Sailing at the Games of the II Olympiad | |
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Venues | Meulan Le Havre |
Dates | 20 May 1900 – 27 May 1900 (Meulan) 1 August 1900 – 5 August 1900 (Le Havre) |
Competitors | about 150 (including 1 woman) from 6 nations |
Boats | 64 |
Sailing at the 1900 Summer Olympics | |
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Open class | Open |
0 - ½ ton | Open |
½ - 1 ton | Open |
1 - 2 ton | Open |
2 - 3 ton | Open |
3 - 10 ton | Open |
10 - 20 ton | Open |
20+ ton | Open |
Sailing/Yachting made its first appearance as an Olympic sport at the 1900 Summer Olympics after competitions were cancelled at the 1896 Olympics. With the exception of 1904, sailing was thereafter always a part of the Olympic program. The sailing program in 1900 consisted of a total of eight sailing classes. For six classes, the races were scheduled from 20 – 27 May at the river Seine around Meulan, and several series of three races were held for the largest classes from 1–5 August on the North Atlantic off the coast of Le Havre. Approximately 150 sailors in 64 boats (the numbers of boats and competitors are not reliable, as in the official report some figures of the World exhibition and the Olympic Games are mixed) from 6 nations competed, including 1 woman, Hélène de Pourtalès, who won a gold medal in the 1 to 2 ton. [1]
During the early years of the Olympic movement there were no strict rules for the assignment of venues. For the Olympic sailing in 1900 the organizers decided to combine the Olympic sailing for the smaller yachts with the regattas of the Exposition Universelle on the river Seine near Meulan. For the larger yachts an Olympic regatta was held at Le Havre.
Cercle de la Voile de Paris Bassin Olympique de Meulan Les Mureaux | |
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General information | |
Status | Completed |
Type | Club House |
Address | 30, quai Albert Glandaz |
Town or city | 78130 Les Mureaux |
Country | France |
Coordinates | 49°00′1″N1°54′54″E / 49.00028°N 1.91500°E |
Elevation | Sealevel |
Owner | Cercle de la Voile de Paris |
During the Olympic regattas of the Exposition Universelle of 1900 there were more than 100 yachts racing from Paris, Rouen, Cannes, Nantes and Arcachon and yachts from England, Germany, the United States and Holland. The Bassin Olympique was the river Seine near the Cercle de la Voile de Paris that served as the Olympic harbor.
The race conditions at Meulan during the Olympic regatta were not ideal. A light breeze could hardly make the sailing interesting. Since the river Seine mainly runs from east to west, the light north-easterly breeze was partly blocked by buildings or trees on the river bank, thus heavily influencing the regatta.
During the second part of the Olympic regatta the Atlantic Ocean was used for the races of the 10 – 20 ton and the 20+ ton yachts. The conditions during the regatta were so good that the 10 – 20 Ton class was able to sail the complete 22 nautical mile triangular course. The premises of the Société des Régates du Havre were used as Olympic harbor.
La Société des Régates du Havre Le Havre | |
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General information | |
Status | Destroyed |
Type | Club House |
Country | France |
Coordinates | 49°29′30″N0°5′45″E / 49.49167°N 0.09583°E |
Elevation | Sealevel |
Owner | La Société des Régates du Havre |
Since there were two venues there were two course areas. One the river Seine near Meulan. Here the organization could set courses of 8, 15 and 19 kilometres (4.3, 8.1 and 10.3 nmi). The other course area was on the North Atlantic off the coats of Le Havre. Here courses could be set up to 40 nautical miles (74 km).
6 nations sent sailors. Several teams had crews from multiple countries, and in one case, they won a gold medal. This team, of the United Kingdom and France, is attributed as a mixed team.
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Sailing during the turn of the century was not as well defined as it became later during the 20th century. Racing rules were mostly defined by local yacht clubs or in some cases by a National Yachting Federation. Also, boats were not standardized to what are now called One Design or One Builder classes. Therefore, many handicap systems or systems that put yachts into different categories were used. In 1892, Auguste Godinet developed a formula that placed different boats in different Ton categories. This rule was adopted by the Union des yachts français and later by several other National Yachting Federations such as the Société Nautique de Genève. For the sailing at the 1900 Olympics this rule was chosen to determine the tonnage of a yacht.
For the smallest class, 0 – ½ Ton, among others, Larks were used. These Larks, copies of the Davis Lark and of the Sorceress designed by Linton Hope, became famous One Designs in France (Monotype de Chatou at the beginning of the 20th century.
