The
1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the
Games of the V Olympiad, were an international
multi-sport eventA 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...
held in
StockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, between 5 May and 27 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,407 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports. With the exception of tennis (starting on May 5), football and shooting (both starting on June 29), the games were held within a month. It was the last to issue solid gold medals and, with
Japan'sJapan competed at the Summer Olympic Games for the first time at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden.-Athletics:Two athletes represented Japan in that nation's Olympic debut. Mishima advanced to the semifinals in one of his three events, but did not start the semifinal race...
debut, the first time an Asian nation participated. Stockholm was the only bid for the games, and was selected in 1909. It is the only full Olympics to be held in Sweden.
The games were the first to have
art competitionsArt competitions were held as part of the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. It was the first time that art competitions were part of the Olympic program...
, and the first to feature the decathlon and pentathlon, both won by
Jim ThorpeJacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
,
women's divingAt the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, four diving events were contested. For the first time, women competed in diving at the Olympic Games...
and
women's swimmingAt the 1912 Summer Olympics, nine swimming events were contested. Swimming events were held in a 100 m course built in Stockholm harbor. For the first time, women's events were part of the Olympic swimming program. The competitions were held from Saturday July 6, 1912 to Friday July 12, 1912...
. Electric timing was introduced in
athleticsThese are the results of athletics competition at the 1912 Summer Olympics. 30 events were contested, all for men only.The athletics programme grew by 4 events since the 1908 Summer Olympics. The 5000 and 10000 metre races were introduced for the first time, as the 5 mile event was eliminated...
, while the host country disallowed
boxingBoxing has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since its introduction to the program at the 1904 Summer Olympics, except for the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, because Swedish law banned the sport at the time. The 2008 Summer Olympics was the final games with boxing as a male only event...
. A winter sports week featuring figure skating was rejected by organizers because they wanted to promote the
Nordic GamesThe Nordic Games was the first international multi-sport event that focused primarily on winter sports, and was held at varying intervals between 1901 and 1926. It was organized by Sweden’s Central Association for the Promotion of Sports, and more specifically by Viktor Balck, a member of that...
.
At 25, The
United StatesThe United States competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Out of the 2,547 athletes who had participated, 63 won medals.- Gold:The United States won 25 gold medals in the 1912 Summer Olympics.* Athletics...
won the most gold medals, while at 65,
SwedenSweden was the host nation for the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm.-Medalists:-Diving:-Swimming:-Water polo:QuarterfinalsSemifinalsRepechage second roundSilver medal match-Athletics:...
won the most medals overall.
Highlights
- Portuguese Francisco Lázaro
Francisco Lázaro was the first Portuguese Olympic marathon runner and standard bearer of the Portuguese legation in the nation's first ever Olympic games, the 1912 Summer Olympics, in Stockholm, Sweden....
died from a heart attack while running the marathon, the first athlete in the history of the modern Olympics to die during competition.
- A Greco-Roman Wrestling bout between Martin Klein
Martin Klein was an Estonian wrestler who competed for the Russian Empire and took part in the 1912 Summer Olympics.He won the silver medal in the middleweight class...
and Alfred AsikainenAlfred Johan "Alpo" Asikainen was a Finnish wrestler who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.He won the bronze medal in the middleweight class.-External links:*...
lasted 11 hours and forty minutes—the world's longest wrestling match. After Klein finally took the victory, he was too tired to compete in the final. Thus Johansson, the other wrestler to make the final-three to determine the medals, whose only loss in the elimination rounds had been the double loss to Asikainen, became the gold medalist.
- American Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
won the pentathlonA pentathlon is a contest featuring five different events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente and -athlon . The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games...
and the newly created decathlonThe decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
. He was disqualified because of violation of the rules of amateurism, even though these rules were applied inconsistently at the time. After evidence concerning these inconsistencies was presented to the International Olympic Committee, the IOC decided in 1982 to posthumously reinstate Thorpe's name as the true winner of the contests he had won, and to present his heirs with duplicate medals.
- The U.S. Olympic Team included 14 members of the Irish American Athletic Club
The Irish American Athletic Club was an amateur athletic organization, based in Queens, New York at the beginning of the 20th Century.-Early years:...
, including gold medalists George BonhagGeorge Valentine Bonhag was an American athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club and the New York City Police Department.He was born in Boston and died in New York City....
, Abel KiviatAbel Richard Kiviat was an American middle distance track event middle distance runner.-Career:...
, Pat McDonald and Mel SheppardMelvin Whinfield "Peerless Mel" Sheppard was an American athlete, member of the Irish American Athletic Club and winner of four gold medals at the 1908 Summer Olympics and 1912 Summer Olympics...
.
- Swedish marksman Oscar Swahn
Oscar Gomer Swahn was a Swedish shooter who competed at three Olympic games and won several medals....
became the oldest Olympic gold medalist (up to that time), at the age of 64, in the deer-shooting event.
