A Crowd Gathers in Front of and Inside the Pan-Athenian Stadium at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens

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“The Olympic Games are the quadrennial celebration of the springtime of humanity.” —Baron Pierre de Coubertin

BY EUGENE FINERMAN

A crowd gathers in front of and inside the Pan-Athenian stadium at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens.

30 BOSS 4 fa ll/w i nte r 2016 ‘FASTER, HIGHER, STRONGER’ The creation of the modern Olympics

“The Olympic Games are the quadrennial celebration of the springtime of humanity.” —Baron Pierre de Coubertin

BY EUGENE FINERMAN

On April 6, 1896, athletes from four conquered by the Macedonians, and continents assembled in an ancient then the Romans, but both esteemed stadium. They stood before the royal Greek culture. The Olympic Games family of Greece, the international press continued, celebrated until the end of and 60,000 spectators. Commanding the fourth century A.D. But then the the Athenian skyline was the Acropolis, Roman Empire became Christian and the inspirational reminder of Greek condemned the pagan festival at civilization and the proud traditions Olympia. Nude athletics were certainly that these athletes were there to revive: forbidden. For the next 15 centuries, the Olympic Games. For Baron Pierre the Olympian ideals were lost among de Coubertin, the advocate and history’s footnotes. Athletics served organizer of the modern Olympics, only as military training, and sports these games were not just a tribute to were an aristocrat’s amusement. history but a guide to the future. He But Pierre de Coubertin (1863– foresaw the Olympics as joyous and 1937) was an aristocrat and a scholar. ennobling, a heroic alternative to the His conservative temperament abhorred corrupting materialism and threatening the unrest and upheaval of modernity. ideology of the world. Industry darkened the skies and the Indeed, that had been the purpose soul. In his France and all of Europe,

of the original Olympics. Ancient (CIO) © 1930 / Comité International Olympique social classes were pitted against each Greece was a land of rivalries, with other, tenuously bound only by their Baron Pierre de Coubertin city-states vying with one another. hatred of other countries. Unlike many Yet, once every four years, the Greeks aristocrats, however, Coubertin did not would suspend their wars to celebrate javelin, the discus, horse races and long for the previous century. The baron their civilization and its highest ideals. chariot races. Each athlete competed as found his inspiration in classical Greece, Athletes throughout Greece would an individual; there were no teams or and he saw there an athletic chivalry convene at Olympia, a sanctuary even uniforms. All participants were that the world had lost. The Olympian dedicated to Zeus. The games were open nude. The only distinction was victory. ideal—the exaltation of amateur to all Greek males. Here, for no prize A winning athlete would receive sports—had once united people. but the glory, they would compete. a crown of laurel leaves. It could again. Coubertin intended The first recorded game was in 776 B.C., Once the games were over and to revive the Olympics, and so he a festival lasting a day and the the athletes had time to return home, became an educator. competition limited to running. Over the sacred truce ended and the Greeks His first campaign was to introduce time, the Olympics were expanded to resumed their mutually destructive physical education in French schools. include wrestling, boxing, jumping, the wars. A weakened Greece would be Coubertin could speak of ancient

www.dixonva lve.co m fa ll w i nte r 4 © 1896 / Comité International Olympique (CIO) © 1896 / Comité International Olympique / 2016 BOSS 31 The Olympics of 1896 had 285 athletes representing 13 nations. As a tribute to Greece, a new competition was introduced: the marathon.

“Faster, Higher, Stronger.” That would 1900. The Greek delegation offered to become the Olympic motto. host the games in 1896. Who had a In 1892, at the annual meeting better claim to the Olympics? Coubertin of the federation, Coubertin proposed had to agree. The actual site of these the revival of the Olympics, inviting games would be Athens. Although all nations to participate. The idea was historically inaccurate, the Greek capital applauded but ignored. His proposal could accommodate the transportation seemed a daunting undertaking; these and construction required for the

