What happened at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896?
The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece in 1896. These games were very different from the modern event we now know. Let's look at the history of the 1896 Athens Olympics Games.
On 6 April 1896, King George I officially opened the Games of the First Olympiad. The date had been chosen to coincide with Easter Monday and the anniversary of Greece's independence.
As Ancient Greece was the birthplace of the Olympic Games, Athens was perceived to be an appropriate choice to stage the inaugural modern Games. It had been unanimously chosen as the host city during a congress in Paris on 23 June 1894.
How large were the first Olympic Games?
An estimated 80,000 people crammed into the Panathenaic Stadium to celebrate the first modern Olympic Games - at the time, it was the largest crowd ever to watch a sporting event.
Despite many obstacles and setbacks, the 1896 Olympic Games were regarded as a great success.
What sports were in the first Olympics?
The Games had the largest international participation of any sporting event to that date. 241 athletes from 14 different nations competed in 43 events in 9 sports, with the largest delegations coming from Greece, Germany, France and Great Britain.
Participants took part in cycling, fencing, shooting, swimming and tennis. Sports such as athletics, gymnastics, weightlifting and wrestling took place in the Panathenaic Stadium, which had been rebuilt on the site of a stadium from ancient Greece.
Who won medals at the 1896 Olympic Games?
By the end of the Games on 15 April, ten of the participating nations earned medals. The concept of national teams was not a major part of the Olympic movement until later, though sources list the nationality of competitors in 1896 and give medal counts.
The United States won the 11 gold medals, the most golds of any nation, while Greece won the most medals overall with 46.
Medals were awarded to all of those who participated in the Games, even if they did not achieve a place medal - recognising that taking part is as important as winning.
One of the most high-profile sports was the marathon race. It was won by Greek athlete, The marathon race was won by Spyridon Louis - he was the only Greek athlete to win a gold medal in athletics.
Did women compete at the first Olympic Games?
Women were not allowed to compete. However, on 11 April, the day after the men had ran the marathon race, a woman named Stamata Revithi ran the marathon course.
Although she was not allowed to enter the stadium at the end of her race, Revithi finished the marathon in about five hours and 30 minutes. Women were officially allowed to compete during the next games which took place in Paris in 1900.
This story was updated in July 2024 with new images and more detailed history.