- Women's events in swimming
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
and divingDiving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
were introduced.
- Sweden, as the host country, refused to allow boxing events.
- Future World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
GeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
George S. PattonGeorge Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
took part in the first modern pentathlonThe modern pentathlon is a sports contest that includes five events: pistol shooting, épée fencing, 200 m freestyle swimming, show jumping, and a 3 km cross-country run...
competition. Modern pentathlon was the idea of Pierre de CoubertinPierre 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...
.
- In athletics, electric timing devices were first used.
- This was the last Olympics where "private entries" were allowed (i.e. not part of a country's officially selected team). Arnold Jackson
Brigadier-General Arnold Nugent Strode Strode-Jackson CBE DSO & Three Bars was a British athlete, British Army officer, and a barrister. He was the winner of the 1500m at the 1912 Summer Olympics, in what was hailed at the time as "the greatest race ever run"...
was one such, winning the 1500m by 0.1 second, ahead of an American trio, who were strong favourites, in what was acclaimed at the time as "the greatest race ever run". He was aged 21 at the time. No one younger has ever won this event.
- Ewart Douglas Horsfall
Ewart Douglas Horsfall DFC, MC was a British rower who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics and in the 1920 Summer Olympics....
won his first two gold medals for Great Britain in rowing. He has widely been considered Britain's greatest rower prior to Steve Redgrave.
- 1912 saw the first 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...
, a tradition that was to be kept up until 1948The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
. Only two persons have won Olympic medals in both sport and art competitions. Walter WinansWalter W. Winans was an American marksman, horse breeder, sculptor, and painter who participated in the 1908 and 1912 Summer Olympics. He won two medals for shooting: a gold in 1908 and a silver in 1912. He also won a gold medal for his sculpture An American Trotter at Stockholm in 1912...
, an American who lived in England, won a gold medal as a marksman at the 1908 Summer Olympics in the running deer (double shot) competition. In 1912, he won another shooting medal — silver this time — in the running deer team competition as well as a gold medal for his sculpture An American trotter. The other Olympian with successes in both fields is Alfréd HajósAlfréd Hajós was a Hungarian swimmer and architect. He was the first modern Olympic swimming champion and the first Olympic champion of Hungary.-Biography:...
of HungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. As a swimmer, he won two gold medals at the 1896 Athens Olympics. Twenty-eight years later, he was awarded a silver medal in architecture for his stadium design, co-designed with Dezső Lauber.
- Kanakuri Shizō
was a Japanese marathon runner and one of the early leaders of track and field athletics in Japan. He has been celebrated as "Father of marathon" in Japan....
, a Japanese marathon runner went missing during the race. He lost consciousness during the race due to the heat and was cared for by a farming family. He returned to Japan without notifying race officials. He completed the race 50 years later with a (unofficial) time of 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 8 hours, 32 minutes and 20.3 seconds.
Medals awarded
- Athletics
These are the results of athletics competition at the 1912 Summer Olympics. 30 events were contested, all for men only.The athletics programme grew by 4 events since the 1908 Summer Olympics. The 5000 and 10000 metre races were introduced for the first time, as the 5 mile event was eliminated...
- Cycling
At the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, one cycling event was contested. This event was a time trial, which counts as individual race as well as for the team time trial. The competition was held on Sunday July 7, 1912...
- Diving
At the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, four diving events were contested. For the first time, women competed in diving at the Olympic Games...
- Equestrian
The equestrian program at the 1912 Summer Olympics included five medal events. There were individual competitions in dressage, eventing, and show jumping...
- Fencing
-Medal summary:-Medal table:-References:...
- Football
Football at the 1912 Summer Olympics was one of the 102 events at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. It was the fourth time football was on the Olympic schedule. The tournament was contested between 11 nations, all of them from Europe, with Great Britain winning the gold medals...
- Gymnastics
Four gymnastics events were held at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Including the display the competitions were held between July 6 and July 15, 1912...
- Modern pentathlon
Modern pentathlon was first contested at the Olympic Games at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. The sport was invented by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games.-Shooting:-Swimming:-Fencing:...
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RowingRowing at the 1912 Summer Olympics featured 4 events, for men only. All races were held in Djurgårdsbrunnsviken from Thursday, July 17 to Saturday, July 19, 1912.-Medal summary:-Bronze medals:...
SailingThe sailing at the 1912 Summer Olympics consisted of a total of four sailing classes . For each class two ordinary races were scheduled from July 19, 1912 to July 27, 1912 of the coast of Nynäshamn...
ShootingAt the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, 18 events in shooting were contested.-Medal summary:-Participating nations:A total of 283 sport shooters from 16 nations competed at the Stockholm Games:-Medal table:...
