The first Olympic Games after Greek antiquity were held after a break of 1503 years! In many ways, the event was still very much an amateur contest. More than 300 athletes participated in the competition (but without the participation of women) from 13 countries: England, Austria, Australia, Bulgaria, Chile, Denmark, France, Greece, Germany, the United States, Switzerland, Sweden and Hungary, but the countries did not issue a formal representation.
These games brought many novelties to the competitions:
It was here that the American sprinter Thomas Burke, for the first time in history, started his race, a hundred meter sprint, with a slow start. He won the race for that start; his low start is standard in modern sprints.
The swimming competition was held offshore, with the winner of two races, Alfred Hajos from Hungary, winning despite being late to the start of the competition.
There is a rumor that has been going around for years about the winner of the marathon, a Greek named Sprindon Louis. Rumor has it that during the Springon Marathon Louis allowed himself to stop and take a break at an inn near the race course, and fortified himself by drinking plenty of good wine. After resting and drinking wine, the marathoner went back to the marathon and won it.
Paris 1900
The Games took place as part of an international exhibition illustrating technological progress, which is proof that the Games did not enjoy much prestige at the time. The Games lasted five and a half months, which took away from the emotional dynamics of a major event. In Paris, more than 1,300 athletes from 22 countries participated in the Games.
Some of the most interesting facts about those Games:
The athletes competed in the Bois de Boulogne park, where they also had to deal with tall grass and trees. The park was used for two competitions at the Games: Croquet and Tug-of-War.
The marathon was won by Frenchman Michel Theato. This Olympic gold medalist worked every day at his regular job as a bread vendor, and the sport of running had little in common with his job.
The winners of these Olympic Games did not receive medals. The prizes that were given were gifts such as slippers that prevented injuries or combs.
Saint Louis 1904
These Games were the next big flop with a complete lack of professionalism on the part of the event organizers. The competition involved 600 participants, of which about 540 were Americans. After the St. Louis Games, the existence and subsequent organization of the Olympic Games became a big question mark.
London 1908
The Olympic Games, which have been preserved in people’s memory as a great event, were elevated to that rank due to the highly respectable event that was held in London in 1908. For the first time the Olympic Games were held in professional manner, even though the organizers had very little time to prepare the competitions.
Athletes participated in these 2008 Games, including 37 women from 22 countries. It was in London that the famous words were spoken: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to participate; the essential thing in life is not to win but to fight well.” This quote captures the spirit of the Olympic Games and is used to this day.
A feature of these Games was also the stadium – Ciudad Blanca. With 80,000 spectators, it was a unique object: the public could watch the athletics, swimming and football competitions simultaneously, thanks to the fact that all the stands surrounded the athletic fields and tracks. This is the only stadium in the history of the Games. The Royal Family was the sponsorship of the Olympics that gave it its international prestige.
These Olympic Games, however, were not entirely without their shortcomings. Today, these shortcomings would be seen as unthinkable:
The judges at the competition were almost exclusively British, causing many to question their judgements, which favored their countrymen.
Traditionally, the marathon had a dramatic finish. Italy’s Dorando Pietri, who ran into the stadium for the first time and collapsed just before the finish line. In order to cross the finish line first, the spectators physically helped him up and helped him cross the finish line. Of course he was disqualified.
Stockholm 1912
Great Olympics was the excellent organization of the event matched with a high level of performance from the athletes. The prestige of the Olympics definitely gained as a result of these Games.
2,500 athletes from 28 countries representing all continents participated in the competition, which meant a significant increase in the popularity of the competitions, and the Games itself, in the world.
Olympic symbols and colors
5 Olympic rings signify the union of athletes in the five continents
Blue: Europe
Yellow: Asian
Black: African
Green: Australia and Oceania
Red: America
the olympic anthem
The Olympic anthem is a song adopted by the IOC in 1958. The authors are Greek artists. Kostis Palamas wrote the lyrics and the music was written by Spiros Samaras. The premiere of the Olympic Anthem took place during the Modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.
The words are as follows:
Immortal spirit of old,
Father of the true, the beautiful and the good,
Descend, appear, shed your light on us
On this ground and under this sky
Who has first witnessed your undying fame.
Give life and animation to those noble games!
Throw crowns of unfading flowers to the victors
In the race and in the fight!
Believe in our breasts, hearts of steel!
In your light, plains, mountains and seas
It glows in a pinkish hue and forms a vast temple.
To which all nations adore you more,
O immortal spirit of old!
Since 1896 years the Latin expression Citius – Altius – Fortius is the official motto of the Olympic Games. The expression, translated into English, simply means faster – higher – stronger. The author is a friend of Coubertin, the Dominican Henri le Didon. The content of this term refers not only to the physical aspect of the games, but also encompasses the moral and aesthetic purpose. It is widely accepted throughout the world and is an important hallmark of the modern philosophy of the Olympic Games.
the olympic mascot
The first Olympic mascot was the “Schuss”, a puppet skier. It functioned informally during the Grenoble Winter Games in 1968. Neither in Mexico in 1968 nor in Sapporo in 1972 had any mascot been present. A mascot was later present in Germany in Munich in 1972. The mascot was a “Waldi” dachshund, the first unofficial Olympic mascot. From then on, all subsequent Olympic Games, both winter and summer, had their own mascot. Since 1991, the presence of a mascot is sanctioned by the Olympic Charter
Mascots during the Olympics
1972 Dachshund – “Waldi” the dachshund
1976 Montreal – “Amika” the beaver
1980 Moscow – “Misha” the bear, a project by Joze Trobec
1984 Los Angeles – “Sam” the eagle, a Robert C. Moore project
1988 Seoul – “Hodori” the tiger, a Kim Hyon project
1992 Barcelona – “Kobi” the dog, a project by Javier Mariscal
1996 Atlanta – “Izzy” the mascot, a John Ryan project
2000 Sydney – “Syd”, “Mille” and “Olly”, a Matthew Hatton project
The official Olympic mascots were “Olly” the kingfisher, “Syd” the platypus, and Millie the short-beaked echidna. Their names are derived from the words for the Olympics, Sydney, and the millennium.
Athens 2004 – Athena and Apollo symbolize the sun, sky and sea of Greece.