On June 23, 1894, a Congress was held at the Sorbonne (Paris, France) to revive the Olympic Games. The main initiator of this event was the Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin. The result of the Congress was not only an attempt to revive the Olympic Games, but also the creation of the IOC, the election of the IOC President (he was the Greek Dimitrios Vikelas), the choice of the first host city of the Olympics, which rightfully became the capital of Greece - Athens.
Poster of the 1st Olympic Games
The date April 6, 1896 was not chosen by chance; it is Greek Independence Day. Also, this Sunday was Easter, and coincided with three directions of Christianity at once - Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism.
As in ancient times, only men took part in the competitions of the first modern Olympics. The organizers of the Games wanted to preserve in this way one of the most important traditions of the ancient Greek Olympic competitions.
According to the IOC, representatives from fourteen countries took part in the First Games of our time, including: Australia, Bulgaria, Austria, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Izmir, Italy, Denmark, USA, Chile, France, Sweden and Switzerland . Some sources indicate the participation of 12 countries (excluding Chile and Bulgaria), others - 15 countries (including Cyprus).
The question of the number of participants in the first Olympic Games raises a lot of controversy among sports historians. In various sources, the numbers range from 145 to 311. This is mainly due to the fact that the names of some Olympians have not been preserved. There was no statistics system, nor was there a principle of national teams. Anyone could apply for the Games. At the moment, the names of 176 participants are precisely known. Based on fragmentary information, with a small error, it is possible to establish the participation of 246 athletes.
Panathinaikos (Marble) Stadium during the 1896 Olympics
Panathinaikos Stadium modern view
The first modern Olympic Games were originally planned to be held in the same stadium in Olympia where the Olympic Games were held Ancient Greece. However, this required too much restoration work, and the first revived Olympic competitions took place in the Greek capital Athens at the restored ancient Marble Stadium (Panathinaikos) in Athens, tennis competitions were held on the courts of the Athens Tennis Club, cycling races at the Neo Faliron velodrome, and in other sports in open areas of Athens and nearby areas.
During the opening ceremony of the Games, the Olympic anthem, written by Spyros Samaras with lyrics by Kostis Palamas, was performed by a choir of 150 people. This is the first opening ceremony of the Games, which preserved two Olympic traditions - the opening of the Games by the head of state, where the competitions take place and the performance of the Olympic anthem. The parade of participating countries, the ceremony of lighting the Olympic flame and the recitation of the Olympic oath were absent. There was no Olympic village; invited athletes provided their own housing.
The opening ceremony of the Games was attended by 80 thousand spectators.
Olympic silver medal
43 sets of medals were competed in 9 sports.
Representatives of 11 countries won medals at the Games: Australia, Austria, Great Britain, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Denmark, USA, France, Switzerland. The first place in the number of gold medals was taken by athletes from the USA 20 (11+7+2), the second place was taken by Greece 46 (10+17+19).
The Games program included competitions in Greco-Roman (classical) wrestling, cycling, gymnastics, athletics, swimming, shooting, tennis, weightlifting and fencing. The sailing and rowing races did not take place due to strong winds and rough seas.
According to ancient tradition, the Games began with athletic competitions. The first Olympic gold medal was awarded to American James Connolly, who won the triple jump (13 meters 71 centimeters). American student Robert Garrett became a champion first in the discus throw, then in the shot put. In addition, he was second in the long jump and third in the high jump.
Athletics competitions became the most popular - 63 athletes from 9 countries took part in 12 events. Athletes from the United States led the way in athletics. Thomas Burke won two gold medals in the 100 and 400 m. Already at the First Games, American sprinters used a low start for the first time.
Not all sports disciplines aroused interest among spectators. Tennis seemed boring and incomprehensible to the public. The shooting competitions also did not attract attention. Fencing matches took place in a small room in front of a few spectators, led by the king. Gymnastics competitions were also lost in the general program, in which only small groups of German and Greek athletes took part.
Cycling competitions
But the spectators received the competition in one of the newest types - bicycle racing - with delight. An eyewitness described the 100 km cycling race: “After 50 km, only two participants remained at the distance - the Frenchman Flament and the Greek Colletti. The latter has a problem with his bike, Flament stops and gives his opponent time to fix it. After the competition, which the Frenchman won, the enthusiastic audience carried both participants in their arms.” French cyclist Paul Massoy won the most gold medals in Athens, with three victories on the track.
Since there were no artificial swimming pools in Athens, swimming competitions were held in an open bay near the city of Piraeus; the start and finish were marked by ropes attached to the floats. The weather was unfavorable - choppy and cold (about 13 °C) water. The competition aroused great interest - by the start of the first swim, about 40 thousand spectators had gathered on the shore. About 25 swimmers from 6 countries took part, the majority were naval officers and sailors of the Greek merchant fleet.
Medals were awarded in four events, all swims were “freestyle” - you were allowed to swim in any way, changing it along the course. At that time the most popular ways Swimming included breaststroke, over-arm (an improved way of swimming on the side) and treadmill style. The greatest success was achieved by the Hungarian Alfred Hyos, who won two swims - 100 m and 1200 m. At the insistence of the organizers of the Games, the applied swimming event was included in the program - 100 m in sailor's clothing, only Greek sailors participated in it.