SwimmingAt the 1912 Summer Olympics, nine swimming events were contested. Swimming events were held in a 100 m course built in Stockholm harbor. For the first time, women's events were part of the Olympic swimming program. The competitions were held from Saturday July 6, 1912 to Friday July 12, 1912...
TennisAt the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden eight tennis events were contested.- Men's events :- Women's events :- Mixed events :- Participating nations :...
Tug of warThe tug of war contest at the 1912 Summer Olympics consisted of a single match, as only two teams entered the competition.Sweden was represented by the Stockholm Police, while Great Britain's team came from the defending champion City of London Police...
Water poloThe 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, saw the fourth water polo tournament at Olympics. All games took place in the newly built swimming stadium in Djurgårdsbrunnsviken from July 7 to July 16, 1912.-Medal summary:...
WrestlingAt the 1912 Summer Olympics, five wrestling events were contested. They were all for men in the Greco-Roman style. The Light Heavyweight match ended after a nine hour draw...
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Demonstration sport
- Baseball
Baseball had its first appearance at the 1912 Summer Olympics as an exhibition sport. A game was played between the United States, the nation where the game was developed, and Sweden, the host nation. The game was held on Monday, 15 July 1912 and started at 10 a.m...
- Glima
Venues
- Barkarby
Barkarby is a district of Järfälla Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden and part of the contiguously built-up Stockholm urban area.Barkarby has a station of the Stockholm commuter rail network.-1912 Summer Olympics:...
- Modern pentathlon (riding)
- Djurgårdsbrunnsviken
Djurgårdsbrunnsviken is a bay in central Stockholm, Sweden, together with the canal Djurgårdsbrunnskanalen forming the northern shore line of the island Djurgården...
- Diving, Modern pentathlon (swimming), Rowing, Swimming, Water polo
- Fältrittklubben
Fältrittklubben or the Stockholm Cross Country Riding Club is an equestrian club located in Stockholm, Sweden, established in 1886 by Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland. During the 1912 Summer Olympics, it hosted the endurance trials for the equestrian eventing competition.-Reference:* p. 221....
- Equestrian (eventing endurance)
- Kaknäs
Kaknäs is a district and a former village in Medieval times located in Stockholm, Sweden, as part of the Ladugårdsgärdet area. It is the site of several archeological finds and has given its name to Kaknästornet. During the 1912 Summer Olympics, it hosted several shooting events.The shooting part...
- Modern pentathlon (shooting)
- Liljeholmen
Liljeholmen is a district in South Stockholm, organized into the borough with the same name.In 1860 Liljeholmen became the first suburb outside Stockholm city limit...
- Cycling, Equestrian
- Lindarängen
Lindarängen is a location outside of Stockholm, Sweden. During the 1912 Summer Olympics, it hosted the steeplechase trials for the equestrian eventing competition.-Reference:* p. 605....
- Equestrian (eventing steeplechase)
- Mälaren
Lake Mälaren is the third-largest lake in Sweden, after Lakes Vänern and Vättern. Its area is 1,140 km² and its greatest depth is 64 m. Mälaren spans 120 kilometers from east to west...
- Cycling
- Nynäshamn
- Sailing
- Östermalm Athletic Grounds
The Östermalm Athletic Grounds is a sports venue located in the Östermalm district of Stockholm, Sweden. Completed in 1906, the facility played host to several sports during the 1912 Summer Olympics. These sports included equestrian, fencing , and tennis...
- Equestrian, Fencing, Modern pentathlon (fencing), Tennis
- Råsunda Stadium
Råsunda Fotbollstadion, also Råsundastadion, Råsunda Stadium or just Råsunda, is a Swedish national football stadium. It is located in Solna Municipality in Metropolitan Stockholm and named after Råsunda, a zone of Solna.-History:...
- Football, Shooting
- Stockholm Olympic Stadium - Athletics, Equestrian, Football, Gymnastics, Modern Pentathlon (running), Tug of War, Wrestling,
- Traneberg
Traneberg is a residential district in western Stockholm and part of the Bromma borough. For the 1912 Summer Olympics, it hosted some of the football competitions.-Reference:* p. 221. - accessed 8 July 2010....
- Football
Participating nations
28 nations competed in Stockholm, and for the first time they included the first Asian country,
JapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and the First Arab and African country,
EgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
Medal count
These are the top ten nations that won medals at the 1912 Games.
| 1 |
|
25 |
19 |
19 |
63 |
| 2 |
(host nation) |
24 |
24 |
17 |
65 |
| 3 |
|
10 |
15 |
16 |
41 |
| 4 |
|
9 |
8 |
9 |
26 |
| 5 |
|
7 |
4 |
3 |
14 |
| 6 |
|
5 |
13 |
7 |
25 |
| 7 |
|
4 |
2 |
0 |
6 |
| 8 |
|
4 |
1 |
4 |
9 |
| 9 |
|
3 |
2 |
3 |
8 |
| |
3 |
2 |
3 |
8 |