Paris 1900 Olympic Games

Paris 1900 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Paris that took place May 14–October 28, 1900. The Paris Games were the second occurrence of the modern Olympic Games.

In 1894 the first Olympic Congress selected Paris as the site of the 1900 Games; Athens was chosen as the 1896 host. The Paris organizers quickly encountered many obstacles, most notably the World Exhibition, which was also being held in Paris in the summer of 1900. The world’s fair, as it was commonly known, was considered more important, and thus the second modern Olympic competition was relegated to a sideshow. Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympics and president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), lost control of his hometown Games to the French government.

The resulting Games suffered from poor organization and marketing, with events conducted over a period of five months in venues that often were inadequate. The track-and-field events were held on a grass field that was uneven and often wet. Broken telephone poles were used to make hurdles, and hammer throwers occasionally found their efforts stuck in a tree. The swimming events were contested in the Seine River, whose strong current carried athletes to unrealistically fast times. There was such confusion about schedules that few spectators or journalists were present at the events. Officials and athletes often were unaware that they were participating in the Olympics as most events were labeled “International Contests of Physical Exercise and Sport.” In addition, there were no special opening and closing ceremonies.

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Nevertheless, the Games were attended by nearly 1,000 athletes representing 24 countries. There was an infusion of new events, some of which were not officially part of the Olympic program or were later discontinued (e.g., golf, rugby, cricket, and croquet). Archery, football (soccer), rowing, and equestrian events were among those introduced at the 1900 Games. Women, competing in sailing, lawn tennis, and golf, participated in the Olympics for the first time even though women’s events were not officially approved by the IOC. (While Coubertin promoted physical education for girls and women, he was opposed to public competition for reasons of propriety.)

The confusion surrounding the events led to similar confusion over who was the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal. Does the Swiss Hélène de Pourtalés deserve the title of the first woman Olympic champion for her May 25 yachting victory, even though the Games proper are customarily reckoned to have begun only with the track-and-field events on July 14? This yardstick would also seem to eliminate Charlotte Cooper of Great Britain, as she won the tennis event on July 11. Does the honor therefore go to Margaret Abbott of the United States, who won the golf tournament on October 3, despite the fact that golf was not officially approved as an Olympic sport? Can one become an Olympic champion when one is unaware—as these three athletes were—that they were even competing for such a title?

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Despite the problems of the Paris Games, the quality of athletic performance improved. Athletes from the United States, led by jumper Ray Ewry and sprinter Alvin Kraenzlein, again dominated the track-and-field competition. American athletes won 17 of the 23 track-and-field events, while French athletes earned more than 100 medals, by far the most for any nation at the 1900 Games. The top medal-winning athletes are listed below.