Sorbonne University, Paris; June 23, 1894. Under the applause of 2,000 people, 31-year-old Baron Pierre de Coubertain introduces the idea of his life at the inaugural Congress of the IOC – the rebirth of the Olympic Games after more than 1,500 years.
Approximately two years later, in April 1896, Coubertain’s dream became a reality: the first Olympic Games of the modern era were hosted in Athens. 241 athletes from 14 nations competed in 43 events – in the following nine sports: athletics, swimming, cycling, fencing, gymnastics artistic, weightlifting, wrestling, shooting, and tennis.
American James Brendan Connolly became the first Olympic champion of the modern era by winning the triple jump, German gymnast and weightlifter Carl Schuhmann was the most successful competitor scoring four victories.
Greek shepherd Spiridon Louis became the champion of hearts: the 23-year-old won the marathon, the major event for the host nation. Louis had spent the night before the race of his life praying in a church. Three kilometers from the finish line, he overtook Edwin Flack of Australia, and when he entered the stadium both the Greek king and crown prince accompanied him for the last meters of the race. He was awarded a small pension from the state, and got a goat as present from the IOC, as well as a donkey cart from the king, among others. A barber promised him lifelong shaving for free. In a victory parade, he was brought back to his village Maroussi on the outskirts of Athens.[1]
Four years later, 1900 in Paris, there were already 997 athletes participating in the Olympics, including the first women. Ever since, the Olympic Summer Games have been hosted every four years – except for the war years of 1916, 1940 and 1944, and the “corona year” of 2020. The first Winter Games were hosted in 1924 in Chamonix.
The world has fundamentally changed in those 124 years since Athens 1896, as have the Olympics – from a fringe event to a gigantic mega-event. What did not change though, is the broad spectrum of emotions that both athletes and spectators experience, which is certainly a defining aspect of the fascination of the Games, and sports.
[1] Reference to the article “Athen 1896 – Wiedergeburt der Spiele”, published on August 6, 2004 in the online edition of Austrian newspaper “Der Standard” (derstandard.at); checked on October 7, 2020.