OF GREEK PHYSICAL EDUCATION and HIS CONTRIBUTION to the 1ST MODERN OLYMPICS by Christodoulos Faniopoulos, Sotiris G
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THE «GRANDFATHER» OF GREEK PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE 1ST MODERN OLYMPICS by Christodoulos Faniopoulos, Sotiris G. Giatsis & P. Liandi any people played an important part in A brief biography Msuccessfully organising the first modern PHOKIANOS was born in Athens in 1845. His fa- Olympic Games. Amongst the key individuals ther was originally was from Nea Phokaia, in Asia were COUBERTIN, the Greek Royal Family, VIKELAS, Minor, and thus he was renamed "Phokianos" - his Georgios AVEROV (who bankrolled the restora- previous surname being ORPHANOGLOU. His moth- tion of the Panathenaic Stadium) etc. Behind them er was from the island of Andros.9 there were others who played a lesser role, such as Ioannis completed high school and then regis- Timoleon PHILIMON, the Secretary General of the tered in the School of Mathematics at the University Games, Constantinos MANOS, the official technical of Athens. However, he abandoned this discipline instructor of the organization of games, the General in order to dedicate himself to gymnastics. While Leonidas PARASCEVOPOULOS, the man who inspired still a student, he founded a club, aiming at the Spyros LOUES the marathon race winner, and others. reestablishment of the ancient Olympic Games. The whole Greek people, as well as the royal fam- PHOKIANOS, as the pioneer of Evangelos ZAPPAS'S ily, joyously greeted the prospect of the Olympic ideas and visions, actively participated in the or- Games being held in Athens in the spring of 1896.1 ganization of the Olympia games, in 1875 and 1889 The aim of this article is to describe the contri- (this year he was the only organizer). bution of Ioannis PHOKIANOS in the preparation of From 1868 to 1875 and from 1879 until his the Olympic Games, since he was the president of death, he was the instructor of the Public-Central the practical committee and member of the Greek Gymnasium, nowadays bearing his name "Ioannis athletes' preparation committee.2 PHOKIANOS has Phokianos". From 1876 to 1879 he taught gymnas- been considered as the "father of gymnastics in tics, mathematics and physics at the three-class Greece"3 (like JAHN in Germany); he was also teacher's college, established by the Association for called, "the oak tree of gymnastics" 4, "the gi- the communication of Greek language at Thessaloniki, 5 ant of the Greek Sport" , or "the grandfather of directed by the pedagogue Ch. PAPAMARKOS.10 Greek gymnastics"6. Furthermore, we discuss the In 1891 the Panellinios Gymnastic Club was es- important role of PHOKIANOS: 1) in the establish- tablished and PHOKIANOS took the chair, which he ment Greek Physical Education, 2) in the Zappeia retained until his death in 1896. He did not know Olympia (third and fourth) and 3) in preparation that he suffered from diabetes and, as a result of an for the Olympic Games. incorrect diagnosis and an operation on a benign PHOKIANOS had received COUBERTIN'S letter of in- anthrax condition, he died on 5 May 1896, a few vitation as president of the Panhellenic Gymnastic weeks after the end of the Olympic Games.11 Club. This he passed on to VIKELAS who became the PHOKIANOS had been the author of the Gymnastics first president of the International Olympic Committee Handbook (1883), which was one of the few aids to the (1894-1899) who lived in Paris at this time (1894). Greek gymnasts until late 19th century. The official We shall also investigate his relation with VIKELAS, report of the games does not mention him at all. the person who represented PHOKIANOS'S ideas at the International Conference held in Paris in 1894, Phokianos's Involvement in the Third (1875) and where Athens was chosen as the host city of the 1st Fourth (1888-1889) Olympia of Zappas12 modern Olympic Games.7 The thorough study of The success of the games of 1870 encouraged the the correspondence between these two men will Olympia games Committee to repeat the Zappeia help us clarify aspects of the Athenian commitment games in 1875, and having been involved with organ- to of the 1st Olympic Games.8 izing the two previous games in 1859 and 1870, the or- Both PHOKIANOS and his student Ioannis ganization of the games was assigned to PHOKIANOS. CHRYSAFIS (1873-1932) were opposed to C. MANOS, He had excellent scientific knowledge but was also the right hand man of the Royal Family, who sug- well respected by the students and others who at- gested all the Greek athletes should be excluded tended the public gymnasium. He was therefore the from the Olympic Games, because they were trained best equipped to do the job. The previous organizer at their clubs (Panhellenic and Ethnikos-National) Daniel TZIOTIS had been excellent in acrobatic gym- by Professionals (PHOKIANOS and CHRYSAFIS). nastics but was completely illiterate.13 PHOKIANOS be- 12 JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY 15(JULY 2007)NUMBER 2 lieved that gymnastics could develop in society only cism, and at the end of 1875 he resigned from the if the gymnasiums and the games were frequented position of the teacher of the public gymnasium, by literate youths, students and pupils, instead of and went to Thessaloniki to teach gymnastics and the workers who participated in the two previous or- mathematics in the newly established teachers' col- ganizations - probably because of the money prize lege founded by the Association for the communica- - receiving criticism by the contemporary men of let- tion of Greek language.17 ters and the press.14 So PHOKIANOS took over as head During his four-year stay in Thessaloniki, of this organization with great enthusiasm, believing PHOKIANOS was initiated in the Turnreigen method that this way he would be able to impose his ideas on (group of exercises), by the German teacher of that the mode of gymnastics promotion in Greece. At his college, GEBAUER. When he returned to Athens, in- proposal, the programme of the games would include fluenced by his friend and principle of the School, modern gymnastics, high jump over parallel bars, hor- VOULGARIS, he applied this method heart and soul, izontal bar, grasshopper-like moves on parallel bars, not only in his teaching but also to restrict the etc. According to CHRYSAFIS, this growth of acrobatics (a dis- competition programme based cipline he continued to dis- on the German model gymnas- like) in the development of tics was completely unusual gymnastics.18 from a technical point of view, The 4th Zappeia Games and far removed from the inter- were announced by the Royal national standard programmes Decree of January 11th 1888, of similar competitions using and there was a provision this model. CHRYSAFIS, as his for the conduct of "Popular student, stated that he was well Games Festival".19 The pro- aware of PHOKIANOS'S points of gramme of the Games was view on this matter, and he as- drafted by a special com- serts that by keeping gymnastics mittee, nominated for that within these limits, PHOKIANOS purpose, and was initially wanted to exclude acrobatics accepted by the Olympic from that first public show in Committee in March 1888. Greece, as well as to avoid the The programme included eventual fall of an athlete, some- athletic and gymnastic games thing that would destroy the in the Panathinaic Stadium, whole spectacle. This is why he as well as shooting contests included in the programme only loannis Phokianos (from: Georgiadis, Kon- in the National Shooting the very common and safe exer- stantinos, Olympic Revival, Athens 2004, Ground. PHOKIANOS started cises on the parallel bars and the p. 88) training the athletes for the horizontal bar as well.15 At this athletic and gymnastic games point we can pinpoint an early divergence from the in the public gymnasium. However, although the German model; something probably which is due to committee had initially approved the games, later on his brother's tragic death. the idea was abandoned, as they concentrated their Under the supervision of the Special Gymnastics energies on a trade fair.20 Thus, PHOKIANOS decided to Committee16 PHOKIANOS started training the stu- organize the games on his own expense, using his sis- dents and pupils who were to participate in the ter's dowry, and his private gymnasium. The games games, with his assistants Aristeides NIKOLAOU or were held in May 1889, whereas the Trade Fair took 21 IOANNIDES and Daniel TZIOTIS. However, despite place in the autumn of 1888. The Games took place PHOKIANOS'S willingness, preparation and effort, in the yard of the gymnasium and, although the size the games were regarded as a failure. He paid for of the crowd made it uncomfortable to spectate, and other's faults and was considered responsible for the interruption of the games during the first day, the the unsuccessful outcome. This was despite the Games were well staged and considered to be a great fact that the athletic contests he had organised had success, too. At the end of the Games, after Minister been considered a success. The failings were due THEOTOKIS awarded the prizes to the winners, pro- to the poor preparation of the athletic fields in the fessor Stefanos KOUMANOUDIS praised PHOKIANOS, Panathinaic Stadium, unsatisfactory arrangements presenting him a victor's wreath too.22 for spectators, and the non attendance of the royal In 1890, PHOKIANOS organized the Games in the family. Thus the "decorative" part of the games Central Gymnasium, naming them "Annual games failed, sweeping down the entire organization. of the trainees of this Gymnasium".23 In these PHOKIANOS could not tolerate this undeserved criti- Games, which were attended by the Ministers of JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY 15(JULY 2007)NUMBER 2 13 Phokianos and his athletes in 1889 (Salomou- Prokopiou, Aliki (ed.), Athens 1896.