Fencing at the Games of the 1st Olympiad
3 sets of awards were played in the fencing competitions; athletes from 4 countries took part. Fencing became the only sport where professionals were also allowed: separate competitions were held among “maestros” - fencing teachers (“maestros” were also admitted to the 1900 Games, after which this practice ceased). They competed only on foils, and amateurs, in addition to foils, took part in saber competitions. All fights took place up to three injections. The champions of the rapier fighters were the Frenchman Eugene-Henri Gravloti (among the “maestro”) and the Greek Leonidas Pyrgos; the Greek Ioannis Georgiadis won the saber fight.
7 athletes from 5 countries took part in the weightlifting competitions at the 1st Summer Olympic Games, competing in two disciplines. These disciplines were the one- and two-handed push, and in these competitions there was no division into weight categories.
The shooting competitions covered 5 disciplines: army rifle, 200 m, army rifle, 300 m, army pistol, 25 m, high-speed pistol, 25 m, pistol, 50 m. Athletes from 7 countries took part in them. All events took place in the city of Kallithea. The undisputed leaders are Greek athletes.
In the gymnastics competitions, 8 sets of medals were played, of which 6 in individual competitions, 2 in team competitions (vault, pommel horse, rings, horizontal bar, parallel bars, rope climbing; team bars, team crossbar). The German team was in the lead in gymnastics.
The Germans Alfred Flatow, Karl Schumann and Hermann Weingärtner, who together won five gold, three silver and one bronze medals.
One set of medals was awarded in the wrestling competitions. The competition was different in that there were no weight categories. There were also no precise and approved rules. There was no time limit for the fights, and although the competition was considered to be in the Greco-Roman style, athletes were allowed to grab each other's legs. Results: gold – Karl Schumann (Germany), silver – Georgios Tsitas (Greece).
The culmination of the Olympic Games was the marathon running. Unlike all subsequent Olympic marathon competitions, the marathon distance at the Games of the First Olympics was 40 kilometers. The classic length of the marathon distance is 42 kilometers 195 meters. French philologist and expert on ancient history Michel Breal, even during the preparation of the Games, sent a letter to Pierre de Coubertin, which said: “If the organizing committee of the Athens Olympics would be inclined to include in the competition program a race that revives the famous feat of the soldier from Marathon, I would willingly agree to donate a reward for the winner of this marathon." The Greeks supported this idea and included such a long distance in the program for the first time. The local press made the marathon a national event.
The race started from the village of Marathon, and the finish was in Athens. Along this route in 490 BC. The legendary Greek warrior Philippiadad fled, bringing the news of the Hellenes’ victory over the Persians (although immediately after that he fell to the ground and never rose again).
The start was attended by 18 runners, among whom were well-known stayers, including the Australian Edwin Flack, who had already won the 800 and 1500 m distances, the Frenchman Lermusier and the American Blake. The race developed very dramatically. The strongest runners immediately broke away from the main group, but, unable to distribute their strength, they left the race one after another, exhausted.
The winner was the Greek postman Spyros (Spyridon) Louis. With a result of 2 hours 58 minutes 50 seconds, Spiridon Louis became a national hero after this success. In addition to the Olympic awards, he received a gold cup, a barrel of wine, a coupon for free food for a year, free tailoring of a dress and the use of a hairdresser throughout his life, 10 quintals of chocolate, 10 cows and 30 rams.
As already noted, according to ancient Greek traditions, women were not allowed to participate in the Games, but the representative of this country, Stamata Revihti, wanted to participate in the marathon. She was refused, and then she ran the distance alone the day after the official race. At the end of the run, she ran around the Marble Stadium, since she was even forbidden to run into its territory.
The youngest participant in the First Olympic Games (to this day) was Dimitrios Loundras, bronze medalist in artistic gymnastics - he was 10 years and 218 days old.
The largest number of medals - 46 (10 gold + 17 silver + 19 bronze) were won by the Greek Olympians. Team USA was second - 20 awards (11+7+2). The third place was taken by the German team - 13 (6+5+2).
Repeating the ancient award ceremony, a laurel wreath was placed on the champion's head, he was given an olive branch cut from the sacred grove of Olympia, a diploma and a silver medal (for second place he was awarded a bronze medal). Third place finishers were not taken into account, and only later were included in the International Olympic Committee medal standings among countries (the tradition of determining three winners appeared at the III Olympic Games in St. Louis). In order for the audience to know who won the competition (there was no scoreboard or radio at that time), the organizers raised the national flag of the winning country on the flagpole. This marked the beginning of a tradition that has become mandatory at all international competitions.
The 1896 Olympic Games in Athens broke through the wall of indifference and mistrust on the part of many sports and political figures. Despite the very modest results, these Games turned into a vibrant sports festival and aroused enormous public interest. Newspapers and magazines of the time wrote that these competitions contributed to the revival of the spirit of noble sports competition. The main achievement of the first Olympic Games can be considered the widespread popularization of sports and Olympic ideas throughout the world.
