1896 ATHENS, Greece
Date: from 6 to 15 April 1896.
Participants: 14 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), 43 events, 241 athletes (men only).
Officially opened by: King George I.
The Olympic Games in Athens were financed by a donation of approximately one million drachmas from a rich businessman, Georges Averof, and by the sale of souvenir stamps and medals. The Greek spectators were rewarded for their enthusiasm and sportsmanship as the star event, the marathon, an event organised for the first time at these Games, was won by a Greek peasant, Spyridon Louis. American James Connolly became the first Olympic champion of the modern era, winning the triple jump on 6 April 1896, with a jump of 13.71 metres.
1900 PARIS, France
Date: from 14 May to 28 October 1900.
Participants: 24 NOCs, 95 events, 997 athletes (975 men, 22 women).
In 1900, Paris hosted the International Universal Exhibition, and the Games were organised within the framework of this exhibition. The Games were spread over five months and there were no real opening and closing ceremonies. Women made their Olympic debut in
tennis and golf. British
tennis player Charlotte Cooper was the first woman to earn the title of Olympic champion.
GAMES OF THE VI OLYMPIAD
These did not take place because of WWI. Planned location: Berlin (Germany). Other candidate cities: Alexandria (Egypt) and Budapest (Hungary).
1912 STOCKHOLM, Sweden
Date: from 5 May to 27 July 1912.
Participants: 28 NOCs, 102 events, 2,407 athletes (2,359 men, 48 women). For the first time, competitors in the Games came from all five continents.
Officially opened by: King Gustav V.
The Swedish hosts unofficially introduced the use of electronic time-keeping for the athletics races, as well as the first loudspeaker system. Sweden totally refused to allow boxing tournaments to take place on its territory, which prompted the Inter-national Olympic Committee (IOC) to decide, after the Games, to limit the power of the host city insofar as choosing the Olympic programme was concerned.
1904 ST LOUIS, USA
Date: from 1 July to 23 November 1904.
Other candidate city: Chicago (USA).
Chicago was chosen initially, but the IOC decided to transfer the Games to St Louis in 1902, because of the Universal Exhibition that took place in this city.
Participants: 12 NOCs, 91 events, 651 athletes (645 men, 6 women).
Officially opened by: David Francis, President of the Louisiana Purchase Expo-sition (1904 Universal Exhibition).
The Games were very similar to those of 1900, lasting almost five months. Many events were not labelled “Olympic”, but had the status of sporting championships only within the framework of the World Fair. Many athletes competed as individuals not really linked to an international team. After 1904, the then Olympic supremo Coubertin swore never again to organise the Olympic Games alongside a fair.
1920 ANTWERP, Belgium
Date: from 20 April to 12 September 1920.
Participants: 29 NOCs, 154 events, 2,626 athletes (2,561 men, 65 women).
Olympic oath (athletes): Victor Boin, fencing.
Officially opened by: King Albert I.
The Opening Ceremony stood out for various reasons: the Olympic flag was used for the first time, it was the first time that a competitor took the Olympic oath on behalf of all the athletes and first time that pigeons were released.
1908 LONDON, Great Britain
Date: from 27 April to 31 October 1908.
Other candidate cities: Berlin (Germany), Milan (Italy) and Rome (Italy). Rome was chosen initially, but the Games were then awarded to London because Vesuvius erupted in 1906.
Participants: 22 NOCs, 110 events, 2,008 athletes (1,971 men, 37 women).
Officially opened by: King Edward VII. These Olympic Games were among the best organised thus far. The Games were becoming known throughout the world, and athletes the world over wanted to compete. On the first Sunday of the Games, a religious service took place in St Paul’s Cathedral at which the Bishop of Pennsylvania gave a sermon that has remained famous, containing as it did the words: The important thing in these Olympiads is not to win, but to take part.
1924 PARIS, France
Location: Paris, France.
Date: from 4 May to 27 July 1924.
Other candidate cities: Amsterdam (Netherlands), Barcelona (Spain), Los Angeles (USA), Prague (Czechoslovakia) and Rome (Italy).
Participants: 44 NOCs, 126 events, 3,089 athletes (2,954 men, 135 women).
Olympic oath (athletes): Georges André, athletics.
Officially opened by: President Gaston Doumergue.
Emblem: emblem of the City of Paris.
At the Closing Ceremony, the practice of raising three flags – one for the IOC, one for the host country and one for the country hosting the next Games – was introduced.