All about the modern Olympic Games. History of Olympic Games. Dossier

Over its many years history of the olympic games have undergone many changes. The rules are constantly being tightened, new records are being set, sports are being improved and new ones are appearing. The sports that are familiar to everyone today, which are considered traditional, were not at all such a few decades ago. They replaced the previous groups, which for certain reasons became irrelevant.

For the present generation, the old varieties of Olympic competitions are somewhat outlandish. Some of them were only demonstrations, but there were also those in which records were set and medals were awarded. For interest and general development, it will not be superfluous to plunge into history and remember the most unusual games of the Olympic competitions.

Long-distance diving

This event was preceded by scuba diving, which almost immediately proved uninteresting and boring for spectators. Therefore, in 1904, the organizers decided to make adjustments - now it became long-distance diving. According to the rules, the athletes simultaneously jumped into the water and froze for a while so that the judges could assess the distance of the jump. True, there were not many athletes - only five people, and all of them were from the USA. According to the archives, the best result was shown by a swimmer named William Dickey. He jumped 19 meters. History of the first Olympic Games

Hot air balloon flights

This sport was of a demonstration nature. Hot air balloon racing was added to the unofficial list of the Olympic Games in 1900. Undoubtedly, the scale, grandeur and “airiness” of this spectacle did not leave any spectator indifferent. But serious disputes began to arise over the evaluation criteria. Without reaching a unanimous opinion, this competition was excluded from the competitive games.

Swimming hurdles

This is truly one of the most difficult, intricate and by no means safe types of sports. The first trial competitions took place at the Olympics in 1896. The second time, in 1900, they took place on the Seine River in Paris. The swim was 200 meters, surrounded by bizarre obstacles. These included wooden poles on which swimmers climbed and dived into the water again, and boats under which they swam along with the fruit. That's right, this is a historical fact. The fruit had to be squeezed anywhere; some athletes even tried to push it forward with the tip of their nose during the swim.

Where and when did the first modern Olympic Games take place?

One of the barriers went 60 meters deep, and the poor swimmers were forced to dive to such a depth. Another inconvenience was the sailor suits, in which we sailed the entire distance. Another unpleasant moment was the fact that the Olympians had to swim through muddy and dirty water. After all, a huge amount of waste and slop was thrown into the Seine in those years. There were also few participants in the swim - 12 athletes from five countries. Of course, there was a champion. It turned out to be Frederick Lane from Australia. That year was the last for steeplechase swimming.

Pigeon shooting

This species has broken all records for bloodthirstiness. This is another unpleasant and extremely cruel sport that distinguished the 1900 Olympics. In addition to the mocking swims, there were days at those competitions when innocent animals and birds were deliberately killed. For example, the pigeons that the participants shot at. According to historical data, a total of three hundred pigeons died in that competition. The most accurate athlete was Leon de Lunden from Belgium. His victory alone cost the lives of 21 pigeons. Fortunately, this competition was soon modified, and instead of pigeons, they began to throw plates into the air as targets. This sport is now known as skeet shooting.

These are not all the strange types of competitions at past Olympics. The competitions also stood out when two teams had to play tug of war. Yes, once upon a time this entertainment was seriously assessed by justices of the peace. There were also pistol duels. Fortunately, the participants did not shoot at each other, but at dummies with targets on their chests. This type of gymnastic performance, such as exercises with pins, also took place.

Current sports are somewhat vaguely reminiscent of previous ones, some are an adjusted model with new rules and evaluation criteria, some are completely new and are only gaining momentum. But this only makes the Olympics more interesting and spectacular. This means that the world of sports, like any other area, does not stand still, but develops new directions and conquers new heights.

Today, the Olympics no longer resemble at all what they were a hundred, or even fifty years ago. As at all times, this is the most important public event, the main goal of which is to unite all the peoples of the world.

Olympic Games - the most significant in the world sport competitions. They are held every four years. Every athlete dreams of winning these competitions. The origins of the Olympic Games date back to ancient times. They were carried out as early as the seventh century BC. Why were the ancient Olympic Games called holidays of peace? In which country were they held for the first time?

