, who represented Greece, Coubertin suggested Athens. Vikelas made the Athens proposal official on June 23, and since Greece had been the original home of the Olympics, the congress unanimously approved the decision. Vikelas was then elected the first president of the newly established International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC).
Organization
Constantine I of Greece
Constantine I was King of Greece from 1913 to 1917 and from 1920 to 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and led the Greek forces during the successful Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, in which Greece won Thessaloniki and doubled in...
learned with great pleasure that the Games will be inaugurated in Athens." Coubertin went on to confirm that, "the King and the Crown Prince will confer their patronage on the holding of these games." Constantine later conferred more than that; he eagerly assumed the presidency of the 1896 organizing committee.
However, the country had financial troubles and was in political turmoil. The job of prime minister alternated between Charilaos Trikoupis
Charilaos Trikoupis
Charilaos Trikoupis was a Greek politician who served as a Prime Minister of Greece seven times from 1875 until 1895....
and Theodoros Deligiannis
Theodoros Deligiannis
Theodoros Deligiannis, also spelled Delijannis and Deliyannis, , was a Greek statesman.-Life:He was born at Lagkadia, Arcadia. He studied law in Athens, and in 1843 entered the Ministry of the Interior, of which department he became permanent secretary in 1859. In 1862, on the deposition of King...
frequently during the last years of the 19th century. Because of this financial and political instability, both prime minister Trikoupis and Stephanos Dragoumis
Stephanos Dragoumis
Stephanos Dragoumis was a judge, writer and Prime Minister of Greece in January-October 1910. He was the father of Ion Dragoumis.-Early years:...
, the president of the Zappas Olympic Committee, which had attempted to organize a series of national Olympiads, believed that Greece could not host the event. In late 1894, the organizing committee under Stephanos Skouloudis
Stephanos Skouloudis
Stephanos Skouloudis was a Greek banker, diplomat and prime minister.- Early life :He was born in Istanbul on November 23, 1838. His parents, John and Zena Skouloudis, were originally from Crete and his father was a businessman in Constantinople, where Skouloudis completed grade school...
presented a report that the cost of the Games would be three times higher than originally estimated by Coubertin. They concluded the Games could not be held, and offered their resignation. The total cost of the Games was 3,740,000 gold drachmas.
His first responsibility was to raise the funds necessary to host the Games. He relied on the patriotism of the Greek people to motivate them to provide the required finances. Constantine's enthusiasm sparked a wave of contributions from the Greek public. This grassroots effort raised 330,000 drachmas. A special set of postage stamps were commissioned; the sale of which raised 400,000 drachmas. Ticket sales added an additional 200,000 drachmas. At the request of Constantine, businessman George Averoff
George Averoff
George M. Averoff , alternately Georgios Averof , was a Greek businessman and philanthropist of Aromanian origin....
agreed to pay for the restoration of the Panathinaiko Stadium. Averoff would donate 920,000 drachmas to this project. As a tribute to his generosity, a statue of Averoff was constructed and unveiled on April 5, 1896 outside the stadium. It stands there to this day.
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
Diplomatic mission
A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one state or an international inter-governmental organisation present in another state to represent the sending state/organisation in the receiving state...
). A designated Olympic Village
Olympic Village
An Olympic Village is an accommodation centre built for an Olympic Games, usually within an Olympic Park or elsewhere in a host city. Olympic Villages are built to house all participating athletes, as well as officials, athletic trainers, and other staff. Since the Munich Massacre at the 1972...
for the athletes did not appear until the 1932 Summer Olympics
1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations...
. Consequently the athletes had to provide their own lodging.
Venues
| Venue | Sports | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Panathinaiko Stadium Panathinaiko Stadium The Panathinaiko or Panathenaic Stadium , also known as the Kallimarmaro , is an athletic stadium in Athens that hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896... |
Athletics Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, twelve athletics events were contested. All of the events except the marathon were held in the Panathinaiko Stadium, which was also the finish for the marathon. Events were held on 6 April, 7 April, 9 April, and 10 April 1896 . 64 athletes, all men, from ten nations... , Gymnastics Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, eight gymnastics events, all for men, were contested in Panathinaiko Stadium. They were organized and prepared by the Sub-Committee for Wrestling and Gymnastics. Events took place on 9 April, 10 April, and 11 April 1896... , Weightlifting Weightlifting at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, two weightlifting events were contested . The top two places were won by the same two men in each event, though their order was reversed for the two events. The bronze medals were split by the two Greek weightlifters. A total of seven men from five nations competed... and Wrestling Wrestling at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, one wrestling event was contested. It was organized and prepared by the Sub-Committee for Wrestling and Gymnastics... |
80,000 |
| Bay of Zea Bay of Zea The Bay of Zea, since Ottoman times and until recently known as Pasalimani , is a broad bay located at the eastern coast of the Piraeus peninsula in Greece. It hosted the swimming events at the 1896 Summer Olympics held in Athens... |
Swimming Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, four swimming events were contested, all for men. They were planned and organized by the Sub-Committee for Nautical Sports. All events took place on 11 April in the Bay of Zea... |
|
| Athens Lawn Tennis Club Athens Lawn Tennis Club The Athens Lawn Tennis Club is a tennis club founded in Athens, Greece in 1895. The club hosted the tennis events for the 1896 Summer Olympics.The club now has courts for both squash and tennis.-Reference:* &... |
Tennis Tennis at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, two tennis events were contested, both for men. They were begun on 8 April and continued on 9 April, 10 April, and 11 April. 13 competitors from 6 nations, including 7 Greeks, took part in the tennis competition... |
|
| Kallithea Kallithea Kallithea is the 8th largest municipality in Greece and the 4th biggest in the Athens urban area... |
Shooting Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, five sport shooting events were contested. These events took place at the newly constructed shooting range at Kallithea. They were organized and prepared by the Sub-Committee for Shooting... |
|
| Neo Phaliron Velodrome Neo Phaliron Velodrome The Neo Phaliron Velodrome was a velodrome and sports arena in Athens, Greece, used for the cycling events at the 1896 Summer Olympics, which was later to be the Karaiskakis Stadium.-Reference:... |
Cycling Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, six cycling events were contested at the Neo Phaliron Velodrome. They were organized and prepared by the Sub-Committee for Cycling. Events were held on 8 April, 11 April, 12 April and 13 April 1896... |
|
| Zappeion Zappeion The Zappeion is a building in the National Gardens of Athens in the heart of Athens, Greece. It is generally used for meetings and ceremonies, both official and private.-Constructing the Zappeion:... |
Fencing Fencing at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, three fencing events were contested at the Zappeion. They were prepared and organized by the Sub-Committee for Fencing. The épée event for men was cancelled. All fencing was done to three touches. Events were held on 7 April and 9 April 1896... |
Calendar
| ● | Opening ceremony | ● | Event competitions | ● | Event finals | ● | Closing ceremony |
| April | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceremonies | ● | ● | ||||||||
| Athletics Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, twelve athletics events were contested. All of the events except the marathon were held in the Panathinaiko Stadium, which was also the finish for the marathon. Events were held on 6 April, 7 April, 9 April, and 10 April 1896 . 64 athletes, all men, from ten nations... |
● Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metres The men's 100 metres race was the first event run at the modern Olympics, on 6 April 1896. It was the shortest race on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. 21 athletes were entered in the first round, divided into three heats of seven runners, but six of them later withdrew... ● Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's triple jump The men's triple jump was one of four jumping events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. There were 7 competitors in the triple jump, then known as the "hop, skip, and jump" despite the wide range of techniques used by the competitors. The event was held on 6 April,... ● Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 800 metres The men's 800 metres race was the second-longest of the four flat-track events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The preliminary heats were the third event held on 6 April. The nine competitors were split into two groups... ● Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's discus throw The men's discus throw was one of two throwing events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The discus throw was the fourth event held. It was contested on 6 April... ● Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres The men's 400 metres race was the second-shortest of the flat-track events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The competition's preliminary round was the last held on the first day, 6 April. The competitors were split into two groups... |
● Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 110 metre hurdles The men's 110 metres hurdles was the only hurdling event on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The preliminary heats were the first track event of the day on 7 April. Eight competitors ran in two heats of four runners each. Only the fastest two runners in each heat advanced to... ● Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's long jump The men's long jump was one of four jumping events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. There were nine contestants in the long jump, held on 7 April. The American jumpers proved themselves dominant in taking the top three spots... ● Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres The men's 400 metres race was the second-shortest of the flat-track events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The competition's preliminary round was the last held on the first day, 6 April. The competitors were split into two groups... ● Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's shot put The men's shot put was one of two throwing events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. 7 athletes took part in the shot put competition on 7 April. The two Greek athletes both won medals, with Gouskos battling closely with Garrett of the United States for the longest... ● Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 1500 metres The men's 1500 metres race, the longest flat-track race of the 1896 Summer Olympics programme, was the last event on 7 April. It was run in a single heat, with eight athletes competing.... |
● Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 800 metres The men's 800 metres race was the second-longest of the four flat-track events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The preliminary heats were the third event held on 6 April. The nine competitors were split into two groups... |
● Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metres The men's 100 metres race was the first event run at the modern Olympics, on 6 April 1896. It was the shortest race on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. 21 athletes were entered in the first round, divided into three heats of seven runners, but six of them later withdrew... ● Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's high jump The men's high jump was one of four jumping events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The high jump was held on 10 April. Five competitors took part in the event, three of them Americans. Ellery Clark, who had previously won the long jump, also won this event... ● Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 110 metre hurdles The men's 110 metres hurdles was the only hurdling event on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The preliminary heats were the first track event of the day on 7 April. Eight competitors ran in two heats of four runners each. Only the fastest two runners in each heat advanced to... ● Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's pole vault The men's pole vault was one of four jumping events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme.Five athletes competed in the pole vault. The two Americans far outclassed the three Greeks, starting at heights above those which the Greeks could clear and taking first and second places... ● Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's marathon The men's marathon event was a special race invented as part of the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. Michel Bréal originated the idea of a race from the city of Marathon to Athens, taking inspiration from the legend of Pheidippides... |
||||||
| Cycling Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, six cycling events were contested at the Neo Phaliron Velodrome. They were organized and prepared by the Sub-Committee for Cycling. Events were held on 8 April, 11 April, 12 April and 13 April 1896... |
● Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 kilometres The men's 100 kilometres was one of five track cycling events on the Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was the first race held, on 8 April. It required cyclists to complete 300 circuits of the track.-Results:... |
● Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's sprint The men's sprint was one of the five track cycling events on the Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was held on 11 April as the second event on the schedule. It was held over the distance of 2 kilometres, or six laps of the track.-Results:... ● Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 10 kilometres The men's 10 kilometres was one of the five track cycling races on the Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was held on 11 April and comprised 30 laps of the track.-Results:Six competitors entered the third cycling race... ● Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's time trial The men's time trial was one of 5 track cycling events on the Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fourth event on the cycling schedule and was held on 11 April... |
● Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's road race The men's road race was the only road cycling event on the Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The course was 87 kilometres long and the race was held on 12 April.-Results:... |
● Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 12 hour race The men's 12 hour race was one of five track cycling events on the Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was the final event of the 1896 Summer Olympics, ending at 5 p.m. on 12 April.-Results:... |
||||||
| Fencing Fencing at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, three fencing events were contested at the Zappeion. They were prepared and organized by the Sub-Committee for Fencing. The épée event for men was cancelled. All fencing was done to three touches. Events were held on 7 April and 9 April 1896... |
● Fencing at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's foil The men's foil was one of three fencing events on the Fencing at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was held on the second day of competition, 7 April. Eight fencers took part, with the preliminary fencing involving a round-robin held in two groups. The first group was... ● Fencing at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's masters foil The men's masters foil was one of three fencing events on the Fencing at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was the only event at the Games for professional athletes and was held immediately after the amateur event on 7 April. It consisted of a single match, between Leonidas Pyrgos of Greece... |
● Fencing at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's sabre The men's sabre was one of three fencing events on the Fencing at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was held on 9 April, the fourth day of competition.... |
||||||||
| Gymnastics Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, eight gymnastics events, all for men, were contested in Panathinaiko Stadium. They were organized and prepared by the Sub-Committee for Wrestling and Gymnastics. Events took place on 9 April, 10 April, and 11 April 1896... |
● Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's team parallel bars The men's team parallel bars was the first of eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was held on 9 April. Three teams took part, one German and two Greek. The German team won the competition.-Results:... ● Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's team horizontal bar The men's team horizontal bar was the second of eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was conducted on 9 April. Only one team, from Germany, competed.-Results:... ● Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's vault The men's vault was one of the eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The third event, it was held on 9 April. 15 athletes from five nations competed. The Germans captured the gold and bronze medals, while Zutter won the silver for... ● Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's pommel horse The men's pommel horse was one of eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The pommel horse was the fourth event held on 9 April. 15 athletes from five nations started the pommel horse exercise... ● Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's rings The men's rings was one of eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The fifth event, it was held on 9 April. The Greeks won the gold and bronze medals, with Hermann Weingärtner winning his fifth medal... ● Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's horizontal bar The men's horizontal bar was one of eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was held on 9 April, as the sixth gymnastics event. 16 athletes from four nations entered the competition... |
● Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's parallel bars The men's parallel bars was one of eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The parallel bars event was held on 10 April, the seventh gymnastics event to be held... ● Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's rope climbing The men's rope climbing was one of eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The final event in the gymnastics competition, rope climbing was held on 10 April. The rope was 14 metres long, suspended from a frame... |
||||||||
| Shooting Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, five sport shooting events were contested. These events took place at the newly constructed shooting range at Kallithea. They were organized and prepared by the Sub-Committee for Shooting... |
● Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's military rifle The men's military rifle event was one of five sport shooting events on the Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was held at a distance of 200 metres, on 8 April and 9 April, with each shooter firing half of his shots on the first day and half the second. Shooters fired four strings... |
● Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's military rifle The men's military rifle event was one of five sport shooting events on the Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was held at a distance of 200 metres, on 8 April and 9 April, with each shooter firing half of his shots on the first day and half the second. Shooters fired four strings... |
● | ● Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's free pistol The men's free pistol was one of the five sport shooting events on the Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. Six competitors entered the 30 metre pistol event on 11 April. John Paine elected not to compete, leaving Sumner to win the event alone. The five competitors represented three... ● ● Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's free rifle The men's free rifle was one of the five sport shooting events on the Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The second rifle event and last of the shooting events, the free rifle was begun on 11 April. Each marksman fired 40 shots, in four strings of ten. 25 men entered the event,... |
● Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's free rifle The men's free rifle was one of the five sport shooting events on the Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The second rifle event and last of the shooting events, the free rifle was begun on 11 April. Each marksman fired 40 shots, in four strings of ten. 25 men entered the event,... |
|||||
| Swimming Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, four swimming events were contested, all for men. They were planned and organized by the Sub-Committee for Nautical Sports. All events took place on 11 April in the Bay of Zea... |
● Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metre freestyle The men's 100 metre freestyle was one of the four swimming events on the Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The 100 metre freestyle race was the first of the swimming events. 10 swimmers entered the race. The two competitors from Austria-Hungary finished in the top two places,... ● Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's sailors 100 metre freestyle The men's sailors 100 metre freestyle was one of the four swimming events on the Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The second swimming race was open only to sailors of the Greek Royal Navy. Eleven entered but only three actually took part in the event... ● Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 500 metre freestyle The men's 500 metre freestyle was one of the four swimming events on the Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme.Only three swimmers entered the 500 metre freestyle. Neumann added Austria's first gold medal to Herschmann's silver... ● Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 1200 metre freestyle The men's 1200 metre freestyle was one of the four swimming events on the Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme.The final swimming race was the longest. Despite having already won the 100 metre race, Hajós competed again in the 1,200 metres along with eight other swimmers. He won once... |
|||||||||
| Tennis Tennis at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, two tennis events were contested, both for men. They were begun on 8 April and continued on 9 April, 10 April, and 11 April. 13 competitors from 6 nations, including 7 Greeks, took part in the tennis competition... |
● Tennis at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's singles -References:... |
● Tennis at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's singles -References:... |
● Tennis at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's singles -References:... ● Tennis at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's doubles The men's doubles was one of two tennis events on the tennis at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The six pairs that entered were seeded into a single elimination tournament. Only five actually competed, hailing from four nations but entering as a pair of Greek teams and three mixed teams... |
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| Weightlifting Weightlifting at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, two weightlifting events were contested . The top two places were won by the same two men in each event, though their order was reversed for the two events. The bronze medals were split by the two Greek weightlifters. A total of seven men from five nations competed... |
● Weightlifting at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's two hand lift The men's two hand lift was one of two weightlifting events held as part of the Weightlifting at the 1896 Summer Olympics program. Lifters received three attempts. Each lifter performed one attempt before any began their second attempts. After each had lifted three times, the top three received... ● Weightlifting at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's one hand lift The men's one hand lift, an event similar to the modern snatch, was one of two weightlifting events in the Weightlifting at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. Lifters received three attempts. Each lifter performed one attempt before any began their second attempts... |
|||||||||
| Wrestling Wrestling at the 1896 Summer Olympics At the 1896 Summer Olympics, one wrestling event was contested. It was organized and prepared by the Sub-Committee for Wrestling and Gymnastics... |
● Wrestling at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's Greco-Roman -Quarterfinals:Stephanos Christopoulos of Greece faced Momcsilló Tapavicza of Hungary in the first match. The pair were nearly evenly matched, and the contest lasted until Tapovitsa eventually retired.... |
● Wrestling at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's Greco-Roman -Quarterfinals:Stephanos Christopoulos of Greece faced Momcsilló Tapavicza of Hungary in the first match. The pair were nearly evenly matched, and the contest lasted until Tapovitsa eventually retired.... |
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| April | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | 13th | 14th | 15th |
Opening ceremony
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
then in use in Greece), the games of the First Olympiad were officially opened; it was Easter Monday
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures...