Photos and materials are taken from free sources on the Internet
There is no denying the fact that during the 19th century, some European countries held competitions in various types sports in one way or another dedicated to the ancient Olympic Games. However, the idea of reviving the Olympic Games and giving them international status belongs to Pierre de Coubertin.
As you know, he voiced his idea in 1889 and the decision was made at the International Athletic Congress ( in some sources erroneously Olympic Congress), which took place on June 16-23, 1894 at the Sorbonne with the participation of representatives of 11 countries (according to some sources - 12).
After the historic decision was made to revive the Olympic Games, the question arose about the time and place of the games. Coubertin proposed holding the first games in 1900 in Paris, which in his opinion could not be better, since they would coincide with the World Exhibition in Paris that same year. However, believing that interest in the Olympic Games would wane within six years, Congress decided to hold the first games in 1896.
Several congress participants suggested London as the location for the games, but after short discussions with the Greek delegate D. Vikelas, Coubertin suggested Athens. Greece was the founder of games and therefore Congress unanimously agreed with Coubertin's proposal.
Organization of the 1st Olympics
The news of the revival of the Olympic Games has excited the world community. In Greece, they were especially excited about the start of the competition. However, serious difficulties that the organizers of the Games had to overcome soon became apparent. Holding competitions like this high level required substantial financial expenses, while the country was in the midst of an economic and political crisis.
The current Prime Minister of Greece, Charilaos Trikoupis, was not delighted with the holding of the Games, and made various efforts to disrupt the Olympics. At his direction, Deputy Skulouzis, a member of the organizing committee, criticized the budget drawn up by Coubertin, said that it was much underestimated, convinced his colleagues of the unreasonableness of the enterprise, and together with them drew up a collective petition, citing the refusal of the Games as the impossibility of obtaining the required amount of money. Coubertin had to hold many conversations and meetings with politicians, officials, businessmen, and journalists in order to win them over to his side.
At the end of 1894, the skeptics' forecasts were justified - the organizing committee announced that the costs of the Games were actually three times higher than the estimated amount announced before the construction of sports facilities began. The opinion was expressed that it would be impossible to hold the Games in Athens. Trikoupis gave the king an ultimatum - either he or the prince. The king was adamant, and on January 24, 1895, the prime minister resigned.
At the helm of the organizing committee of the Games, the Greek Prince Constantine reorganized the committee, removing all opposition from it, carried out a number of measures to attract private capital, appointed the former mayor of Athens Timoleon Philemon as secretary general and led all committee meetings personally until the start of the Games. Funds began to arrive in Athens from all over the country; the committee refused to accept money from abroad. Thanks to the generosity of the Greeks, the amount of the Olympic fund reached 332,756 drachmas. But this was not enough.
Then the proposal of the founder of the Greek Association of Postage Stamp Collectors, Demetris Sakarafos, to issue the world's first Olympic stamps could not have come at a better time. The cost of the stamps had to exceed the postal rate, and Sakarafos proposed to direct the proceeds from the sale of this issue to the Games fund. Sakarafos' idea was picked up by the newspapers. The Greek Parliament approved a law to issue the world's first Olympic stamps. The government allocated four hundred thousand drachmas for the sale of these stamps. Coubertin later recalled: “After the release of the Olympic stamps, the success of the organization of the Olympic Games was a foregone conclusion.”.
Sales of tickets and commemorative medals brought in another 200,000 drachmas. Finally, Prince Constantine sent a letter to the Greek rich man and philanthropist from Alexandria, Georgios Averoff, with a request to pay for the reconstruction of the Ancient Stadium, which was estimated at 580,000 drachmas. Georgious agreed. The reconstruction ultimately cost him 920,000 drachmas. Stadium built by Lecurgus in the 4th century BC. e. once again shone with Pentelic marble.
And yet, Greece's obvious unpreparedness for serious events of this scale affected primarily the sporting results of the competition, which were low even according to the estimates of that time. There was only one reason for this - the lack of properly equipped facilities.
The famous Panathenian Stadium was clad in white marble, but its capacity was clearly insufficient. The sports arena did not stand up to criticism. Too narrow, with a slope along one edge, it turned out to be poorly suited for track and field competitions. The soft cinder track to the finish had a rise, and the turns were too steep. Swimmers competed in the open sea, where the start and finish were marked by ropes stretched between the floats. In such conditions one could not even dream of high achievements. In addition, the unprecedented influx of tourists flocking to Athens revealed the need to adapt the city's economy to receive and serve them.
As for the accommodation of athletes, the concept of the Olympic Village was realized much later, at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 1932. At the very first games, the athletes had to take care of their living expenses themselves.
And yet the games were destined to take place. The organizing committee sent invitations to many countries:
“On June 16, 1894, the International Sports Congress was held at the Sorbonne in Paris, which decided to resume the Olympic Games and scheduled the First Games in Athens for 1896.