The Olympics were open for the following classes:
Class | Type | Venue | Event | Sailors | First OG | Olympics so far |
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Open Class | Undefined | Meulan | Unknown | 1900 | 1 | |
0 – ½ Ton | Undefined | Meulan | Unknown | 1900 | 1 | |
0 – ½ Ton | Undefined | Meulan | Unknown | 1900 | 2 | |
½ – 1 Ton | Undefined | Meulan | Unknown | 1900 | 1 | |
½ – 1 Ton | Undefined | Meulan | Unknown | 1900 | 2 | |
1 – 2 Ton | Undefined | Meulan | Unknown | 1900 | 1 | |
1 – 2 Ton | Undefined | Meulan | Unknown | 1900 | 2 | |
2 – 3 Ton | Undefined | Meulan | Unknown | 1900 | 1 | |
2 – 3 Ton | Undefined | Meulan | Unknown | 1900 | 2 | |
3 – 10 Ton | Undefined | Meulan | Unknown | 1900 | 1 | |
3 – 10 Ton | Undefined | Meulan | Unknown | 1900 | 2 | |
10 – 20 Ton | Undefined | Le Havre | Unknown | 1900 | 1 | |
20+ Ton | Undefined | Le Havre | Unknown | 1900 | 1 | |
Legend: = Mixed gender event | ||||||
Inshore classes (Meulan) |
● | Meulan competition | ● | Le Havre competition |
1900 | May | August | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 Sun | 21 Mon | 22 Tue | 23 Wed | 24 Thu | 25 Fri | 26 Sat | 27 Thu | 1 Fri | 2 Sat | 3 Sun | 4 Mon | 5 Tue | 6 Wed | |
Sailing | 1 | 1 1 1 | 1 1 1 | 1 1 1 1 | No wind | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
Total gold medals | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
The results of the individual races are known; however, in the past there has not been consensus on which races were considered "Olympic" and thus who the Olympic medalists were. The Official Report, [2] International Olympic Committee (IOC), [3] International Sailing Federation (ISAF) [4] and Sports Reference [5] present different medalists. The IOC has never decided which events were "Olympic" and which were not. [6] Occasionally, sources differ on the nationality of competitors (such as H. MacHenry, alternately listed as French or American). For example, the medalists in the 3 – 10 Ton races are shown in the various sources as:
Report | Race | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
Official Report [2] | Race 1 | Henri Gilardoni (FRA) | Henri Smulders (NED) | Maurice Gufflet (FRA) |
Race 2 | Howard Taylor (GBR) | Maurice Gufflet (FRA) | H. MacHenry (FRA) | |
IOC [3] and ISAF [4] | Race 2 | Howard Taylor (GBR) | Maurice Gufflet (FRA) | H. MacHenry (FRA) |
Sports Reference [5] | Race 1 | Henri Gilardoni (FRA) | Henri Smulders (NED) | Maurice Gufflet (FRA) |
Race 2 | Howard Taylor (GBR) | Maurice Gufflet (FRA) | H. MacHenry (USA) |
In all classes at Meulan except the Open class, there were two distinct "finals." Boats were assigned time handicaps according to their weight within each class and prizes were handed out to the winners of each race. The IOC initially recognized the winner of the first race in each class as Olympic champion except in the case of the 10 – 20 ton class, which was decided on aggregate time over three races. However, currently the participants of both first and second races in three classes (0 – 0.5t, 1 – 2t and 2 – 3t) are present in the IOC database [7] as medalists. That is, the second race in each of these three classes is recognized by the IOC and for each of these events two gold, two silver, and two bronze medals were retrospectively awarded by the IOC. In the 3 – 10 Ton race, however, only the second race winners are listed with Olympic medals.
The data below notes all races and medalists of the regattas of the Games of the second Olympiad, as well as of the Exposition Universelle and counts all winners as medalists, because the IOC website currently affirms a total of 95 medal events in the Games. [8]
All races now considered official Olympic events, as IOC website affirms 95 total medal events.
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
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1 | France (FRA) | 5 | 9 | 10 | 24 |
2 | Great Britain (GBR) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
3 | Mixed team (ZZX) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
4 | Germany (GER) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Switzerland (SUI) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
6 | Netherlands (NED) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
7 | United States (USA) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Totals (7 entries) | 13 | 13 | 13 | 39 |
There was some discussion [ where? ] about the validity of the Olympic status of Sailing at the 1900 Summer Olympics. Ian Buchanan, first president of the International Society of Olympic Historians, stated, "Given the possible awarding of cash prizes, the "Olympic status" of this sport in 1900 must be in question. It is not exactly certain if the prizes were cash or "objets d’art" of the values listed, thus, for now, I have retained yachting as an Olympic sport in 1900." [11]
During the sailing regattas at the 1900 Summer Olympics among others the following persons were competing (or owning yachts) in the various classes:
The 1900 Summer Olympics, today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 14 May to 28 October 1900. No opening or closing ceremonies were held.