for both the Western
Western Christianity
Western Christianity is a term used to include the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church and groups historically derivative thereof, including the churches of the Anglican and Protestant traditions, which share common attributes that can be traced back to their medieval heritage...
and Eastern Christian Churches
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
and the anniversary of Greece's independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
. The Panathinaiko Stadium was filled with an estimated 80,000 spectators, including King George I of Greece
George I of Greece
George I was King of Greece from 1863 to 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly, which had deposed the former king Otto. His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers...
, 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, nine bands and 150 choir singers performed an Olympic Hymn, composed by Spyridon Samaras
Spyridon Samaras
Spyridon-Filiskos Samaras was a Greek composer particularly admired for his operas who was part of the generation of composers that heralded the works of Giacomo Puccini...
, with words by poet Kostis Palamas
Kostis Palamas
Kostis Palamas was a Greek poet who wrote the words to the Olympic Hymn. He was a central figure of the Greek literary generation of the 1880s and one of the cofounders of the so-called New Athenian School along with Georgios Drosinis, Nikos Kampas, Ioanis Polemis.-Biography:Born in Patras, he...
. Thereafter, a variety of musical offerings provided the backgrounds to the Opening Ceremonies until 1960
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
, since which time the Samaras/Palamas composition has become the official Olympic Anthem (decision taken by the IOC Session in 1958). Other elements of current Olympic opening ceremonies were initiated later: the Olympic flame
Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...
was first lit in 1928
1928 Summer Olympics
The 1928 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Amsterdam had bid for the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games, but had to give way to war-victim Antwerp, Belgium, and Pierre de...
, the first athletes' oath was sworn at the 1920 Summer Olympics
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
, and the first officials' oath was taken at the 1972 Olympic Games
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
.
Events
At the 1894 Sorbonne congress, a large roster of sports were suggested for the program in Athens. The first official announcements regarding the sporting events to be held featured sports such as football and cricket, but these plans were never finalized, and these sports did not make the final list for the Games. RowingSport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
and yachting
Yachting
Yachting refers to recreational sailing or boating, the specific act of sailing or using other water vessels for sporting purposes.-Competitive sailing:...
were scheduled, but had to be canceled due to poor weather on the planned day of competition.
Athletics
The athletics events had the most international field of any of the sports. The major highlight was the marathonAthletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's marathon
The men's marathon event was a special race invented as part of the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. Michel Bréal originated the idea of a race from the city of Marathon to Athens, taking inspiration from the legend of Pheidippides...
, held for the first time in international competition. Spyridon Louis, a previously unrecognized water carrier, won the event to become the only Greek athletics champion and a national hero. Although Greece had been favored to win the discus
Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's discus throw
The men's discus throw was one of two throwing events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The discus throw was the fourth event held. It was contested on 6 April...
and the shot put
Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's shot put
The men's shot put was one of two throwing events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. 7 athletes took part in the shot put competition on 7 April. The two Greek athletes both won medals, with Gouskos battling closely with Garrett of the United States for the longest...
, the best Greek athletes finished just behind the American Robert Garrett
Robert Garrett
Robert Garrett was an American athlete. He was the first modern Olympic champion in discus throw and shot put.-Biography:...
in both events.
No world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
s were set, as few top international competitors had elected to compete. In addition, the curves of the track were very tight, making fast times in the running events virtually impossible. Despite this, Thomas Burke, of the United States, won the 100 meter
Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metres
The men's 100 metres race was the first event run at the modern Olympics, on 6 April 1896. It was the shortest race on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. 21 athletes were entered in the first round, divided into three heats of seven runners, but six of them later withdrew...
race in 12.0 seconds and the 400 meter
Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres
The men's 400 metres race was the second-shortest of the flat-track events on the Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The competition's preliminary round was the last held on the first day, 6 April. The competitors were split into two groups...
race in 54.2 seconds. Burke was the only one who used the "crouch start" (putting his knee on soil), confusing the jury. Eventually, he was allowed to start from this "uncomfortable position".
