Buzz
Today, the Olympics evoke images of extravagant, multi-billion-dollar events, elite athletes performing at their peak, and a global audience united in celebration.
However, the first modern Olympics in 1896 was a stark contrast. Only 14 nations participated, professionals were absent, and the U.S. team even had to write news reports themselves since no journalists deemed the event worthy of coverage. Though deemed successful then, the 1896 Olympics now appears charmingly quaint and delightfully peculiar.
10. Every Participant Received a Medal
For today’s athletes, an Olympic medal is a coveted prize, symbolizing that only two individuals worldwide surpass their skills in a specific sport. However, in 1896, a bronze medal carried a far less prestigious meaning—it merely signified that you had shown up to compete.
Indeed, the inaugural modern Olympics awarded participation medals, reminiscent of elementary school sports days. Every male participant (women were excluded) received a bronze medal crafted by Belgian artist Godefroid Devreese. Winners were awarded silver medals and olive wreaths, while runners-up received copper medals and laurel crowns. The reasoning behind valuing copper over bronze remains a mystery.
The familiar medal system—gold for first, silver for second, and bronze for third—wasn’t established until the 1904 St. Louis games. Fortunately, by then, the concept of participation medals had been abandoned.
9. Australia’s ‘Team’ Joined by Chance and Ended Up Punching a Spectator
In today’s Olympics, athletes dedicate years of rigorous training for a chance at glory, making their lives a preparation for the grand stage. In 1896, however, the rules were far more relaxed—virtually anyone could show up and compete. This was precisely how Australia’s so-called “team” came to be.
Calling it a “team” might be generous. Australia was represented by just one athlete: Edwin Flack, a mustachioed man who was in England at the time and decided to rush to Athens to witness the games. Once there, he joined the British team, competing in two sprint events and a tennis doubles match. Since Australia was a British colony, Flack’s medals in the 100 meters and 1,500 meters were later credited to Australia. He also entered the marathon, which led to one of his most infamous moments.
Flack had no prior experience with long-distance running. During the marathon, under the scorching summer sun, he suffered a complete breakdown. After pushing himself for miles, he collapsed and was assisted by a spectator. In his delirious state, Flack punched the kind stranger who had come to his aid, sending him tumbling to the ground.
8. The Discus Champion Had Never Seen a Discus Before
Most aspiring medalists dedicate years to perfecting their craft. Robert Garrett, however, was an exception. As an American athlete, he joined the discus event simply because no one else from his country was willing to. The catch? Garrett had never laid eyes on a discus in his life.
Before arriving in Athens, Garrett had no clue what a discus even looked like. To prepare, he commissioned a local blacksmith to create one based on descriptions from ancient Greek texts. In what might have been a prank, the blacksmith crafted a massive iron block measuring 30 centimeters (12 inches) in diameter and weighing 14 kilograms (30 pounds). Despite its impracticality, Garrett trained with it. It wasn’t until he saw the Greek athletes using proper discuses that he realized his mistake.
Nevertheless, Garrett decided to compete. His first two throws were disastrous, with the discus flipping awkwardly and nearly striking spectators. Then, against all odds, his third and final throw secured him the gold medal. Reflecting on the victory, a fellow American athlete later remarked, “I believe no one was more shocked than Robert Garrett himself.”
7. The Marathon Champion’s Life Resembled a Disney Tale
Spyridon “Spyros” Louis remains a national hero in Greece, so much so that his image was featured on the €2 coin, symbolizing the enduring pride Greeks feel for their first marathon champion. It’s easy to see why—Louis’s life reads like the plot of an inspiring Disney sports film.
Before his Olympic triumph, Louis was a humble donkey driver, assisting his father in delivering mineral water across Athens, which lacked a centralized water system at the time. Like a classic underdog, Louis joined the marathon simply to showcase his innate running ability. He stunned everyone by finishing in 2 hours and 58 minutes, outpacing all other competitors to claim victory.
Despite his fairy-tale narrative, Louis had a moment during the race that was far from family-friendly but undeniably epic. Midway through, he stopped at his uncle’s tavern, went inside, and ordered a glass of wine. After leisurely enjoying his drink, he confidently declared to everyone present that he would win, then resumed the race and cemented his place in Olympic history.
6. The US Athletes’ Travel Expenses Were Covered by Their Mothers
Today, making the US Olympic team means traveling to a foreign country, securing sponsorships, and staying in state-of-the-art Olympic accommodations. In 1896, however, the experience was far less luxurious. In fact, a third of the team had to depend on their mothers to fund their journey to Athens.
It’s difficult to imagine now, but America had minimal interest in the first Olympics. There were no trials or qualifying judges. The sole requirement for joining the US team was the ability to reach Athens before the games began.
Two athletes, James Connolly and William Hoyt, were refused permission by Harvard to attend the games and had to leave the university to compete. (Fortunately, both won their events.) Four Princeton students on the team couldn’t secure funding for their trip. They would have missed the Olympics entirely if Robert Garrett’s mother hadn’t stepped in at the last moment to cover their expenses.
