International Olympic Committee. REV
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The Fourth Olympiad BEING THE OFFICIAL REPORT The Olympic Games of 1908 CELEBRATED IN LONDON Under the Patronage of His Most Gracious Majesty King Edward VII AND BY THE SANCTION OF The International Olympic Committee Drawn up by THEODORE ANDREA COOK AND ISSUED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE BRITISH OLYMPIC COUNCIL Together with the Full Code of Rules in each Sport Complete Lists of all Competitors and Results and over one hundred illustrations. PUBLISHED BY THE BRITISH OLYMPIC ASSOCIATION, 108 VICTORIA STREET, LONDON, S.W. PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE & CO. LTD., NEW-STREET SQUARE, E.C. PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOWDEN BROS., 45 ESSEX STREET, STRAND, W.C. PREFACE. THE following pages contain the Official Report of the Olympic Games of 1908, authorised by the British Olympic Council. Every member of the Council responsible for a section of these Games has corrected the facts concerning that section in the fourth chapter. For any errors in other chapters the compiler of the Report accepts responsibility. I desire to acknowledge my great indebtedness for assistance received in many other ways, and from very various sources, more particularly the following : The Sporting Life, which published a separate account of the Games that has been of great interest and value, besides many articles on the Amateur Question and kindred subjects in its own columns ; The Sportsman ; The Daily Mail ; The Daily Telegraph ; The Field, which published several accounts and diagrams that have been used in this work ; the National Review ; the official organ of the Lawn Tennis Association; the Revue Olympique, and many other newspapers, magazines, and journals. Their editors will, I trust, be good enough to accept this general expression of gratitude for useful details, too numerous and scattered to be separately acknowledged. To Messrs. Bowden Bros. the official photographers of the Games, the Council is especially indebted for the excellent series of photographs illustrating these pages, which were nearly all taken by the same photographer who represented them in the Athenian Games of 1906. A few others have been added, which were most kindly sent to me from private sources. A glance at the Table of Contents will enable the reader to dispense with any unnecessary explanations here, for he will see that this volume is the first, so far as I am aware, which has ever contained an official report of the performances of some twenty different nationalities in twenty divisions of sport and more than a hundred separate athletic events, together with the code of rules under which each of these events was contested. Owing, in part, to the early publication of this code, there is no doubt that the attention of the world at large was far more concentrated on the Games of 1908 than had been the case at any previous celebration ; for in every civilised country Committees were formed beforehand, pre- liminary competitions were held, and every care was taken to select the A2 4 best available national representatives. In the number of the nations represented, in the total of the competitors, and in the excellence of the performances throughout, the events recorded in this volume stand out as composing by far the greatest international athletic gathering ever held The Games of 1908 constituted the fourth celebration since the Olympic Games were first revived at Athens in 1896, and it may therefore be taken as a symbol of the progress made during only twelve years in the ideals originated by Baron Pierre de Coubertin and developed by the International Olympic Committee, of which he is President. In forwarding those ideals England has now borne her most direct share, and no similar opportunity is likely to occur during the life- time of those whose privilege it was to organise the Games of 1908 in this country. But there remains the work of supporting the general Olympic movement in the future, of sending out representative British teams to other Games, and of forming a central link of communication between the great associations governing sport in this country and the controlling bodies of sport in the rest of the world. This work is being carried on by the British Olympic Association, of 108 Victoria Street, Westminster, and it is able to do so with every promise of adequate success, because of the generous response of the public in all parts of the United Kingdom to the appeal for subscriptions to the Games of 1908. To that public, therefore, my last word of thanks is hereby most heartily accorded. The chapters which follow have furnished me with the most appropriate vehicle for its expression. Such a record of the events of the past year was due, not merely to the athletes who contributed directly to its success, not merely to the visitors from so many foreign nations who honoured us with their presence, but also to the spectators in the Stadium and elsewhere in this country and to the innumerable supporters of the British Olympic Council