1912 Olympic Games Official Report Part 2

Classic soil was chosen as the scene of the first modern Olympiad— an honour legitimately demanded by the home of the classicOlympic Games. Athens, in 1896, saw the first Olympic meeting ofthe athletics of the modern world; four years later the turn came toParis. The third was held in St. Louis, in 1904; the fourth in London,1908 and the fifth in Stockholm, in 1912. In Greece, a wish aroseto have the permanent home of the Games in that country, and, asan expression of that desire, a special Olympic Committee organizedOlympic Games in Athens, in 1906, intended to be repeated everyfourth year, i. e., between the official, International Games. TheInternational Olympic Committee, however, insists on the Games takingplace at the proper interval, at different places in the civilized world.The Olympiads hitherto held bear witness, by the interest theyhave excited among the athletes of the world and by the resultshitherto attained, to the unheard-of, rapid development of the Internationalathletic movement.Athens 1896.A great deal was done to publish to the world the holding of thefirst Modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, and quite a largenumber of competitors were entered — especially if judged by thethen existing conditions, and the Games were, without doubt, thegreatest athletic festival hitherto held in our times. The United Statesof America, especially, sent a very representative team which gainedmany brilliant victories, and Great Britain, too, was represented bysome skilful athletes. France was victorious in the cycle races andin fencing; Germany easily won the gymnastic competition. Hungary’swreaths were gained by clever swimmers, and the names of othercountries, too, can be found in the list of winners. Switzerland, Austria,Denmark, each took a prize in the shooting competitions. Swedenwas victorious in the high jump, and Denmark in the weight-lifting competitions,while Greece itself won a brilliant victory in the Marathon Race.The thoughts of carrying out the first modern Olympic Games onclassic ground at Athens, was an exceedingly happy thought. It gavethe Games a certain stamp, and the Greeks heartily appreciated therespect thus paid to their ancient glories, and showed an enthusiasmand an energy that were simply unique. Greece fulfilled withhonour its task of arranging the first Modern Olympic Games.Paris 1900.The second Olympiad, in Paris, 1900, was somewhat quieter, forthe French did not show all the interest in the Games that mighthave been expected. Not enough was done to attract the athletesof foreign nations to the competitions, and not so many were presentas at Athens four years previously. A first class team from the U. S. A.took part in the Games however, and won nearly every competition.S:t Louis 1904.In consequence of the Olympic Games of 1904 taking place inone of the western states of the New World, the third Olympiad, too,did not enjoy the same international stamp as the Games of 1896,846