In accordance with this decision, which was received with great enthusiasm in Greece, the All-Athens Committee, chaired by His Royal Highness the Prince Regent of Greece, sends you this invitation to the opening of the competition, which will take place from April 6 to 15, 1896 in Athens. At the same time, the conditions of the competition are determined.
This invitation is being sent in accordance with the credentials received from the Paris-based International Olympic Committee. We hope for your speedy response.Secretary General Greek Olympic Committee Timoleon Philemon"
And then the long-awaited day came - April 6, 1896. A cannon shot rang out, and the sounds of the Olympic anthem soared upward, accompanied by the angelic singing of a women's choir. The music that brought fame to opera composer Spiro Samara echoes far beyond the hills that frame the city. 80 thousand people gathered at the Marble Stadium. In the deep silence the words of the Greek King George I were heard: - I declare the first international Olympic Games in Athens open!
The beginning of a new Olympic era has been laid...
(From various sources)
Some interesting facts
The I Olympic Games were held from April 6 to April 15 according to the Gregorian calendar (modern style). At that time, Greece recognized the Julian calendar, according to which games were held from March 25 to April 3.
It should be noted that the closing of the games was planned to take place on Tuesday, April 14, but due to rainy weather, the ceremony was held on Wednesday, April 15 at 10:30 local time.
Unlike the current games, all winners of the First Olympiad were awarded on the closing day of the games. The prizes were presented by King George I of Greece himself. The winners of the competition were awarded a diploma (artist - Greek Nikolaos Gyzis), a silver medal, and a wreath of olive branches was placed on his head. Those who took second place received a diploma and a bronze medal (design by French sculptor J. Chaplin) and a laurel wreath. Bronze medalists in the current sense (3rd place) were not awarded (the tradition of determining three winners appeared at the III Olympic Games in St. Louis). All athletes who took part in the games were also awarded a commemorative medal (design by Greek artist Nikephoros Lytras).
Controversial issues from the history of the First Olympiad
The question of the number of participants in the first Olympic Games raises a lot of controversy among sports historians. In various sources, the numbers range from 145 to 311. This is mainly due to the fact that the names of some Olympians have not been preserved. There was no statistics system, nor was there a principle of national teams. Anyone could apply for the Games. Currently, the names of 176 participants are known. Based on fragmentary information, with a small error, it is possible to establish the participation of 246 athletes. The names of at least 41 competitors in gymnastics, 22 in shooting (military rifle) and seven in swimming have not been preserved.
There is no consensus on the participation of a particular country in the first Olympic Games (see relevant sections). The International Olympic Committee refers to the fact that there were 14 such countries. Some sources indicate the participation of 12 countries (excluding Chile and Bulgaria), others - 15 countries (including Cyprus). Egypt is also sometimes either included or excluded from the list of participating countries, as there is no consensus on the Greek athlete Dionysios Kastaglis, who lived in Egypt. Participation is currently considered controversial Bulgaria, Chile, Cyprus, Italy, Egypt, Turkey (Izmir).
Disputes surrounding the participating countries, as well as the lack of clearly established rules during the competition, give rise to disputes about medals. In statistics, in addition to correlating medals by country (or nationality), the question arises with those medals that were won in team competitions, where one team included representatives of several countries (nationalities). Currently, the practice is to count such medals into the “Mixed team” collection. If necessary, such points are reflected in the relevant statistical sections of this encyclopedia. For example, gold and bronze medals won in men's doubles tennis competitions are currently credited to the Mixed Team.
In Paris, a commission to revive the Olympic Games met in the Great Hall of the Sorbonne. Baron Pierre de Coubertin became its general secretary. Then the International Olympic Committee - the IOC - was formed, which included the most authoritative and independent citizens of different countries.
The first modern Olympic Games were originally planned to be held in the same stadium in Olympia that hosted the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece. However, this required too much restoration work, and the first revived Olympic competitions took place in the Greek capital, Athens.
On April 6, 1896, at the restored ancient stadium in Athens, the Greek King George declared the first Olympic Games of modern times open. The opening ceremony was attended by 60 thousand spectators.
The date of the ceremony was not chosen by chance - on this day, Easter Monday coincided with three directions of Christianity at once - Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism. This first opening ceremony of the Games established two Olympic traditions - the opening of the Games by the head of state where the competition is taking place, and the singing of the Olympic anthem. However, such indispensable attributes of modern Games as a parade of participating countries, the ceremony of lighting the Olympic flame and the recitation of the Olympic oath did not exist; they were introduced later. There was no Olympic village; invited athletes provided their own housing.
241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the Games of the First Olympiad: Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary (at the time of the Games, Hungary was part of Austria-Hungary, but Hungarian athletes competed separately), Germany, Greece, Denmark, Italy , USA, France, Chile, Switzerland, Sweden.
Russian athletes were quite actively preparing for the Olympics, but due to lack of funds, the Russian team was not sent to the Games.
As in ancient times, only men took part in the competitions of the first modern Olympics.
The program of the first Games included nine sports - classical wrestling, cycling, gymnastics, athletics, swimming, shooting, tennis, weightlifting and fencing. 43 sets of awards were drawn.