The myth of the birth of the Olympic Games

In ancient times these were the greatest national festivals. Who is the founder of the ancient Olympic Games is unknown. Myths and legends played a significant role in the social and cultural life of the ancient Greeks. The Hellenes believed that the origin of the Olympic Games dates back to the time of Kronos, the son of the first god Uranus. In a competition between mythical heroes, Hercules won the race, for which he was awarded an olive wreath. Subsequently, the winner insisted that sports competitions be held every five years. Such is the legend. There are, of course, other legends about the origins of the Olympic Games.

Historical sources confirming the holding of these festivals in Ancient Greece include Homer's Iliad. This book mentions a chariot race organized by the inhabitants of Elis, the region in the Peloponnese where Olympia was located.

Holy Truce

A mere mortal who played a significant role in the development of the ancient Greek Olympic Games was King Iphitus. During his reign, the interval between competitions was already four years. Having resumed the Olympic Games, Iphit declared a sacred truce. That is, during these celebrations it was impossible to wage war. And not only in Elis, but also in other parts of Hellas.

Elis was considered a sacred place. It was impossible to wage war with her. True, later the Eleans themselves invaded neighboring regions more than once. Why were the ancient Olympic Games called holidays of peace? Firstly, the holding of these competitions was associated with names of the gods who highly revered by the ancient Greeks. Secondly, the aforementioned truce was declared for a month, which had a special name - ἱερομηνία.

Scientists have still not come to a consensus about the types of sports in the Olympic Games held by the Hellenes. There is an opinion that initially athletes competed only in running. Later, wrestling and chariot racing were added to the sports in the Olympic Games.

Participants

Among the citizens in Ancient Greece there were those who were subjected to public dishonor and contempt of others, that is, atymia. They could not become participants in competitions. Only dear Hellenes. Of course, barbarians, who could only be spectators, did not take part in the ancient Olympic Games. An exception was made only in favor of the Romans. At the ancient Greek Olympic Games, a woman did not even have the right to attend unless she was a priestess of the goddess Demeter.

The number of both spectators and participants was huge. If at the first Olympic Games in Ancient Greece (776 BC) competitions were held only in running, then later other sports appeared. And over time, poets and artists got the opportunity to compete in their skills. During the celebrations, even deputies competed with each other in the abundance of offerings to mythical deities.

From the history of the Olympic Games it is known that these events had quite an important social and cultural significance. Deals were made between merchants, artists and poets introduced the public to their creations.

Competitions were held on the first full moon after the summer solstice. Lasted five days. A certain part of the time was devoted to rituals with sacrifices and a public feast.

Types of competitions

The history of the Olympic Games, as already mentioned, is full of tales and legends. However, there is reliable information regarding the types of competitions. At the first Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, athletes competed in running. This sport was represented by the following varieties:

• Distance running.
• Double run.
• Long run.
• Running in full armor.

The first fist fight took place at the 23rd Olympics. Later, the ancient Greeks added martial arts such as pankration, wrestling. It was said above that women had no right to take part in competitions. However, in 688 BC, special competitions were created for the most purposeful inhabitants in Ancient Greece. The only one a sport in which they could compete, there were horse races.

In the fourth century BC, a competition between trumpeters and heralds was added to the program of the Olympic Games - the Hellenes believed that aesthetic pleasure and sport had a logical connection. Artists exhibited their works on the market square. Poets and writers, as mentioned above, read their works. Sometimes, after the completion of the Games, sculptors were commissioned to create statues of the winners, and lyricists composed songs of praise in honor of the strongest and most dexterous.

Ellanodon

What were the names of the judges who observed the progress of the competition and awarded awards to the winners? Ellanodons were appointed by lot. The judges not only presented the award, but also managed the organization of the entire event. At the first Olympic Games there were only two of them, then nine, and even later ten. Beginning in 368 BC, there were twelve Hellanodons. However, later the number of judges was reduced. Ellanodons wore special purple clothing.

How did the competition begin? The athletes proved to the spectators and judges that they had devoted the previous months exclusively to preliminary preparation. They took an oath in front of the statue of the main ancient Greek god - Zeus. Relatives of those wishing to compete - fathers and brothers - also took an oath. A month before the competition, the athletes demonstrated their skills in front of judges in the Olympic Gymnasium.

The order of the competition was determined by drawing lots. Then the herald publicly announced the name of the person entering the competition. Where were the Olympic Games held?