Cycling
International Cycling Association
The International Cycling Association was the first international body for cycle racing. It started in 1892 to establish a common definition of amateurism and to organise world championships...
were used for the cycling competitions. The track cycling
Track cycling
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles....
events were held at the newly built Neo Phaliron Velodrome
Neo Phaliron Velodrome
The Neo Phaliron Velodrome was a velodrome and sports arena in Athens, Greece, used for the cycling events at the 1896 Summer Olympics, which was later to be the Karaiskakis Stadium.-Reference:...
. Only one road event was held, a race from Athens to Marathon and back (87 kilometers).
In the track events, the best cyclist was Frenchman Paul Masson
Paul Masson (cyclist)
Paul Masson was a French cyclist. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.Masson competed in three different events, winning each one....
, who won the one lap time trial
Time trial
In many racing sports an athlete will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. In cycling, for example, a time trial can be a single track cycling event, or an individual or team time trial on the road, and either or both of the latter may form components of...
, the sprint event, and the 10,000 meters. In the 100 kilometers event, Masson entered as a pacemaker for his compatriot Léon Flameng
Léon Flameng
Léon Flameng was a French cyclist. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.Flameng competed in the 333 metres, 2 kilometres, 10 kilometres and 100 kilometres races. His best finish was in the longest of the races, as he finished the 100 kilometres with a time of 3:08:19.2 to win the...
. Flameng won the event, after a fall, and after stopping to wait for his Greek opponent Georgios Kolettis
Georgios Kolettis
Georgios Kolettis was a Greek cyclist. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.-Career:Kolettis competed in the 10 and 100 kilometres races. He finished second in the 100 kilometres, behind Léon Flameng of France. Kolettis and Flameng were the only two to finish. When Flameng crossed the...
to fix a mechanical problem. The Austrian fencer Adolf Schmal
Adolf Schmal
Felix Adolf Schmal was an Austrian fencer and racing cyclist. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens....
won the 12-hour race, which was completed by only two cyclists, while the road race event was won by Aristidis Konstantinidis
Aristidis Konstantinidis
Aristidis Konstantinidis was a Greek racing cyclist. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.-Olympic success in 1896:Konstantinidis competed in the 10 kilometres, 100 kilometres, and road races...
.
Fencing
Zappeion
The Zappeion is a building in the National Gardens of Athens in the heart of Athens, Greece. It is generally used for meetings and ceremonies, both official and private.-Constructing the Zappeion:...
, which, built with money Evangelis Zappas had given to revive the ancient Olympic Games, had never seen any athletic contests before. Unlike other sports (in which only amateurs were allowed to take part at the Olympics), professionals were allowed to compete in fencing, though in a separate event. These professionals were considered gentlemen athletes, just as the amateurs.
Four events were scheduled, but the épée event was cancelled for unknown reasons. The foil event
Fencing at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's foil
The men's foil was one of three fencing events on the Fencing at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was held on the second day of competition, 7 April. Eight fencers took part, with the preliminary fencing involving a round-robin held in two groups. The first group was...
was won by a Frenchman, Eugène-Henri Gravelotte
Eugène-Henri Gravelotte
Eugène-Henri Gravelotte was a French fencer. He was the first modern Olympic champion in foil, winning the event at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens....
, who beat his countryman, Henri Callot
Henri Callot
Henri Callot was a French fencer. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.Callot won the silver medal in the amateur foil event. He went undefeated in his preliminary round group, defeating Henri Delaborde, Perikles Pierrakos-Mavromichalis, and Ioannis Poulos...
, in the final. The other two events, the sabre
Fencing at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's sabre
The men's sabre was one of three fencing events on the Fencing at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was held on 9 April, the fourth day of competition....
and the masters foil
Fencing at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's masters foil
The men's masters foil was one of three fencing events on the Fencing at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was the only event at the Games for professional athletes and was held immediately after the amateur event on 7 April. It consisted of a single match, between Leonidas Pyrgos of Greece...
, were won by Greek fencers. Leonidas Pyrgos
Leonidas Pyrgos
Leonidas Pyrgos was a Greek fencer.-Career:Pyrgos was the first Greek Olympic medallist in the history of the modern Olympic Games, winning his fencing event of the 1896 Summer Olympics on 7 April 1896...
, who won the latter event, became the first Greek Olympic champion in the modern era.
Gymnastics
Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's team horizontal bar
The men's team horizontal bar was the second of eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was conducted on 9 April. Only one team, from Germany, competed.-Results:...
, the German team was unopposed. Three Germans added individual titles: Hermann Weingärtner
Hermann Weingärtner
Hermann Weingärtner was a German gymnast.He was born and died in Frankfurt .He started his career in his hometown at the local gymnastics club Frankfurter Turnverein 1860. Later on he moved to Berlin to compete for the Deutsche Turnerschaft.He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens...
won the horizontal bar event
Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's horizontal bar
The men's horizontal bar was one of eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was held on 9 April, as the sixth gymnastics event. 16 athletes from four nations entered the competition...
, Alfred Flatow
Alfred Flatow
Alfred Flatow was a German gymnast. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. He was Jewish....
won the parallel bars
Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's parallel bars
The men's parallel bars was one of eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The parallel bars event was held on 10 April, the seventh gymnastics event to be held...
; and Carl Schuhmann
Carl Schuhmann
Carl Schuhmann was a German athlete, who was born in Münster and won four Olympic titles in gymnastics and wrestling at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, becoming the most successful athlete at the inaugural Olympics of the modern era...
, who also competed successfully in wrestling, won the vault
Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's vault
The men's vault was one of the eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The third event, it was held on 9 April. 15 athletes from five nations competed. The Germans captured the gold and bronze medals, while Zutter won the silver for...
. Louis Zutter
Louis Zutter
Jules Alexis Louis Zutter was a Swiss gymnast. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens....