in their arduous task of organising the meeting in a manner worthy both of our own traditions and of the history of these Games. May 1909. T. A. C. THE RIGHT HON. LORD DESBOROUGH OF TAPLOW. President of the British Olympic Council, 1908, and British Representative on the International Olympic Committee. REV. R. S. DE COURCY LAFFAN. Hon. Secretary of the British Olympic Council, 1908, and British Representative on the International Olympic Committee TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE CONTENTS OF CHAPTERS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE THE COUNCIL OF THE BRITISH OLYMPIC ASSOCIATION, 1908 THE COMITÉ D'HONNEUR FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES OF 1908 IN LONDON A FOREWORD AS TO ORIGINS: Baron Pierre de Coubertin at the Sorbonne in 1892 —The International Congress of 1894—The Revival of the Olympic Games decided—The Games of 1896 in Athens— The Invitation to hold the Games of 1908 in England CHAPTER I. PREPARATIONS : Lord Desborough’s letter of November 27, 1906—The Agreement with the Franco-British Exhibition—The Building ofthe Stadium—Meeting of the International Olympic Committee at The Hague in May, 1907 CH APTER II. GENERAL REGULATIONS FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES OF 1908 IN LONDON CHAPTER III. PROGRAMME AND PRIZES OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES OF 1908 IN LONDON CHAPTER IV. THE OLYMPIC GAMES OF 1908 : Opening of the Franco-British Exhibition by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales— Visit of H.M. the King, with the President of the French Republic, to the Stadium — Opening of the Olympic Games by H.M. the King on July 13, 1908—Procession of Athletes 6 PAGE DETAILS OF THE COMPETITIONS : Archery Athletics Boxing Cycling Fencing Football Gymnastics Hockey Lacrosse Lawn Tennis Motor Boats Polo Racquets Rowing Shooting Skating Swimming Tennis (Jeu de Paume) Wrestling Yachting CHAPTER V. THE PRIZE-LIST : Full List of Prize Medals—Winners of Three Gold Medals—Winners of Two Gold Medals—Analysis of National Successes (I) in Athletics ; (2) In Archery, Cycling, Fencing, Gymnastics, Swimming, and Wrestling ; (3) in Lawn Tennis, Polo, Racquets, Shooting, and Tennis (Jeu de Paume) ; (4) in Motor Boats, Rowing, and Yachting ; (5) in Boxing, Football, Hockey, Lacrosse, and Skating—The Final Balance-sheet of Victories CHAPTER VI. THE DISTRIBUTION OF GOLD MEDALS BY HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN CHAPTER VII. NOTES ON ORGANISATION : A few Figures—The Code of Rules—Judging and International Juries— The Date of Entries—Cabled Entries—The Drawing of Heats —Equality of Olympic Representative Athletes—The Daily Pro- gramme—The Relative Value of various Divisions of the Games and different Events in them—Ideals of an Olympic Programme—Lawn Tennis, Golf, Rugby Football, Racquets, Tennis (Jeu de Paume), and Covered Court Lawn Tennis—Sculpture, Painting, Poetry, and Music —An Olympic Code of Rules for International Sport—Letters received from Official Representatives of Foreign Nations 7 PAGE CHAPTER VIII. FINANCE AND ENTERTAINMENT : Various Methods of financing an Olympic Meeting—The Franco-British Exhibition—Some Dangers of a Dual Control—Difficulties of Organisa- tion—The Spectators—Unauthorised Persons in the Arena—Three hundred thousand Visitors —The Expenses of the Meeting—Equipment, Insurance, Grants to Governing Bodies of Sport, Prizes, Administrative Account, Entertainments—The Balance Sheet—Difficulties in organis- ing various Entertainments—The Grafton Galleries Reception—The Mansion House Reception—Banquets at the Holborn Restaurant— Banquet given by His Majesty’s Government—Other Dinners and Entertainments in London—Dinners of the Governing Associations— The Work done by the Polytechnic— Festivities at Henley—Service in St. Paul's—Autumn Entertainments—The British Olympic Association, and its Work in the Future CHAPTER IX. THE CODE OF RULES FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES OF 1908: Archery Athletics Boxing Cycling Fencing Football Golf Gymnastics Hockey Lacrosse Lawn Tennis Motor Boats Polo Rowing Shooting Clay Bird Shooting Skating Swimming, Diving, and Water Polo Tennis and Rackets Wrestling Yacht Racing APPENDIX : A. Details of the Daily Programme in the Stadium, with a List of the Officials for each event B. Totals of Entries from each Country C. Full List of Names of all who entered for the Summer Games D. Full List of Names of all who entered for the Autumn Games E. Some Amateur Definitions F. Speeches at the Olympic Banquets 8 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FACING PAGE THE RIGHT HON. LORD DESBOROUGH OF TAPLOW, President of the British Olympic Council, 1908 THE REV. R. S. DE COURCY LAFFAN, Hon. Sec. of the British Olympic Council, 1908 THE STADIUM ON JULY 24, 1908 PLAN OF THE STADIUM REVERSE OF THE OLYMPIC PRIZE MEDAL FOR THE GAMES OF 1908 OBVERSE OF THE OLYMPIC PRIZE MEDAL, (PERMANENT DESIGN) OBVERSE OF THE OLYMPIC COMMEMORATION MEDAL (PERMANENT DESIGN) REVERSE OF THE OLYMPIC COMMEMORATION MEDAL FOR THE GAMES OF 1908 PRIZE DIPLOMA DIPLOMA OF MERIT KING EDWARD VII.