Sanctuary of Ancient Greece

Where the Olympic Games took place is clear from the name. Olympia is located in the northwestern part of the Peloponnesian Peninsula. This was once located here temple-cultural complex and sacred grove of Zeus. On the territory of the ancient Greek sanctuary there were religious buildings, monuments, sports facilities and houses in which participants and guests lived. This place was the center of Greek art until the fourth century BC. Later they were burned by order of Theodosius II.

The Olympic Stadium was built gradually. He became the first in Ancient Greece. In the fifth century BC this stadium hosted about forty thousand spectators. For training, a gymnasium was used - a structure whose running track was equal in length to the one located in the stadium itself. Another platform for preliminary preparation - palaestra. It was a square building with a courtyard. Mostly athletes who competed in wrestling and fist fighting trained here.

Leonidoion, which performed the functions, was built in the fifth century BC according to the design of a famous architect in Ancient Greece. The huge building consisted of a courtyard surrounded by columns and included many rooms. The Olympic Games played an important role in the religious life of the Hellenes. Therefore, local residents erected several temples and sanctuaries here. The structures fell into disrepair after an earthquake that occurred in the sixth century. The racetrack was finally destroyed during a flood.

The last Olympic Games in Ancient Greece took place in 394. Banned by Emperor Theodosius. In the Christian era, these events were regarded as pagan. The revival of the Olympic Games took place two millennia later. Although already in the 17th century, competitions reminiscent of the Olympic ones were held repeatedly in England, France and Greece.

Revival of ancient Greek traditions

The predecessors of the modern Olympic Games were the Olympias, held in the mid-19th century. But they, of course, were not so large-scale and had little in common with the competitions, which in our time are held once every four years. The French Pierre de Coubertin played a significant role in the revival of the Olympic Games. Why did Europeans suddenly remember the traditions of the ancient Greeks?

In the middle of the 17th century, archaeological research was carried out in Olympia, as a result of which scientists discovered the remains of temple buildings. The work continued for more than ten years. At this time, everything related to Antiquity was popular in Europe. Many public and cultural figures became infected with the desire to revive Olympic traditions. At the same time, the French showed the greatest interest in the culture of sports competitions in Ancient Greece, although the archaeological discoveries belonged to the Germans. This can be easily explained.

In 1871, the French army suffered a defeat, which significantly undermined the patriotic spirit in society. Pierre de Coubertin believed that the reason was the poor physical training of the soldiers. He did not try to inspire his countrymen to fight Germany and other European powers. The French public figure spoke a lot about the need to improve physical culture, but also advocated for overcoming national egoism and establishing international understanding.

The first Olympic Games: modern times

In June 1894, a congress was held at the Sorbonne, at which Coubertin presented to the world community his thoughts on the need to revive ancient Greek traditions. His ideas were supported. On the last day of the congress, it was decided to hold the Olympic Games in two years. They were supposed to take place in Athens. The committee for holding international competitions was headed by Demetrius Vikelas. Pierre de Coubertin took over as secretary general.

The 1896 Olympic Games were the largest sporting event. Greek statesmen put forward a proposal to hold the Olympic Games exclusively in their homeland. However, the committee decided otherwise. The location of the Games changes every four years.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Olympic movement was not widely popular. This is partly due to the fact that at that time the World Exhibition was being held in Paris. Some historians believe that the Olympic ideas were saved thanks to the intermediate games of 1906, held again in Athens.

Differences between modern Games and ancient Greek ones

The competitions were resumed on the model of ancient sports competitions. The modern Olympic Games unite athletes from all countries; discrimination against individuals on religious, racial or political grounds is not allowed. This, perhaps, is the main difference between the modern Games and the ancient Greek ones.

What did the modern Olympic Games borrow from the ancient Greek ones? First of all, the names themselves. The frequency of competitions was also borrowed. One of the purposes of the modern Olympic Games is to serve peace and establish mutual understanding between countries. This is consistent with the ideas of the ancient Greeks about a temporary truce during the days of the competition. The Olympic flame and torch are symbols of the Olympics, which arose, of course, in antiquity. Some terms and rules for conducting competitions were also borrowed from the ancient Greeks.

