Know your Olympics - Paris Olympics 1900
Following the success of the first edition of the modern Olympics in Athens, the second Olympics were held in Paris. Almost 1000 athletes from 28 nations took part.
These Olympics were bigger, better and more diverse. These Olympics also gave way to equality, as women made their official debuts.
The Olympics were held in Paris as a part of the 1900 World's Fair. Since many did not know that they were participating at the Olympics, they participated just for fun.
These Olympics were one of the few editions that lasted for months. The Olympics began in May, and went on till the month of October.
This was also the last edition where the winners received silver medals and the runners up a slightly upgraded version of a bronze medal.
Paris 1900 was also the edition where several sports made their debut, and several sports were played for the first and only time. This is the only edition where live pigeons were used for the shooting event. One might thank the International Olympic Committee for being humane enough since then.
This was also the edition where India made their debut, though as a nation our debut would come much later. Anglo-Indian athlete Norman Pritchard won two silver medals for his heroics in athletics. Unfortunately, he is the only Indian to have ever tasted Olympic success in athletics.
The Paris Olympics is also the edition where several sports were played for the first and the last time, such as automobile racing, cricket, croquet to name a few.
You won't believe this, but the organizers even attempted underwater swimming in this edition.
If only some of the modern organizers took a leaf or two from their predecessors.
Let us have a look at some of the unforgettable moments from the Paris Olympics of 1900.
#1 Far more diverse Olympics
In comparison to the Athens Olympics, the Paris Olympics were a far more successful and diverse affair. 997 athletes, which included 25 women from 28 different nations, participated in these Summer Olympics. The Olympics began on May 14 and ended on October 28.
While Athens Olympics were undoubtedly the first edition of the modern Olympic Games, Paris Olympics were the first Olympics to be conducted under the presidency of Pierre de Coubertin. By now, he was the president of the International Olympic Committee.
Undoubtedly, the Paris Olympics had its own unique history. However, this was perhaps also the last edition where there were no prizes for the 3rd place winners. Most of the winners were given cups or trophies. Some winners got silver medals, while others got bronze medals for coming second.
If Athens Olympics gave birth to the modern Summer Olympics, the Paris Olympics gave birth to diversity overall. There were many historic firsts and 20 nations had the luck of standing on the victor's podium as well.
Apart from London and Athens, Paris is the only lucky city which has had the honor of hosting the Olympics more than once. Tokyo will join the list soon.
#2 Several historic firsts
The Paris Olympics is also a witness to several historic firsts. For the first time, many sports made a debut at this event. For the first time, women were allowed to participate.
For the first time, polo was allowed at any multi-event sports. Before the Berlin Olympics of 1936, polo was a principal team sport for the Summer Olympics.
Fun fact: A sport as unconventional as the tug of war had also made their debut in this edition. Yes, for almost two decades, tug of war was an Olympic sport.
Until the Antwerp edition of 1920, tug of war was an important sport at the Summer Olympics. In the first edition at Paris, a mixed team of Denmark and Sweden won the championship, defeating the hosts France in the finals.
Actual teams participated in this sport, and Great Britain was the most successful team in this discipline. They won two gold medals, two silver medals and a bronze medal overall in this discipline, including the last gold medal at the Antwerp Games in 1920.