According to ancient tradition, the Games began with athletic competitions.
Athletics competitions became the most popular - 63 athletes from 9 countries took part in 12 events. The largest number of species - 9 - were won by representatives of the United States.
The first Olympic champion was American athlete James Connolly, who won the triple jump with a score of 13 meters 71 centimeters.
Wrestling competitions were held without uniform approved rules for conducting fights, and there were also no weight categories. The style in which the athletes competed was close to today's Greco-Roman, but it was allowed to grab the opponent's legs. Only one set of medals was played among five athletes, and only two of them competed exclusively in wrestling - the rest took part in competitions in other disciplines.
Since there were no artificial swimming pools in Athens, swimming competitions were held in an open bay near the city of Piraeus; the start and finish were marked by ropes attached to the floats. The competition aroused great interest - by the start of the first swim, about 40 thousand spectators had gathered on the shore. About 25 swimmers from six countries took part, most of them naval officers and sailors of the Greek merchant fleet.
Medals were awarded in four events, all swims were held “freestyle” - you were allowed to swim in any way, changing it along the course. At that time, the most popular swimming methods were breaststroke, overarm (an improved way of swimming on the side) and treadmill style. At the insistence of the Games organizers, the program also included an applied swimming event - 100 meters in sailor's clothing. Only Greek sailors took part in it.
In cycling, six sets of medals were awarded - five on the track and one on the road. The track races took place at the Neo Faliron velodrome, specially built for the Games.
Eight sets of awards were competed for in the artistic gymnastics competitions. The competition took place outdoors at the Marble Stadium.
Five sets of awards were awarded in shooting - two in rifle shooting and three in pistol shooting.
Tennis competitions took place on the courts of the Athens Tennis Club. Two tournaments were held - singles and doubles. At the 1896 Games there was no requirement that all team members represent the same country, and some pairs were international.
Weightlifting competitions were held without division into weight categories and included two disciplines: squeezing a ball barbell with two hands and lifting a dumbbell with one hand.
Three sets of awards were competed for in fencing. Fencing became the only sport where professionals were also allowed: separate competitions were held among “maestros” - fencing teachers (“maestros” were also admitted to the 1900 Games, after which this practice ceased).
The highlight of the Olympic Games was the marathon running. Unlike all subsequent Olympic marathon competitions, the marathon distance at the Games of the First Olympics was 40 kilometers. The classic marathon distance is 42 kilometers 195 meters. The Greek postman Spyridon Louis finished first with a result of 2 hours 58 minutes 50 seconds, who became a national hero after this success. In addition to the Olympic awards, he received a gold cup established by the French academician Michel Breal, who insisted on including marathon running in the program of the Games, a barrel of wine, a voucher for free food for a year, free tailoring of a dress and the use of a hairdresser throughout his life, 10 centners of chocolate, 10 cows and 30 rams.
Summer Olympics 1896 (official name - Games of the 1st Olympiad; at the time of the event they were called the 1st International Olympic Games)- the first Summer Olympic Games of our time. Took place from April 6 to 15 in Athens, Greece. 241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the competition, and women were not allowed. A total of 43 sets of medals were played in 9 sports.
These Games were very different from modern ones - there were not many traditions, such as the Olympic flame and the presentation of gold medals. The organizers did not keep track of the nationalities of the players and medal count, so the information that has reached us may vary greatly. However, the International Olympic Committee is now clarifying the results and other data about the Games.
History of the Games
On June 23, 1894, the first congress of the International Olympic Committee was held at the Sorbonne (Paris), which was convened by Baron Pierre de Coubertin to announce his project to revive the Olympic Games. The idea of holding such events was not new; during the 19th century, several local events took place in various European countries. sporting events, organized on the model of the Ancient Olympic Games. However, it was Coubertin who first proposed making such Games traditional, international and combining competitions in many different sports.
Coubertin intended to hold the Olympic Games in 1900 in Paris and coincide with the World Exhibition, which was planned for that time. However, the news about the upcoming revival of the Olympic Games has already hit the press and was widely discussed in society. The organizers decided that a six-year wait for the Games could reduce interest in them, and the delegates agreed to hold the First Games in 1896. London had been considered for some time as the new venue for the Games. However, Coubertin's friend, the Greek poet, writer and translator Demetrius Vikelas, invited to the congress with a report on the tradition of the Ancient Olympic Games, unexpectedly proposed Athens as the venue for the new Games, which would symbolize their continuity with the games in Ancient Greece. Congress approved this proposal, and Vikelas himself was elected president of the International Olympic Committee, since according to the charter, this position could only be held by a representative of the country hosting the Games.
IOC members (from left to right): 1. Doctor Willibild Gebhardt (Germany) 2. Baron Pierre de Coubertin (France) 3. Advisor Jiri Gut-Jarkovsky (Czech Republic) 4. Demetrius Vikelas (Greece) 5. Ferenc Kemeny (Hungary) 6. General A. Butovsky (Russia) 7. General Viktor Balck (Sweden) (Athens, April 10, 1896)
Organization of the Games
The news of the revival of the Olympic Games has excited the world community. In Greece, they were especially excited about the start of the competition. However, serious difficulties that the organizers of the Games had to overcome soon became apparent. Holding competitions of such a high level required significant financial expenses, while the country was in the midst of an economic and political crisis.