There are, of course, several significant differences between modern Games and ancient ones. The ancient Greeks held sports competitions exclusively in Olympia. Today the Games are organized each time in a different city. In Ancient Greece there was no such thing as the Winter Olympic Games. And the competitions were different. In antiquity in the Olympic Not only athletes, but also poets participated in the games.

Symbolism

Everyone knows what the symbol of the Olympic Games looks like. Five fastened rings of black, blue, red, yellow and green. However, few people know that these elements do not belong to any specific continent. sounds in Latin, translated into Russian means “faster, higher, stronger.” The flag is a white panel with the image of rings. It has been lifted at every Games since 1920.

Both the opening and closing of the Games are accompanied by a grandiose, colorful ceremony. The best organizers of mass events are involved in developing the scenario. Famous actors and singers strive to take part in this spectacle. The broadcast of this international event attracts tens of millions of viewers around the world to television screens.

If the ancient Greeks believed that in honor of the Olympic Games it was worth suspending any military action, then in the twentieth century the opposite happened. Sports competitions were canceled due to armed conflicts. The games were not held in 1916, 1940, 1944. The Olympics have been held in Russia twice. In 1980 in Moscow and in 2014 in Sochi.

In Hellas (Ancient Greece) they were one of the most revered holidays, and later not only of Hellas, but of the entire ancient world. Well, today you can hardly meet a person who has not heard at least something about these games. In this article we will look at the history of the Olympic Games briefly but to the point. According to Greek mythology, the founder of the game was the equally famous hero Hercules. The first reliable sources about the games include records of the names of the winners of the games that took place in 776 BC. The games were held in the Altis district, which was sacred to the ancient Greeks, also called Olympia. The games were held every four years, and they lasted five days. According to tradition, they began with a pompous procession, as well as a sacrifice for the god Zeus. And finally, on a measured field (“stadium” in Greek), which could accommodate 40,000 spectators, sports competitions began.

The competition program included: fist fights, running, running with weapons, javelin throwing, discus throwing and competitions in chariots drawn by four horses. Later, from the 4th century BC, not only athletes, but also speakers, historians, poets, musicians, playwrights and actors began to participate in the games. Not everyone could attend the games, much less participate in them. Slaves, women, and persons on trial for certain crimes could not take part in the games, even as spectators. Once it turned out that the famous fist fighter was trained by his mother, wearing men's clothing, and since then athletes and coaches were required to appear completely naked at competitions.

Those who won the Olympic Games received great respect and honor. Monuments were erected to the winners, poets composed laudatory odes in their honor, they were pompously greeted in their homeland and awarded with wreaths made from olive branches. But the privileges did not end there; they were provided with food for life at state expense, exempted from taxes and given large financial sums. During the games, any hostilities between the warring Greek powers ceased. These were considered a real holiday of peace and served to strengthen cultural ties among the Greek states.

The Olympic Games continued until 394 AD, and were banned as a pagan holiday by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I, at the insistence of the Christian clergy.

However, in 1894, the rebirth of the Olympic Games took place, it was then that the International Sports Congress took place in Paris. 34 countries were represented at the congress (including Russia). At the congress it was decided to resume the Olympic Games. As a result, the new Olympic Games opened in Athens on April 5, 1896, which have since been held every 4 years. However, due to wars, some of them did not take place: in 1916, 1940, 1944.

The modern Olympic Games are the largest complex event these days. There is no permanent program of games, as it changes regularly. As a rule, the program contains more than 20 summer sports. For example, the program of the XVI Games for men included: gymnastics, athletics, freestyle and classic wrestling, diving, weightlifting, swimming, boxing, rowing, modern pentathlon, kayaking and canoeing, skeet and bullet shooting, equestrian sports, water polo, cycling, fencing, sailing, basketball, football, grass hockey. And the women competed in fencing, kayaking, swimming, diving, gymnastics, and athletics.

This is the history of the Olympic Games briefly outlined in this article. It should also be noted that in these games there is no official team championship, but only competitions. The winner in any sport becomes the owner of a gold medal, the one who takes second place receives a silver medal, and for third place a bronze medal is given.

In time immemorial, Hercules organized it in the 1210s. They were held once every five years, but then for unknown reasons this tradition was interrupted and was revived under King Ifite.