, a Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
gymnast, won the pommel horse
Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's pommel horse
The men's pommel horse was one of eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The pommel horse was the fourth event held on 9 April. 15 athletes from five nations started the pommel horse exercise...
, while Greeks Ioannis Mitropoulos
Ioannis Mitropoulos
Ioannis Mitropoulos was a Greek gymnast. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.Mitropoulos competed in both the individual and team events of the parallel bars, and the individual rings event. In the rings event, he gave Greece its first gold medal in gymnastics...
and Nikolaos Andriakopoulos
Nikolaos Andriakopoulos
Nikolaos Andriakopoulos was a Greek gymnast. He was a member of Panachaikos Gymnastikos Syllogos, that merged in 1923 with Gymnastiki Etaireia Patron to become Panachaiki Gymnastiki Enosi.-Olympics performances:...
were victorious in the rings
Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's rings
The men's rings was one of eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The fifth event, it was held on 9 April. The Greeks won the gold and bronze medals, with Hermann Weingärtner winning his fifth medal...
and rope climbing
Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's rope climbing
The men's rope climbing was one of eight gymnastics events on the Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The final event in the gymnastics competition, rope climbing was held on 10 April. The rope was 14 metres long, suspended from a frame...
events, respectively.
Shooting
Held at a range at KallitheaKallithea
Kallithea is the 8th largest municipality in Greece and the 4th biggest in the Athens urban area...
, the shooting
Shooting
Shooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman...
competition consisted of five events—two using a rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
and three with the pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
. The first event, the military rifle
Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's military rifle
The men's military rifle event was one of five sport shooting events on the Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. It was held at a distance of 200 metres, on 8 April and 9 April, with each shooter firing half of his shots on the first day and half the second. Shooters fired four strings...
, was won by Pantelis Karasevdas
Pantelis Karasevdas
Pantelis Karasevdas was a Greek shooter. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.-Career:Karasevdas competed in the military rifle event. He dominated the field, hitting the target with all 40 of his shots for a total score of 2,350. His score in the first string of 10 shots was...
, the only competitor to hit the target with all of his shots. The second event, for military pistols
Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 25 metre military pistol
The men's military pistol was one of the five sport shooting events on the Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme.16 competitors from four nations entered the military pistol match, held on 10 April. Each shot thirty rounds in five strings of six at a target 25 metres away. The winner,...
, was dominated by two American brothers: John and Sumner Paine
Sumner Paine
Sumner Paine was an American shooter. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.Paine entered all three of the pistol events in the 1896 Games...
became the first siblings to finish first and second in the same event. 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
Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's free pistol
The men's free pistol was one of the five sport shooting events on the Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. Six competitors entered the 30 metre pistol event on 11 April. John Paine elected not to compete, leaving Sumner to win the event alone. The five competitors represented three...
. Sumner Paine won that event, thereby becoming the first relative of an Olympic champion to become Olympic champion himself.
The Paine brothers did not compete in the 25 meter pistol event
Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 25 metre rapid fire pistol
The men's rapid fire pistol was one of the five sport shooting events on the Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. With the American Paine brothers disqualified from entering due to their armament not being of the required specification for the event , only four shooters entered the...
, as the event judges determined that their weapons were not of the required caliber. In their absence, Ioannis Phrangoudis
Ioannis Phrangoudis
Ioannis Frangoudis was a Greek Army officer who reached the rank of Lt General. He also competed in the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens as a shooter....
won. The final event, the free rifle
Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's free rifle
The men's free rifle was one of the five sport shooting events on the Shooting at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The second rifle event and last of the shooting events, the free rifle was begun on 11 April. Each marksman fired 40 shots, in four strings of ten. 25 men entered the event,...
, began on the same day. However, the event could not be completed due to darkness and was finalized the next morning, when Georgios Orphanidis
Georgios Orphanidis
Georgios Orphanidis was a Greek sports shooter. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens and at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London....
was crowned the champion.
Swimming
Bay of Zea
The Bay of Zea, since Ottoman times and until recently known as Pasalimani , is a broad bay located at the eastern coast of the Piraeus peninsula in Greece. It hosted the swimming events at the 1896 Summer Olympics held in Athens...
off the Piraeus
Piraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
coast to watch the events. The water in the bay was cold, and the competitors suffered during their races. There were three open events (men's 100 metre freestyle
Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metre freestyle
The men's 100 metre freestyle was one of the four swimming events on the Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The 100 metre freestyle race was the first of the swimming events. 10 swimmers entered the race. The two competitors from Austria-Hungary finished in the top two places,...
, men's 500 metre freestyle
Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 500 metre freestyle
The men's 500 metre freestyle was one of the four swimming events on the Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme.Only three swimmers entered the 500 metre freestyle. Neumann added Austria's first gold medal to Herschmann's silver...
, and men's 1200 metre freestyle
Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's 1200 metre freestyle
The men's 1200 metre freestyle was one of the four swimming events on the Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme.The final swimming race was the longest. Despite having already won the 100 metre race, Hajós competed again in the 1,200 metres along with eight other swimmers. He won once...
), in addition to a special event open only to Greek sailors
Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's sailors 100 metre freestyle
The men's sailors 100 metre freestyle was one of the four swimming events on the Swimming at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The second swimming race was open only to sailors of the Greek Royal Navy. Eleven entered but only three actually took part in the event...
, all of which were held on the same day (April 11).
