Summer Olympiad (1920)

The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, celebrated in Antwerp, Belgium. The 1920 Games were awarded to Antwerp to honor the suffering that had been inflicted on the Belgian people during the war. The initial choice was the Hungarian capital Budapest. The 1916 Summer Olympics, to be held in the German Empire capital Berlin had been canceled. The Aftermath of World War I and the Paris Peace Conference 1919 affected the Olympic Games not only due to new states being created, but also by sanctions against the nations that lost the war and were blamed for starting it. Hungary, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria and Turkey were also banned from the Games. Germany remained banned until 1925, and instead hosted a series of games called Deutsche Kampfspiele, starting with the Winter edition of 1922 (that predated the first Winter Olympics). The Opening Ceremony was notable for the introduction of the Olympic flag and the presentation of the Athletes’ Oath. In a performance unequaled in Olympic history, Nedo Nadi of Italy earned gold medals in five of the six fencing events. Ethelda Bleibtrey of the United States won gold medals in all three women swimming contests. Including preliminary heats, she swam in five races and broke the world record in every one. France’s Suzanne Lenglen dominated women’s tennis singles so completely that she lost only four games in the ten sets she played. At age 72, Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn earned a silver medal in the team double-shot running deer event to become the oldest medalist ever. The 1920 12-foot dinghy sailing event was the only event in Olympic history to be held in two countries. The first race was staged in Belgium, but the last two races took place in the Netherlands because both entrants were Dutch.

Opening date: 20 April 1920

Closing date: 12 September 1920

Ceremonies

Official opening of the Games by: His Majesty The King Albert

Lighting the Olympic Flame by: The Olympic flame was first lit during the opening ceremony of the 1928 Olympic

Olympic Oath by: Victor Boin (water-polo/fencing)

Official Oath by: The first officials' oath was sworn at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

Participations

29 NOCs (Nations)
2,626 athletes (65 women, 2,561 men)
154 events

Country of the host city: Belgium (BEL)

Candidate cities: Amsterdam (NED) and Lyon (FRA), who withdrew before the vote

Sports

• Aquatics
• Archery
• Athletics
• Boxing
• Cycling
• Equestrian
• Fencing
• Football
• Gymnastics
• Hockey
• Modern Pentathlon
• Polo
• Rowing
• Rugby
• Sailing
• Shooting
• Tennis
• Tug of War
• Weightlifting
• Wrestling

Demonstration sport

·         Korfball

Highlights

• These Olympics were the first in which the Olympic Oath was uttered, the first in which doves were released to symbolize peace, and were the first time the Olympic Flag with the five rings signifying the union of five continents, created by Baron de Coubertin was flown.

• The Games also featured a week of winter sports, with figure skating and ice hockey making their Olympic debut.

• At the age of 72, Sweden's running deer double-shot event champion Oscar Swahn won in the team event to become the oldest Olympic champion ever.

Facts

• 23 year old Paavo Nurmi won the 10,000 m and 8,000 m cross country, took another gold in team cross country, and a silver in 5,000 m run. His contributions for Finland broke the U.S. dominance record in track and field with 9 medals.

• Hawaii's Duke Kahanamoku (USA-swimming) won his second consecutive title in the 100m freestyle. He matched his own world record in the semi-finals and then broke it in the final. He added another gold medal to his tally in the relay.

• These Games were marked by the debut of the Finn Paavo Nurmi, probably the greatest long-distance runner of all time.

• For the first time, only the National Olympic Committees could enrol participants.