The first Olympic Games in Greece were not numbered, they were called solely by the name of the winner, and in the only type of competition at that time - running over a certain distance.

Ancient authors, based on materials, began counting the competition from 776 BC. e., it was from this year that the Olympic Games became known by the name of the athlete who won them. However, there is an opinion that they simply failed to establish the names of the earlier winners, and therefore the holding itself could not be considered a valid and reliable fact in those days.

The first Olympic Games took place in Olympia, a town located in southern Greece. Participants and tens of thousands of spectators from many cities of Hellas traveled to the place by sea or by land.

Runners, as well as wrestlers, discus or spear throwers, jumpers, and fist fighters took part in competitions in agility and strength. The games were held in the hottest month of summer, and at this time wars between policies were prohibited.

Throughout the year, heralds spread the news throughout the cities of Greece that the sacred peace had been declared and that the roads leading to Olympia were safe.

All Greeks had the right to participate in the competition: the poor, the noble, the rich and the ignorant. Only women were not allowed to attend them, even as spectators.

The first, like the subsequent ones, in Greece were dedicated to the great Zeus; it was an exclusively male holiday. According to legend, one very brave Greek woman in men's clothing secretly entered the city of Olympia to watch her son perform. And when he won, his mother, unable to restrain herself, rushed to him in delight. According to the law, the unfortunate woman should have been executed, but out of respect for her victorious son she was pardoned.

Almost ten months before the start of the Olympic Games, everyone who was going to participate in them was required to begin training in their cities. Day after day, for ten months in a row, the athletes continuously trained, and a month before the opening of the competition, they arrived in Southern Greece and there, not far from Olympia, continued their preparation.

Typically, most of the participants in the games were usually wealthy people, because the poor could not afford to train for a whole year and not work.

The first Olympic Games lasted only five days.

On the fifth day, a table made of ivory and gold was installed in front of the temple of the main god Zeus, and awards for the winners - olive wreaths - were placed on it.

The winners approached one after another to the supreme judge, who placed these award wreaths on their heads. In front of everyone, he announced the name of the athlete and his city. At the same time, the audience exclaimed: “Glory to the winner!”

The fame of the Olympic Games has survived many centuries. And today, every inhabitant of the planet knows the five rings that signify the unity of the continents.

The first Olympic Games of modern times marked the beginning of a tradition: taking an oath. There is also another wonderful tradition: to light the Olympic flame in Greece, as in ancient times, and then carry it as a relay across countries in the hands of people devoted to sports, to the site of the next Olympics.

And although as a result of a strong earthquake all the Olympic buildings of antiquity were wiped off the face of the earth, in the 18th century, as a result of excavations in ancient Olympia, many attributes of the then games were found.

And already at the end of the 19th century, the permanent and first Baron de Coubertin, inspired by the works of the archaeologist Curtius, revived the games and also wrote a code defining the rules for their conduct - the “Olympic Charter”.

But the administration of Athens and the Greek government expressed doubts that the necessary funds would be allocated to hold competitions of this rank. The government motivated this attitude by the fact that Athenians are poorly versed in sports and that the city does not have the necessary sports facilities, and the financial situation of Greece does not allow inviting representatives from many countries to the Olympics. Many prominent government and political figures supported the government's statement. For example, the influential political figure Stephonos Dratomis wrote that Greece was unable to realize the magnificent idea of ​​​​Pierre de Coubertin and the Games were best postponed until 1900, as part of the World Exhibition in Paris.

But Pierre de Coubertin, as well as the Greek Crown Prince Constantine, who supported him, believed that they could only count on help from private individuals. The Crown Prince created a special commission to facilitate the holding of the Olympic Games. He appointed the former mayor of Athens, Philemon, as secretary general of the commission, and also appealed to the people to donate funds to the Olympics preparation fund. Money began to come not only from the residents of Greece, but also from London, Marseille, Istanbul (Constantinople) and other cities where rich Greek colonies existed. With funds received from Alexandria from Georg Averoff, the ancient Olympic stadium was restored. A velodrome and a shooting range were also built in Athens. Tennis courts are located in the city center. Athletes were provided with pavilions with boathouses and locker rooms for rowing competitions.

