The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad and commonly known as Antwerp 1920, were an international multi-sport event held in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium.
Rugby union has been a men's medal sport at the modern Summer Olympic Games, being played at four of the first seven competitions. The sport debuted at the 1900 Paris games where the gold medal was won by the host nation. It was subsequently featured at the London games in 1908, the Antwerp games in 1920 and the Paris games in 1924.
John Brendan Kelly Sr. was an American triple Olympic champion, the first in the sport of rowing. The Philadelphia-based Kelly also was a multimillionaire in the bricklaying and construction industry. He also was involved in politics, serving as Pennsylvania secretary of revenue and running unsuccessfully for mayor of Philadelphia in the 1935 Philadelphia mayoral election.
Jack Beresford, CBE, born Jack Beresford-Wiszniewski, was a British rower who won five medals at five Olympic Games in succession. This record in Olympic rowing was not matched until 2000 when Sir Steve Redgrave won his sixth Olympic medal at his fifth Olympic Games.
Paul Vincent Costello was an American triple Olympic gold medal winner in rowing. He was the first rower to win a gold medal in the same event, double sculls, at three consecutive Olympics. He also won numerous national titles in both the single and double scull in the 1920s.
France competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. 304 competitors, 296 men and 8 women, took part in 113 events in 23 sports.
Vyacheslav Nikolayevich Ivanov was a Soviet rower, and one of the most accomplished rowers of his generation. He crewed for the Soviet Union, and he won the Olympic gold medals in the single sculls class at the 1956 Melbourne Games, the 1960 Rome Games, and the 1964 Tokyo Games.
Great Britain, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. 234 competitors, 218 men and 16 women, took part in 84 events in 21 sports. British athletes won fourteen gold medals and 43 medals overall, finishing third. It would be the last Olympic Games in which Irish athletes participated for Great Britain, after foundation of Irish Free State in 1922.
Sweden competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. 260 competitors, 247 men and 13 women, took part in 100 events in 18 sports.
The United States competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. 288 competitors, 274 men and 14 women, took part in 113 events in 18 sports.
Italy competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. 174 competitors, 173 men and 1 woman, took part in 79 events in 18 sports.
Switzerland competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. 77 competitors, all men, took part in 45 events in 13 sports.
Czechoslovakia competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. It was the first time that the nation had competed at the Summer Olympic Games, after the republic was founded in 1918. Previously, Bohemia had competed at the Olympic Games from 1900 to 1912.
Spain competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. It was only the second appearance of the nation at the Summer Games, after competing in the 1900 Summer Olympics, but missing the Games in 1904, 1908, and 1912. 58 competitors, all men, took part in 29 events in 7 sports.
The men's single sculls event was part of the rowing programme at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The competition, the fifth appearance of the event, was held from 27 to 29 August 1920. Ten rowers, each from a different nation, competed. The event was won by John B. Kelly Sr. of the United States, the nation's second victory in the event. It was the first of Kelly's three Olympic gold medals; he would also win in the double sculls about an hour later as well as in the 1924 double sculls. In the final, Kelly defeated Great Britain's Jack Beresford in "of the greatest sculling races ever contested." Beresford led most of the way, with Kelly passing him late and winning by one second—a very close race in single sculls. The final held particular significance to Kelly, who had only decided to participate in the Olympics after being excluded from the 1920 Diamond Challenge Sculls; Kelly had wanted "to get a crack at the man who wins the diamond sculls"—which had turned out to be Beresford.
The men's coxed four event was part of the rowing programme at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The competition was held on 28 and 29 August 1920. It was the third appearance of the event, which had previously been held inaugural rowing competitions in 1900 as well as in 1912. Eight boats, each from a different nation, competed. The medals all went to nations that had not won a medal in the men's coxed four previously: Switzerland and the United States took gold and silver, respectively, in their debuts in the event; Norway took bronze.
The men's eight event was part of the rowing programme at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The competition was held on 28 and 29 August 1920. It was the fifth appearance of the event. Eight boats, each from a different nation, competed. It was the first time that nations were limited to a single boat. The event was won by the United States in a final against Great Britain; the two nations had taken all four previous gold medals. Bronze went to Norway, the nation's first medal in the men's eight. In addition to gold medals, the winners received a challenge prize that had been donated by Eugenio Brunetta d'Usseaux before his death in 1919.
The men's single sculls event was part of the rowing programme at the 1924 Summer Olympics. The competition, the sixth appearance of the event, was held from 14 to 17 July 1924 on the river Seine. There were 8 competitors from 8 nations, with each nation limited to a single boat. The event was won by Jack Beresford of Great Britain, the nation's third victory in the event. Beresford, who had lost a tightly contested final in 1920 to John B. Kelly Sr., became the first man to win multiple medals in the single sculls though it required him having to compete in the repechage to even secure a place in the final. Great Britain's podium streak in the event extended to four Games; the nation had won a medal each of the five times it appeared, missing only 1904.
The Vesper Boat Club is an amateur rowing club located at #10 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1865 as the Washington Barge Club, the club's name was changed to Vesper Boat Club in 1870.