© 1896 / Comité International Olympique (CIO) © 1896 / Comité International Olympique French clubs were not prepared for the games. The original site of Olympia Greek water-carrier Spyridon Louis became effort and expense. Coubertin realized was too remote for modern needs. a national hero after winning the marathon that the international games would While Greece dealt with the at the 1896 Olympics in Athens. require international support. In logistics, the newly formed Greece as well as more modern studying the educational systems of International Olympic Committee examples. In England, the best schools other countries, Coubertin had made organized the games. The ancient games had long included sports in their many friends, particularly in Britain had been limited to Greek males. curricula. One game was even named and the United States. When he next The revived games had a different for its school: rugby. Coubertin also proposed the revival of the Olympics, it criterion: amateurs from any country warned the French public that Germany would be to an international audience with a recognized athletic association. was already well on its way with and with a number of allies. At the time, this limited the invitations physical education. If and when there Under the auspices of the French to Europe, the United States and a few was another war, he argued, France athletic federation, Coubertin invited countries in South America. The French needed its youth to be just as fit. As an international athletic congress to athletic federation objected to German the leading advocate for physical Paris in June 1894. Once again, he participation; Coubertin stressed the education, Coubertin came to be proposed a revival of the Olympics. international perspective of the games regarded as the spokesman for amateur This time, however, Coubertin was and sent a personal invitation to Kaiser athletics throughout France. In 1888, overwhelmed by the positive response. Wilhelm II. There was some question as the 25-year-old Coubertin organized He suggested the Olympics be held in to whom to contact in America. the Comité pour la Propagation des Exercices Physiques, combining the Spyridon Louis leads the parade at the closing ceremonies of the 1896 Olympics. regional athletic clubs into one national association. Two years later, his group had expanded to include all amateur sports in France. The federation adopted the motto Citius, Altius, Fortius; the Latin phrase means

Ice Breaker The Winter Olympic Games made their debut several decades after the Summer Games. Launched in 1924 in Chamonix, France, the first Winter Olympics included five sports: bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, Nordic skiing and skating. © 1896 / Comité International Olympique (CIO) © 1896 / Comité International Olympique

Women golfers compete, above, and an archer takes aim, right, at the Olympic Games in Paris in 1900.

e committee decided the most route taken by the runner Pheidippides, A Record for the Ages? likely addresses for gentlemen athletes who ran the distance from Marathon to When Leonidas of Rhodes won 12 individual would be Harvard College and Athens with news of the Greek triumph Olympic events over four Olympic Games Princeton University. As for the various over the Persian invaders. Fittingly, the (the last three events in 152 B.C., in races competitions, the committee tried to winner of this marathon in 1896 was a of about 200 and 400 meters, and a adhere to the original Greek games. Greek—Spyridon Louis. He ran the shield-carrying race), the 36-year-old Track and eld, swimming, weight 26-mile distance in two hours, 58 probably assumed this was a record li ing, fencing, gymnastics and minutes and 50 seconds. that would stand for the ages. shooting all had ancient antecedents. e success of the Athens And it did—for 2,168 years. Until the Bicycling might be compared to chariot Olympics ensured the revival of the Rio Games last summer, when swimming racing; however, tennis and lawn games. In 1900, Paris was the host to phenom Michael Phelps shattered it by tennis were de nite novelties. 997 athletes representing 20 nations. winning his 13th individual gold medal, in the e Olympics of 1896 had 285 Archery, rowing, golf and equestrian 200-meter individual medley. athletes representing 13 nations. As competitions were added to the games. Phelps, 31, ﬁ nished the 2016 Games— a tribute to Greece, a new competition So were women; they competed in and his Olympic career—with an astounding was introduced: the marathon. A tennis and golf. e Stockholm 28 Olympic medals, including 23 golds. 26-mile race, it followed the historic Olympics of 1912 had 2,400 athletes from 28 countries. Among the Track and ﬁ eld athletes from Princeton participating nations were Japan and University represented the United States Egypt. e Olympics had become Since then, the Olympics have at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens. been suspended by another World War, truly international. victimized by terrorism and have fallen Berlin was the designated prey to politics. Yet the games go on, site of the 1916 Olympics, but there sought and honored. Today, more would be no sacred truce that year. than 200 nations participate. e e games were superseded by Olympics still represent all that Baron a far more ghastly competition. de Coubertin hoped: “ e important Indeed, 138 former Olympic athletes thing in the Olympic Games is not to would wind up being killed in win, but to take part; the important World War I. However, the horrors thing in Life is not triumph, but the made the Olympian ideals all the struggle; the essential thing is not to more appreciated. e Olympics have conquered but to have fought well. would resume in 1920. e site for To spread these principles is to build up the games was chosen as an a strong and more valiant and, above a rmation of the future: Antwerp all, more scrupulous and more