The preparation of the Olympic venues was carried out by the Greek National Olympic Committee, which managed to complete all the preparatory work in one year. The International Olympic Committee and national committees of other countries selected participants for the Games, which turned out to be a difficult task. Here is what Pierre de Coubertin wrote about this: “Most of the gymnastic associations in Germany, France and Belgium are filled with the consciousness of their own exclusivity: the members of these associations do not intend to tolerate in the program of the Games those sports that they do not cultivate. They especially hate the so-called “English” sports... Other associations were ready to send their representatives to Athens only after providing them with information regarding the interest the planned sports festival was arousing... The German press, to top it all off, declared, that the Olympics are an exclusively Franco-Greek enterprise. Meanwhile, Mr. Kemen in Hungary, Major Balck in Sweden, General Butovsky in Russia, Professor Sloan in the USA, Lord Ampthill in Great Britain and Dr. Gut-Jarkovsky in Bohemia (modern Czech Republic) did everything possible to create interest in the upcoming competitions."

The competition was originally planned to take place in the stadium at Olympia, site of the Ancient Greek Olympic Games. But this idea had to be abandoned because the stadium needed serious restoration. It was decided to hold the Games at the Athens stadium, where athletes competed in ancient times. The opening of the Games took place on April 6 at the Marble Stadium in Athens; the opening ceremony was watched by about 80 thousand spectators (a record figure before the 1932 Olympic Games). After the King of Greece announced the Games of the First Olympiad, a choir of 150 voices performed the Olympic Ode, written especially for this occasion by the Greek composer Samara.

311 athletes from 13 countries took part in the competition: Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Denmark, USA, France, Chile, Switzerland, Sweden. However, more than 70% of the participants competed for Greece. The teams of Germany (21 athletes), France (19), and the USA (14) were quite representative.

Russian athletes were actively preparing for the Olympics, but due to lack of funds, the Russian team was unable to attend. Several athletes from Odessa, eager to participate in the Games, decided to travel to Athens on their own, but due to financial problems they had to return back. Kiev resident Nikolai Ritter, however, managed to get to Athens and even applied to participate in wrestling and shooting competitions. But he did not compete, later withdrawing his application.

Only men took part in the competition.

The program of the first modern Olympic Games included competitions in Greco-Roman wrestling, cycling, gymnastics, athletics, swimming, shooting (bullet), tennis, weightlifting, and fencing, in which 43 sets of medals were competed. Rowing competitions were also planned, but due to a lack of applications they did not take place.

According to ancient tradition, the Games were started by track and field athletes. The first Olympic champion was the American athlete James Connolly, who won the triple jump with a score of 13 m 71 cm. The champion was a full meter ahead of his closest rival Alexandre Tuffer from France. Harvard University student Connolly arrived at the Olympics without official permission from the administration; moreover, professors and teachers disapproved of the willfulness of the future champion. But after James returned with an Olympic gold medal, the pundits changed their anger to mercy. He was later even awarded an honorary doctorate from Harvard. Connolly became famous not only in sports, becoming the first Olympic champion of our time, but also in journalism, he also has 25 popular novels to his credit.

The second gold medal was also won by the American athlete, discus thrower Robert Garrett, who literally snatched the highest Olympic award from the hands of the Greek Panagiotis Paraskevopoulos. This circumstance shocked the Greek fans - after all, the Greeks were considered beyond competition in discus throwing!

The happy American told the startled journalists an entertaining story of his victory. While a student at Princeton University, Garrett learned that the Games program included discus throwing, and decided to take part in it. Since in America they knew about this sport only by hearsay, he decided that at the Olympics they would use the same discus that ancient athletes used.

After delving into books, Garrett ordered a similar disc for himself and, having familiarized himself with the technique, began training. Already in Athens, he discovered that modern equipment was so much lighter and more convenient that it was not difficult for him to beat the favorites with a score of 29 m 15 cm.

The next day, fortune once again smiled on the lucky American: in the absence of the main contender, world record holder Dennis Horgan (Ireland), Garrett won another gold medal in the shot put with a result of 11 m 22 cm. Garrett went down in the history of the Olympic Games by paying trip of three athletes of their team.

The central competition was the marathon. The winner, the Greek postman Spyridon Louis, became a national hero and received high honors. 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.