5. A Local Woman Reportedly Gate-Crashed the Marathon
Earlier, we mentioned that women were barred from competing in the 1896 Olympics. However, it seems not everyone in Athens got the message. Contemporary accounts suggest a woman named Melpomene took offense at the exclusion and decided to gate-crash the marathon as a form of protest.
Depending on which account you believe, Melpomene either joined the marathon as a spectator and ran alongside the male competitors or organized her own parallel race, demanding recognition for her efforts. In the first version, she was denied entry to the Olympic stadium and defiantly completed her victory lap outside its walls. The second, more somber version describes her spending years petitioning the organizers to acknowledge her achievement, only to be repeatedly rejected.
Sadly, the records from the first Olympics are often incomplete and unreliable. Today, there’s even doubt about whether Melpomene existed. Some believe she may have been conflated with Stamata Revithi, a local woman who ran the marathon in hopes of financial gain and reportedly finished in 5 hours and 30 minutes.
4. The US Team Unintentionally Covered a King in Orange Peels
In 2012, the London Olympics famously began with the Queen parachuting from a helicopter alongside James Bond. While entertaining, this was clearly staged. Modern royals typically limit their Olympic involvement to polite spectating. In 1896 Greece, however, the royal family and the US team bonded so well that they nearly sparked a diplomatic incident during an impromptu baseball lesson.
The mishap involved an orange, a walking stick, and the formal attire of a prince. Eager to introduce baseball, the US team explained the rules to the future King Constantine, using a walking stick as a bat and an orange as a ball. They handed the “bat” to the prince, tossed the orange at him, and were mortified when it burst all over his court uniform, leaving him covered in orange pulp.
Fortunately, the crown prince took it in stride and laughed off the incident. However, it effectively ended any hopes of baseball becoming a popular sport in Greece.
3. It Wasn’t Actually the First Modern Olympics
Baron de Coubertin, aside from being a poor poet, was also something of an idea thief. While he promoted the 1896 event as the first modern Olympics, this wasn’t entirely accurate. As early as 1850, the English town of Wenlock had been organizing its own “Olympian Games,” featuring athletic competitions with prizes. De Coubertin visited Wenlock in 1890 at age 27 and decided to adopt the concept for his own purposes.
The two events weren’t identical, though. Wenlock’s games were limited to local residents, and they were held annually rather than every four years. However, the core idea of reviving ancient Greek traditions for the modern era originated there. Without witnessing Wenlock’s games, de Coubertin might never have established the IOC, and sports beyond soccer might not have been featured in Rio.
Some Wenlock events mirrored Olympic competitions, such as a 1-mile race (similar to the 1,500 meters) and a 3-mile bicycle race. However, the town also included activities like jousting, which oddly never made it into the official Olympic program.
2. It Inspired a Wave of Absurd ‘Sports’ in Later Games
Today’s Olympics boast 28 sports and over 300 events, a far cry from the 1896 games, which featured just nine sports and 43 events (some of which were canceled last-minute). Baron de Coubertin, the driving force behind the modern Olympics, believed this was insufficient. To expand the games, organizers introduced a slew of new events, many of which were downright bizarre.
For instance, the 1900 Olympics included “sports” like firefighting and kite flying. While these are no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), other unusual events from later games are. Competitors could earn Olympic medals for sculpture, painting, town planning, architecture, and even poetry. Ironically, one of the first poetry medals went to Baron de Coubertin himself for his poem “Ode to Sport,” which included lines like these:
O Sport, You are Peace! You forge happy bonds between the peoples by drawing them together in reverence for strength which is controlled, organized, and self-disciplined.
Clearly, this victory was based on merit, not the fact that the writer happened to lead the Olympics or anything of that sort.
1. The Chilean Athlete’s Participation Was Almost Entirely Forgotten
As previously mentioned, historical records from the 1896 Olympics are notoriously unreliable. A prime example is the case of Chilean athlete Luis Subercaseaux. Despite competing in three events, his participation was quickly forgotten. By 2016, even the International Society of Olympic Historians claimed Chile had no representatives at the first games.
At the time, Subercaseaux was in Europe with his diplomat father and traveled to Athens out of curiosity, joining the French team. He competed in a few races under the French banner but revealed his Chilean nationality at the last moment. When his father discovered he had done so without consulting the Chilean government, he was livid. Subercaseaux was compelled to remain silent about his involvement—a simple task since he didn’t win any medals and few journalists were covering the event.
As a result, many still believe Subercaseaux never actually competed. However, the limited evidence available indicates he likely did. His name appears as a participant for the French team, and he later became a distinguished diplomat, serving as an ambassador to the Vatican, which lends credibility to his account. Nonetheless, the fact that an entire athlete could be overlooked highlights how vastly different the Olympics were in those days.
