The first Olympics after ancient Greece were held after a 1503-year hiatus! In many ways, the event was still 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 firsts to competitions:
It was here that the American sprinter Thomas Burke, for the first time in history, began his career, a 100-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, and the winner of two races Alfred Hajos from Hungary, won even though he was late to the start of the competition.
There is a rumor that has been going on for years about the winner of the marathon, the 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, strengthening it by drinking lots of good wine. After the break and drinking wine, the marathon participant returned to the marathon and won it.
Paris 1900
The Games took place as part of an international exhibition that illustrated technological advances, which is proof that the Games did not enjoy much prestige during those times. The Games lasted for five and a half months, which took away the emotional dynamics of a great event. In Paris, more than 1,300 athletes from 22 countries participated in the Games.
Some of the more 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 supplier, and the sport of running had little in common with his job.
The winners of these Olympic Games did not receive medals. The prizes awarded were gifts such as sneakers that prevented injuries or combs.
Saint Louis 1904
These Games were the next big failure with a total lack of professionalism displayed by the event organizers. 600 participants participated in the competition, 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 the memory of the people as a great event, rose to that rank due to the very respectable event held in London in 1908. For the first time, the Olympic Games were held in a professional manner, despite that the organizers had very little time to prepare for the competitions.
Athletes, including 37 women from 22 countries, participated in these 2008 Games. It was in London that the famous words were pronounced: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to participate; the essential thing in life is not to conquer but to fight well.” This quote captures the spirit of the Olympics 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 soccer competitions simultaneously, thanks to the fact that all the stands surrounded the fields and athletics tracks. This is the only stadium in the history of the Games. The Royal Family was the sponsorship of the Olympic Games which gave it its international prestige.
These Olympics, however, were not entirely without deficiencies. Today, these shortcomings would be considered unthinkable:
The judges of the competition were almost exclusively British, causing many to question their judgments, favoring their compatriots.
Traditionally, the marathon had a dramatic ending. Dorando Pietri of Italy, who ran for the first time to the stadium and collapsed just before the goal. 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 Olympic Games definitely won as a result of these Games.
2500 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 themselves, in the world.
Olympic symbols and colors
5 Olympic rings signify the union of athletes on the five continents
Blue: Europe
Yellow: Asia
Black: Africa
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, beautiful and good,
Descend, appear, shed your light on us
On this ground and under this sky
Who has witnessed your undying fame.
Bring those noble games to life and animation!
Throw crowns of colorless flowers at the victors
In the race and in the contest!
Believe in our breasts, hearts of steel!
In your light, plains, mountains and seas
Glows pink and forms a vast temple
To whom all nations crowd to worship you,
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, taller, 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 games, but also encompasses the moral and aesthetic purpose. It is widely accepted around 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 ski. It functioned informally during the Winter Games in Grenoble in 1968. Neither in Mexico in 1968, nor in Sapporo in 1972 had any mascots 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, winter and summer, had their own mascot. Since 1991, the presence of a mascot has been 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 project by Robert C. Moore
1988 Seoul – “Hodori” the tiger, a project by Kim Hyon
1992 Barcelona – “Kobi” the dog, a project by Javier Mariscal
1996 Atlanta – “Izzy” the mascot, a project by John Ryan
2000 Sydney – “Syd”, “Mille” and “Olly”, a project by Matthew Hatton
The official Olympic mascots were the kingfisher “Olly”, “Syd” the platypus and Millie the short-beaked echidna. Their names are derived from the words for the Olympics, Sydney, and Millennium.
Athens 2004: Athena and Apollo symbolize the sun, the sky and the sea of Greece.
