Athletics at the Summer Olympic Games

The birth of the modern Olympics and the birth of track and field

The birth of the modern Olympics and the birth of track and field The first modern Olympiads were held in 1896, although the tradition of athletics at the Games goes back to the 19th century. At that time, the sport was still defined by feats of endurance rather than its current emphasis on speed. These events were largely experimental, with a few professionals winning medals, but there was a feeling among the international sporting community that the Olympics should represent more than just a series of competitions between local amateurs. There was even talk of the Games being held in the United States, but it was the French who took the initiative in organizing the first modern Olympiad when they proposed that the games be held in Paris in 1900. The International Olympic Committee was so grateful to the French for hosting the event on such short notice that they agreed to change the name of the event to the “Olympic Games”, after which all future events would also be identified. The Paris Games also saw the introduction of the Marathon, which was held only 26 years after the inaugural event at the first modern Olympics.

1896 Athens

The first Olympic athletes were initially drawn from European and American universities, with the University of Oxford winning the first team title in the now-defunct Men’s Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race, which was considered to be an equestrian event. The first field event was the long jump, and the first track event was the 800 meters, which was won by Charles Bennett of the USA. The Marathon was run in extremely hot conditions, with many competitors passing out en route. Greece’s King George and his wife, the Danish-born Empress of Greece, were so moved by the Marathon that they both decided to run the final four miles to the Olympic stadium. The King was so exhausted that he had to be lifted over the finish line by two officials, while his wife actually beat two of the athletes and finished sixth.

1900 Paris

More than 800 athletes competed in the Paris Games, which was held outdoors. There were no women present at these games. The only track and field event was the long jump, and the decathlon was introduced, the only other event being the pentathlon, which was a combined event with five components. The high jump was also added to the program, but it was a one-off, as the Olympic organizers were unable to find a reliable way of measuring the event in the future. The Paris Games also saw the introduction of the “Olympic Spirit”, which was originally a charter created by the founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin. There was also a new award introduced at the Paris Games, the Pierre de Coubertin Trophy, which was awarded to the nation that had contributed most to the development of athletics.

1904 St. Louis

The first Olympic track and field events were held indoors at the St. Louis Games. There were now six track and field events on the program, including the 60 and 400 meters, the long jump and the hammer throw. The sprints were dominated by Americans, but the long jump saw the first non-American winner when Sigmund Herngren of Sweden won the title. The high jump was re-introduced after being dropped in Paris, but the decathlon remained the only multi-event competition on the program. The main controversy of the Games was an incident in the Marathon in which the Italian-born “Swedish” runner, and world champion, Fredrik “Fanny” Lindstrom, was accused of having been assisted by a group of car drivers who were said to have given him food and drink along the way, and even to have lifted him over some of the steeper hills. Despite protests, Lindstrom was allowed to keep his title.

1908 London

The Olympic program was expanded to include 15 track and field events, with the addition of the high jump and an extra men’s and women’s race – the 800 meters. However, the long jump remained the only field event that was held for both men and women. The first non-American to win a long jump title was Germany’s Conrad Scherer. The program also included the first women’s events, with the addition of the 100 and 400 meters and the first Women’s Marathon, in which Dorothea “Dora’ Barth from Germany was the winner. The Olympic program also included the first wheelchair race, which was won by Charles Barrault, who had lost a leg in a cycling accident.

1912 Stockholm

After the 1908 London Olympics, the Swedish organizers put forward a proposal to move the Games to their country, and the motion was passed at a meeting of the International Olympic Committee in Rome. The 1912 Olympics saw the first Winter Olympic event, which was the Cross Country Skiing event, while the Summer Olympic program was reduced to nine track and field events, with the removal of the hammer throw and the pentathlon. The 1912 program was also the first to use the system of marking with numbers that is still in use today. The triple jump saw the first non-American winner, with the Australian Charles Aubrey being the first athlete to jump over 50 feet. The long jump saw the first Olympic champion for Great Britain when the country’s long jumper, Tom Badcock, won gold. The high jump saw a tie between two athletes, both of whom made a mark of 6 feet 2 inches, but Swedish high jumper Sune Karlsson was awarded the title because he had cleared the bar first.

1924 Paris

The program was reduced to eight events, with the removal of the racewalking events. The 1924 Olympics saw the first Olympic champion in the triple jump, as the American Cornelius Johnson cleared a distance of 50 feet 8.75 inches. The first Olympic champions in the high jump and the long jump were both American athletes.

1928 Amsterdam

The program was again reduced to seven events, with the removal of the pentathlon and the racewalking events. The 1928 Olympic Games saw the first Olympic champions in the hammer throw and the 4×100 meters relay. The 4×100 meters relay had only been introduced at the Olympics in 1912 and was not staged again until 1928.