Current Prime Minister Harilaos Trikoupis was strongly opposed to Coubertin's ideas. He considered the costs required for such a grandiose event to be unaffordable for the state, and the holding of the Games itself was untimely. Leader of the Opposition Delianis took advantage of this to reproach the prime minister for his lack of patriotism and political and social pessimism. The press was also divided into two camps - in support of the Games and against their holding. Coubertin had to hold many conversations and meetings with politicians, officials, businessmen, and journalists in order to win them over to his side.
King George I
To demonstrate the importance of his project, its modernity, relevance and national prestige, as well as the reality of its implementation, Coubertin presented a letter from the Hungarian representative of the IOC Kemeny, which stated that if Athens refused, Hungary would willingly host the first Olympics as part of the festivities to mark the millennium of its statehood. At this time, the king was in St. Petersburg, but Coubertin managed to get an audience with his heir, Prince Constantine, and convince him of the feasibility of holding the Games. Upon his return, Georg supported his son.
Prince Constantine
At the end of 1894, the skeptics' forecasts were justified - the organizing committee announced that the costs of the Games were actually three times higher than the estimated amount announced before the construction of sports facilities began. The opinion was expressed that it would be impossible to hold the Games in Athens. Trikoupis gave the king an ultimatum - either he or the prince. The king was adamant, and on January 24, 1895, the prime minister resigned.
It seemed that the Olympic Games were not destined to take place. Then Prince Constantine personally took the helm of the organizing committee, which in itself already caused an influx of investment. The prince reorganized the committee, removing all opposition from it, took a number of measures to attract private capital, and thereby saved the situation. It is noteworthy that despite the acute shortage of funds, the committee accepted donations only from Greek citizens, thereby maintaining the status of the Olympic Games as a national idea. After some time, the Games fund already had 332,756 drachmas, but this was not enough.
To increase funds, a series of Olympic-themed stamps was issued. She gave the commission's budget 400,000 drachmas.
Postage stamps of Greece, dedicated to the first Summer Olympic Games of modern times, 1896:
Fist fight
Stadium at the Acropolis
Discus thrower
In addition, 200,000 drachmas came into the fund from ticket sales.
Businessman and philanthropist Georgios Averoff, at the request of the royal family, restored the ancient Marble Stadium at his own expense, donating almost 1,000,000 drachmas. After this, nothing stood in the way of holding the first Olympic Games of our time. In honor of Georgios Averoff and in memory of his monumental contribution, a statue was erected in front of the Marble Stadium on the eve of the opening ceremony of the Games, which still stands there today. All these additional income funds helped the first Games take place.
The organization of the Games was very different from the modern one. There was no Olympic village; invited athletes provided their own housing. Some foreign athletes took part in the Games only because, due to some circumstances, they were in Athens at that time.
Countries
According to the calculations of the International Olympic Committee, representatives of 14 countries took part in the Games, but according to other sources, 12 or 15 countries took part in the competition. Representatives of some colonies and protectorates spoke not on behalf of the metropolis, but on their own. The exact number of representatives of some countries is also unknown, since for some athletes it is unknown whether they actually took part in the competition or were only announced. In addition, international pairs competed in tennis competitions, the results of which were subsequently taken into account separately by the IOC - under the code name “mixed team”.
Australia- despite the fact that Australia was part of the British Empire, the results of the only representative of this country Teddy Flack were counted separately.
Austria- at the time of the Games, Austria was part of Austria-Hungary, but at the competitions Austrian athletes competed separately from Hungarians.
Bulgaria- gymnast Charles Champeau was a citizen of Switzerland, but at the time of the Games he lived in Bulgaria, and his results were counted in favor of the national team of this country.
Great Britain- Irish athletes also participated in the composition, since there was a single United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Hungary- at the time of the Games, Hungary was part of Austria-Hungary, but at the competitions Hungarian athletes competed separately from Austrians.
Germany
Greece- some athletes, living in other countries, competed for Greece.
- Egypt - Dionysios Kasdaglis lived in Egypt, but he is considered a Greek athlete. However, when he competed in a doubles tennis tournament with another Greek, their results were attributed to the mixed team.
- Cyprus - Anastasios Andreou, living in Cyprus, is considered a Greek athlete, although Cyprus was a British protectorate.
- Izmir- some sources believe that the two athletes are from the city of Izmir (formerly called Smyrna), which is located in Turkey, which was part of the Ottoman Empire, performed separately.
Denmark
Italy
France
Chile- according to the NOC of Chile, 1 athlete from this country took part in the competition, Louis Subercaciux, but there is no mention of it anywhere else. However, Chile is included in the list of countries participating in the Games.