Pierre de Coubertin described the victory of Spyridon Louis this way: “When Louis appeared at the stadium, the 60 thousand spectators who were waiting for him jumped out of 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 first serious violation of sports ethics was associated with the marathon. Immediately after the finish, the Hungarian athlete Deze Kellner, who came fourth, protested, demanding the disqualification of the Greek runner S. Vasilakos. Kellner claimed that third-place finisher Vasilakos mysteriously disappeared during the marathon and appeared in front of him a few hundred meters before the finish line. The investigation showed that the enterprising Greek covered almost the entire distance on a cart in order to appear at the finish line in the glory of a winner. The Hungarian athlete received his rightful bronze medal, as well as a gold watch, along with an apology from the organizers.

For fraud, Vasilakos was deprived of the right to wear the national costume, he was publicly condemned and disqualified for life.

The outstanding French athlete Paul Masson turned out to be unattainable in the sprint race on the track, as well as at distances of 2000 and 10,000 m. At the first Games, he won the most gold medals. Another French athlete Leon Flament demonstrated an example of sportsmanship and fair fight. Leading the 100-kilometer race, he suddenly noticed that his main rival Georgios Koletis was forced to stop due to a bicycle breakdown. The Frenchman, as a sign of solidarity, decided to wait for the Greek cyclist and resumed the race only after Koletis was able to continue. And despite the delay, Flamand was the first to reach the finish line. He became not only an Olympic champion, but also one of the most popular athletes of the Olympics.

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 all the participants. In addition to the victory in wrestling, Schumann won 3 more gold medals in gymnastics competitions - vault, as well as in the team championship in exercises on parallel bars and horizontal bar.

In the weightlifting competition, the Englishman Launceston Elliott distinguished himself with a result of 71 kg in the exercise with one arm and the Dane Viggo Jensen (111.5 kg with both arms).

In the shooting competitions, Greek athletes were out of competition, winning 3 medals in exercises with a military rifle. In Revolver 2 shooting, the Americans won the highest awards.

The Hungarian swimmer Alfred Hajos won a striking victory. In stormy weather, he managed to get ahead of the other contenders and won the 1200 m swim. Hajos remained in the Olympic annals not only as the first swimming champion: 28 years after his victory in Athens, he again took part in the Olympic Games and won a silver medal in the arts competition in the architecture section - for the stadium project.

Of course, not everything at the Games of the 1st Olympiad, despite the enormous enthusiasm and efforts of the organizers, went smoothly. The result would have been more significant if representatives from not 13, but a larger number of the 34 invited countries had participated in the competition. A number of countries sent weak teams to the Olympic competitions, and some of the strongest athletes did not come to the Games.

However, it is difficult to overestimate the importance of the first international competitions of this scale. Coubertin praised them, noting: “As far as Greece is concerned, the result of the Games seems to be twofold: sporting and political... If we realize the influence that physical education can have on the future of the country and on the spiritual forces nation as a whole, the question involuntarily arises: did not a new era of development begin for Greece in 1896? It would be interesting if sport became one of the factors that could influence the solution of the Eastern question!.. These are hypotheses, and the future will confirm or refute the correctness of our forecasts...”

The winners were awarded on the closing day of the Games - April 15. In accordance with the ancient ceremony, the Olympic champion was crowned with a laurel wreath, he was given an olive branch cut from the sacred grove of Olympia, as well as a medal and diploma. Since 1896, the tradition of singing national anthems and raising state flags in honor of the winners has been established.

At the Games of the 1st Olympiad, Greek athletes won the largest number of medals - 46 (10 gold, 19 silver and 17 bronze); US Olympians received 19 medals (respectively, 11, 7, 1); German athletes - 14 medals (7, 5, 2). The Olympians of Bulgaria, Chile and Sweden were left without medals.

After the successful hosting of the Games of the First Olympiad, Greece hoped that subsequent Olympic Games would be held in Athens, which would become a modern Olympia. However, the International Olympic Committee decided to give the Games a truly international character and hold them alternately in different countries and on different continents. The International Olympic Committee did not object to major international competitions being held in Greece between the Games. Such competitions were planned to be held in 1898, and then in 1902. But for organizational and financial reasons they did not take place.