For Alfréd Hajós
Alfréd Hajós
Alfréd Hajós was a Hungarian swimmer and architect. He was the first modern Olympic swimming champion and the first Olympic champion of Hungary.-Biography:...
of Hungary, this meant he could only compete in two of the events, as they were held too close together, which made it impossible for him to adequately recuperate. Nevertheless, he won the two events in which he swam, the 100 and 1200 meter freestyle
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
. Hajós later became one of only two Olympians to win a medal in both the athletic and artistic competitions
Art competitions at the Olympic Games
Art competitions formed part of the modern Olympic Games during its early years, from 1912 to 1952. The competitions were part of the original intention of the Olympic Movement's founder, Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin...
, when he won a silver medal for architecture in 1924. The 500 meter freestyle was won by Austrian swimmer Paul Neumann
Paul Neumann (swimmer)
Paul Neumann was an Austrian swimmer and physician, who competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens and became the first Austrian gold medalist ever.-Biography:...
, who defeated his opponents by more than a minute and a half.
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. The competition was held at the courts of the Athens Lawn Tennis ClubAthens Lawn Tennis Club
The Athens Lawn Tennis Club is a tennis club founded in Athens, Greece in 1895. The club hosted the tennis events for the 1896 Summer Olympics.The club now has courts for both squash and tennis.-Reference:* &...
, and the infield of the velodrome used for the cycling events. John Pius Boland
John Pius Boland
John Mary Pius Boland was an Irish Nationalist politician, and Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and as member of the Irish Parliamentary Party for South Kerry 1900-1918...
, who won the event, had been entered in the competition by a fellow-student of his at Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
; the Greek, Konstantinos Manos. As a member of the Athens Lawn Tennis sub-committee, Manos had been trying, with the assistance of Boland, to recruit competitors for the Athens Games from among the sporting circles of Oxford University. In the first round, Boland defeated Friedrich Traun
Friedrich Traun
Friedrich Adolph Traun was a German athlete and tennis player.He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens — the first modern Olympic games...
, a promising tennis player from Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, who had been eliminated in the 100 meter sprint competition. Boland and Traun 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
Panathinaiko Stadium
The Panathinaiko or Panathenaic Stadium , also known as the Kallimarmaro , is an athletic stadium in Athens that hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896...
, and there were no weight limits. The first event was held in a style now known as the "clean and jerk
Clean and jerk
The clean and jerk is one of the two Olympic weightlifting events .The clean portion of the lift refers to the lifter explosively pulling the weight from the floor to a racked position across deltoids and clavicles...
". Two competitors stood out: Scotsman Launceston Elliot
Launceston Elliot
Launceston Elliot was a Scottish weightlifter. He was the first British Olympic champion.Launceston Elliot was born in India. His family was an established part of the Scottish aristocracy with Lord Minto being head of the family which had strong connections with India. The 4th Earl Minto served...
and Viggo Jensen
Viggo Jensen
Alexander Viggo Jensen was a Danish weightlifter, shooter, gymnast, and athlete. He was the first Danish Olympic champion, at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens....
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 to make further attempts, but neither lifter improved, and Jensen was declared the champion.
Elliot got his revenge in the one hand lift
Weightlifting at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's one hand lift
The men's one hand lift, an event similar to the modern snatch, was one of two weightlifting events in the Weightlifting at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. Lifters received three attempts. Each lifter performed one attempt before any began their second attempts...
event, which was held immediately after the two-handed one. Jensen had been slightly injured during his last two-handed attempt, and was no match for Elliot, who won the competition easily. The Greek audience was charmed by the Scottish victor, whom they considered very attractive. A curious incident occurred during the weightlifting event: a servant was ordered to remove the weights, which appeared to be a difficult task for him. Prince George came to his assistance; he picked up the weight and threw it a considerable distance with ease, to the delight of the crowd.
Wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practised worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can...
, 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 the competitors had previously been active in other sports. Weightlifting champion Launceston Elliot faced gymnastics champion Carl Schuhmann. The latter won and advanced into the final, where he met Georgios Tsitas
Georgios Tsitas
Georgios Tsitas was a Greek wrestler. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.In the first round of the wrestling competition, held in a roughly Greco-Roman format, Tsitas had a bye to guarantee a top three finish before he even had a match. The semifinal pitted Tsitas against fellow...
, who had previously defeated Stephanos Christopoulos
Stephanos Christopoulos
Stephanos Christopoulos was a Greek wrestler. He was a member of Gymnastiki Etaireia Patron, that merged in 1923 with Panachaikos Gymnastikos syllogos to become Panachaiki Gymnastiki Enosi.Christopoulos competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens...
. Darkness forced the final match to be suspended after 40 minutes; it was continued the following day, when Schuhmann needed only a quarter of an hour to finish the bout.
Closing ceremony
On the morning of Sunday April 12, King George organized a banquet for officials and athletes (even though some competitions had not yet been held). During his speech, he made clear that, as far as he was concerned, the Olympics should be held in Athens permanently. The official closing ceremony was held the following Wednesday, after 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 in ancient GreekAncient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
by George S. Robertson
George S. Robertson
George Stuart Robertson was a British athlete, tennis player, and classical scholar. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens....
, a British athlete and scholar.
Afterwards, the king awarded prizes to the winners. Unlike today, the first place winners received silver medals, an olive branch and a diploma. Athletes who placed second received copper medals, a branch of laurel and a diploma. Third place winners did not receive a medal. Some winners also received additional prizes, such as Spyridon Louis, who received a cup from Michel Bréal
Michel Bréal
"Breal" redirects here. For the Rapper see B-RealMichel Jules Alfred Bréal , French philologist, was born at Landau in Rhenish Bavaria. He is often identified as a founder of modern semantics....