Switzerland
Sweden
Russia was going to send its athletes to the Games. Russia was represented at the International Olympic Committee by General A. D. Butovsky, preparations for the Games were underway in many major cities Russia: Odessa, Kyiv, St. Petersburg. Participation in the Games was prevented by a lack of funds - only a few athletes left Odessa for Athens, but all of them were only able to get to Constantinople, and then returned to Russia. Kiev resident Nikolai Ritter got to Athens and applied for participation in wrestling and shooting competitions, but then withdrew the application. Returning to Russia, Ritter began to actively promote the Olympic Games.
Belgium also failed to send her representatives, although she planned to do so.
Countries participating in the 1st Olympic Games. Yellow dot - city of Athens
Opening Ceremony of the Games
The opening ceremony took place on April 6, 1896. The date was not chosen by chance - on this day, Easter Monday coincided in three directions of Christianity at once - Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism. In addition, this day is Independence Day in Greece.
Opening ceremony of the 1896 Summer Olympics
The opening ceremony of the Games was attended by 80,000 spectators, including almost all The Royal Family- King George I, his wife Olga and their children. After a speech by the head of the organizing committee, Crown Prince Constantine, George I announced: “I declare the first international Olympic Games in Athens open. Long live Greece. Long live its people!”
Then a choir of 150 people performed the Olympic anthem written by Spiros Samaras for poetry Kostis Palamas.
This first opening ceremony of the Games established two Olympic traditions - the opening of the Games by the head of state where the competition is taking place, and the singing of the Olympic anthem. However, there were no such indispensable attributes of the modern Games as a parade of participating countries, the ceremony of lighting the Olympic flame and the recitation of the Olympic oath; they were introduced later.
Closing ceremony of the Games
The closing ceremony of the Games was supposed to take place on April 14, but due to rain it was postponed to the next day, to April 15.
The ceremony began with the performance of the Olympic anthem and the declaration of an ode composed by the third-place winner in tennis, the British George Robertson. George I then presented the athletes with their awards - silver medals for champions, bronze medals for runners-up, and olive branches. Some athletes were given additional awards, e.g. Spiridon Louis received the cup from my hands Michel Breal- the person who proposed holding a marathon race. After the presentation, the athletes walked a lap of honor to the anthem of the Games. At the very end of the ceremony, the king solemnly declared the First International Olympic Games closed.
Scandals at the First Olympic Games
The organizers of the competition organized the swims not in the pool, which did not yet exist in Athens at that time, but in the sea harbor of the Greek capital. One of the participants in the competition, a swimmer named Williams from the USA, climbed ashore immediately after the start and stated that in such cold water Competitions cannot be held. The organizers ignored the American's claims.
The first Olympic Games of modern times were held in Greece.
The decision to hold them was made in Paris in 1894.
Members of the IOC 1894
The vast majority of the Greek population enthusiastically accepted the initiative of Baron Pierre de Coubertin to revive the ancient tradition.
However, the Greek government was not able to undertake full financing of the upcoming world sports festival.
According to Pierre de Coubertin, when organizing the Games it was possible to do without any special government expenses and rely only on the help of private individuals. This point of view was shared by the Greek Crown Prince Constantine, who created a special assistance commission. He appointed the former mayor of Athens, Philemon, as secretary general of the commission, and also appealed to the people for donations to the Olympics preparation fund.
Money began to come not only from the residents of Greece, but also from London, Marseille, Constantinople and other cities where rich Greek colonies existed. With money coming from Alexandria from Georg Averoff, the ancient Olympic stadium was restored. A velodrome and a shooting range were also built in Athens. Tennis courts were located in the city center. Athletes were provided with pavilions with boathouses and locker rooms for rowing competitions.
Organizing Committee olympic games in Athens in 1896, a huge number of problems had to be solved, not only of a financial and organizational nature, but also of a political one.
For example, it was necessary to take into account the difficult relations that developed between Greece and Germany.
The drawing up of the competition program also caused a lot of controversy. The Greeks insisted on a complete repetition of the program of the ancient games held at Olympia.
Other countries categorically refused to participate in the games unless the sports they cultivated were included.
Opening of the first Olympic Games in Athens 1896
Despite all the difficulties, on April 6, 1896, at the Marble Stadium, the King of Greece, in the presence of 80 thousand spectators, declared the Games of the 1st Olympiad open.
Here is what Baron Pierre de Coubertin wrote about this in his memoirs:
“It was an exciting moment. One thousand five hundred and two years ago the Emperor of Theodosius banned the Olympic Games, no doubt believing that by destroying this hated relic of paganism he was furthering the cause of progress. Now the Christian monarch announced the formal repeal of the imperial decree... When the king again took his place, a choir of 150 voices performed the Olympic Ode, written especially for this occasion by the Greek composer Samara.”
311 people from 12 countries took part in the competition:
- Australia.
- Austria-Hungary.
- Bulgaria.
- Great Britain.
- Germany.
- Greece.
- Denmark.
- France.
- Chile.
- Switzerland.
- Sweden.
About 70% of the participants were from Greece. The second largest team was the German team - 21 athletes, then France - 19, USA - 14. Only men took part in the competition.
In Russia, the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens aroused great interest among the sports community, but due to lack of funds, the team Russian Empire was never directed towards games.
It is known that several Odessa residents who were actively preparing for the competition went to Athens at their own risk, but they never managed to get to Greece.
The only Russian athlete who managed to get to the capital of the 1896 Olympic Games was Kiev resident Nikolai Ritter.
The archives preserved his application to participate in wrestling and shooting competitions.
However, he never made it to the start for unknown reasons.
Heroes of the first modern Olympics
The Games program included 9 sports - classical wrestling, cycling, gymnastics, athletics, swimming, shooting, tennis, weightlifting and fencing.
A total of 43 sets of awards were raffled off.
The first Olympic champion of modern times was the American athlete James Conolly, who won the triple jump with a result of 13 m 71 cm.
However, the true hero of the 1896 Olympic Games and the National Hero of Greece was the winner of the marathon, Spyridon Louis, who covered a distance of 40 kilometers in 2 hours 58 minutes.
Please note that at the first modern Olympic Games the distance was exactly 40 km, and not 42 km 195 m as it is now.
The race started in the city of Marathon and finished at the Marble Stadium of Athens.
According to Pierre de Coubertin: “When Louis appeared at the stadium, the 60 thousand spectators waiting for him jumped up from their seats, overcome with extraordinary excitement. A flock of pigeons released from cages took off again... Some spectators, who were closest to Louis, tried to make their way to him in order to carry him out of the field in triumph. Louis would have been strangled in his arms if the Crown Prince and Prince George had not escorted him from the arena.”
The famous Russian and Soviet historian Nikolai Albertovich Kun, author of the book “Myths of Ancient Greece,” in one of his works dedicated to the Olympic Games, wrote that Spiridon Louis received the following awards for his victory:
“A gold cup established by the French academician Michel Breal, who insisted on including marathon running in the program of the Games, a barrel of wine, a voucher for free food for a year, free tailoring of dresses and use of hairdresser services throughout life, 10 quintals of chocolate, 10 cows and 30 rams ."
Exactly 40 years after his triumph, Spiridon Louis became the guest of honor at the Olympics in Berlin. During the opening ceremony of the games, he presented Hitler with the laurel branch of the world.
Spiridon Louis 40 years later. Berlin 1936.
Frenchman Paul Masson won three gold medals in track racing in the sprint race, as well as at distances of 2000 and 10,000 m.
However, the cycling competition was remembered for the gentlemanly behavior of another Frenchman - participant in the 100-kilometer race Leon Flament.
The main rival of the athlete from France, the Greek Georgies Collettis, had a bicycle break down and he was forced to stop in order to change his car.
Leon Flament also stopped and began to wait for his opponent. He became not only the winner of the Games, but also one of the most popular athletes who won the sympathy of the public, along with E. Clark and A. Konstantinidis.
There were no divisions into weight categories in wrestling competitions. All the more honorable was the victory of the athlete from Germany Carl Schumann, who was the lightest of the participants. In addition to the victory in wrestling, Schumann managed to win three more gold medals in gymnastics competitions - in the vault, as well as in the team championship in the parallel bars and horizontal bar exercises. 
In the weightlifting tournament, Englishman Launceston Elliott distinguished himself with a result of 71 kg in the one-arm exercise, and Dane Viggo Jensen with a result of 111.5 kg in the two-arm exercise. In the shooting competitions, three gold medals were won by Greek athletes - in shooting with an army rifle, and two American athletes - in shooting with a revolver.
The Englishman John Boland won a striking victory in the tennis competition, winning all his games in singles and the winner with Fritz Traun of Germany in doubles. Equally impressive was the victory in swimming of the famous Hungarian athlete Alfred Hajos, who managed to get ahead of his competitors in stormy weather and win the 1200 m swim.
Interestingly, 28 years after his victory in Athens, Hajos again took part in the Olympic Games and won a silver medal in the art competition in the architecture section for his stadium project.
In the fencing tournament, the Frenchman Emil Gravlot distinguished himself in the foil, and the Greek Yiannis Georgiadis in the saber. Among professional athletes in foil competitions, there is a foil for the maestro; the well-known owner of the fencing school in Athens, Leon Pyrgos, achieved a convincing victory. The winners were awarded on the closing day of the Games - April 15, 1896.
Since the Games of the First Olympiad, the tradition of singing the national anthem and raising the national flag in honor of the winner has been established. The winners were awarded on the closing day of the Games. The winner was crowned with a laurel wreath, given a silver medal made by the famous engraver Chaplain, an olive branch cut in the Sacred Grove of Olympia and a diploma made by a Greek artist.
The largest number of medals were won by Greek athletes - 10 gold, 19 silver and 17 bronze, the US Olympians received 19 medals - 11 gold, 7 silver, 1 bronze, Germany - 14 medals - 7 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze. Athletes from Bulgaria, Chile and Sweden were left without medals. The Games of the First Olympiad convincingly demonstrated the humanistic and pacifist orientation of the Olympic movement.