, a friend of Coubertin, who had conceived the marathon event. Louis then led the medalists on a lap of honor around the stadium, while the Olympic Hymn was played again. The King then formally announced that the first Olympiad was at an end, and left the Stadium, while the band played the Greek national hymn and the crowd cheered.
Like the Greek king, many others supported the idea of holding the next Games in Athens; most of the American competitors signed a letter to the Crown Prince expressing this wish. 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 somewhat over-shadowed by the concurrently held Universal Exposition
Exposition Universelle (1900)
The Exposition Universelle of 1900 was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from April 15 to November 12, 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next...
.
Participating nations
Dionysios Kasdaglis
Dionysios Kasdaglis was a Greek-Egyptian tennis player. He competed in the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.-Career:Kasdaglis, the only competitor from Egypt, made it to the finals in both the singles and doubles events...
' participation. Belgium and Russia had entered the names of competitors, but withdrew.
- – AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
was not an independent nation until 1901, but the results of Edwin Flack are typically given with him listed as Australian. - – Austria was part of Austria–Hungary at the time, though the results of AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n athletes are typically reported separately. - – The Bulgarian Olympic CommitteeBulgarian Olympic CommitteeThe Bulgarian Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization serving as the National Olympic Committee of Bulgaria and a part of the International Olympic Committee...
claims that gymnast Charles ChampaudCharles ChampaudCharles Champaud , Bulgarianized Charles Shampov , was a Swiss gymnast. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.Champaud competed in the parallel bars, vault, and pommel horse events...
was competing as a Bulgarian. Champaud was a Swiss national living in Bulgaria. Mallon and de Wael both list Champaud as Swiss. - – The Chilean Olympic Committee claims to have had one athlete, Luis SubercaseauxLuis SubercaseauxLuis Subercaseaux Errázuriz was a Chilean diplomat and athlete. He is claimed to be the first Chilean and South American sportsman to have competed in the Olympic Games, at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens....
, compete in the 100, 400, and 800 meter races in the athletics programme. No further details are given, and no mention is made of Subercaseaux in de Wael, or the Official Report. - – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
has historically maintained separate athletic organisations for each of its constituent countries. 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". - – Greek results typically include the results of competitors from Cyprus, SmyrnaSmyrnaSmyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
and Egypt. Some sources give CypriotCyprusCyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
results separately, though most count Anastasios AndreouAnastasios AndreouAnastasios Andreou was a Greek athlete from Cyprus. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.He was born in Limassol in 1877. He studied at the Greek School of Limassol where he was declared Multi-victorious Champion....
, a Greek-Cypriot and the only athlete from Cyprus, as Greek (Cyprus was a protectorate of the United Kingdom at the time). Kasdaglis, an athlete of Greek origins living in AlexandriaAlexandriaAlexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, Egypt, is listed by the IOC as Greek during his competition in the singles tennis competitionTennis at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's singles-References:...
but Kasdaglis and his doubles tennisTennis at the 1896 Summer Olympics - Men's doublesThe men's doubles was one of two tennis events on the tennis at the 1896 Summer Olympics programme. The six pairs that entered were seeded into a single elimination tournament. Only five actually competed, hailing from four nations but entering as a pair of Greek teams and three mixed teams...
teammate, Greek athlete Demetrios PetrokokkinosDemetrios PetrokokkinosDemetrios Petrokokkinos was a Greek tennis player. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.Petrokokkinos was defeated in the first round of the singles tournament by fellow Greek Evangelos Rallis. This put him in a six-way tie for eighth place among the thirteen man field.In the...
, are listed as a mixed team. - – 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 VojvodinaVojvodinaVojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
(now part of SerbiaSerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
) - – The most prominent Italian involved with the games, Carlo AiroldiCarlo AiroldiCarlo Airoldi was an Italian marathon runner, famous for walking to the 1896 Olympics.-Early life:Airoldi was born in Origgio near Saronno, to a farming family...
, was deemed a professional and excluded from competition. However, the shooter listed by name simply as RivabellaRivabellaGiuseppe Rivabella was an Italian shooter. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens.Rivabella competed in the military rifle event...
was also Italian and did compete.
Medal count
During these inaugural Olympics, winners were given a silver medal, an olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
branch, and a diploma, while runners-up received a copper medal a laurel
Bay Laurel
The bay laurel , also known as sweet bay, bay tree, true laurel, Grecian laurel, laurel tree, or simply laurel, is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glossy leaves, native to the Mediterranean region. It is the source of the bay leaf used in cooking...
branch, and diploma. The IOC has retroactively assigned gold, silver and bronze medals to the three best placed athletes in each event to comport with more recent traditions.
Female competitors
Women were not allowed to compete at the 1896 Summer Olympics. One, named Stamata RevithiStamata Revithi
Stamata Revithi was a Greek woman who ran the 40-kilometre marathon during the 1896 Summer Olympics. The Games excluded women from competition, but Revithi insisted that she be allowed to run...
, the mother of a 17-month-old boy, ran the marathon course on April 11, the day after the men had run the official race. Although she was not allowed to enter the stadium at the end of her race, Revithi finished the marathon in about five hours and 30 minutes, and found witnesses to sign their names and verify the running time. Revithi intended to present this documentation to the Hellenic Olympic Committee
Hellenic Olympic Committee
Hellenic Olympic Committee also known as Comité Olympique Hellénique is the governing Olympic body of Greece. It is one of the oldest National Olympic Committees in the world, being founded in 1894 and recognised in 1895....
, hoping that they would recognize her achievement. Neither her reports nor documents from the Hellenic Olympic Committee have been discovered to provide corroboration.