Sailing/Yachting is an Olympic sport starting from the Games of the 1st Olympiad. With the exception of the 1904 and the canceled 1916 Summer Olympics, sailing has always been included on the Olympic schedule. The Sailing program of 1908 was open for a total of five sailing classes (disciplines), but actually only four Sailing events were contested. The planned venue of all races, named matches, was Ryde, Isle of Wight.
The 0 to 0.5 ton was a sailing event on the Sailing at the 1900 Summer Olympics program in Meulan. Seven boats started during the two races in the 0 – 0.5 ton. Twelve competitors from France are documented. The races were held on 22 and 24 May 1900 on the river Seine.
The 0.5 to 1 ton was a sailing event on the Sailing at the 1900 Summer Olympics program in Meulan. Twenty boats started during the two races in the 0.5 to 1 ton. thirty–five competitors from three countries are documented. The races were held on 24 and 25 May 1900 on the river Seine.
The 1 to 2 ton was a sailing event on the Sailing at the 1900 Summer Olympics program in Meulan. Nine boats started during the two races in the 1 to 2 ton. Twenty–two competitors from three countries are documented. The races were held on 22 and 25 May 1900 on the river Seine.
The 2 to 3 ton was a sailing event on the Sailing at the 1900 Summer Olympics program in Meulan. Four boats started during the two races in the 2 to 3 ton. Eleven sailors are documented, besides the France participants there was a Mixed country team from Great Britain and France. The races were held on 22 and 25 May 1900 on the river Seine.
The 3 to 10 ton was a sailing event on the Sailing at the 1900 Summer Olympics program in Meulan. Eleven boats started during the two races in the 3 to 10 ton. Twenty sailors are documented, besides the France and Great Britain participants there was a Mixed country team from the US and Great Britain. The races were held on 24 and 25 May 1900 on the river Seine.
The 10 to 20 ton was a sailing event on the Sailing at the 1900 Summer Olympics program in Le Havre. Six boats started during the three races in the 10 to 20 ton. Seven sailors are documented. The races were held on 1, 5 and 6 August 1900 on the English Channel.
The Open class was a sailing event on the Sailing at the 1900 Summer Olympics program in Meulan. All boats intended to compete in other races of the Meulan program were supposed to compete in the Concours d'Honneur. It was held on 20 May 1900. About seventy–eight sailors, on about forty–seven boats, from six nations competing. The latest finishing time was at 19:00 hours. Only seven boats made it to the finish in time.
Sailing has been one of the Olympic sports since the Games of the I Olympiad, held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. Despite being scheduled in the first Olympic program, the races were canceled due to severe weather conditions. Apart from the 1904 Summer Olympics, sailing has been present in every edition of the Olympic Games.
The One Ton Cup is a trophy presented to the winner of a sailing competition created in 1899 by the Cercle de la voile de Paris (CVP).
Sailing/Yachting is an Olympic sport starting from the Games of the 1st Olympiad. With the exception of 1904 and the canceled 1916 Summer Olympics, sailing has always been included on the Olympic schedule. The Sailing program of 1912 consisted of a total of four sailing classes (disciplines). For each class two races were scheduled from 19 July 1912 to 22 July 1912 off the coast of Nynäshamn at the Baltic Sea.
Sailing/Yachting is an Olympic sport starting from the Games of the 1st Olympiad. With the exception of 1904 and the canceled 1916 Summer Olympics, sailing has always been included on the Olympic schedule. The Sailing program of 1924 consisted of a total of three sailing classes (disciplines). For each of the classes the event an elimination round, semi-finals and finals were scheduled. The French National Monotype 1924 was on the program from 10 to 13 July. The Metre classes had their races from 21 to 26 July.
Sailing/Yachting is an Olympic sport starting from the Games of the 1st Olympiad. With the exception of 1904 and the canceled 1916 Summer Olympics, sailing has always been included on the Olympic schedule. The Sailing program of 1932 consisted of a total of four sailing classes (disciplines). For each class races were scheduled from 5–12 August directly off the Los Angeles Harbor on the Pacific Ocean.
Algernon Maudslay CBE was a British yachtsman and an administrator of refugee, Red Cross and relief organisations. Maudslay represented Great Britain in sailing competitions at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Meulan, France. He was the helmsman of the yacht that won gold medals in the open event and the half- to one-ton class event. During World War I Maudslay was honorary secretary of the War Refugees Committee, supporting Belgian refugees who arrived in Britain. He was active in the Anglo-Belgian Union and served in British and international Red Cross and relief organizations during the post-war decades. Maudslay continued to compete in yachting events and held prominent positions as an administrator in yachting organisations.
For the 1924 Olympic Monotype sailing a National Dinghy Class from France was used. Some documents refer to this class as the Meulan and in France as Monotype national. It might originate as the Scheldejol a Class originated in Antwerp, Belgium and also used in The Netherlands but is a little different at certain measurements. At least more sail area, including a spinnaker and a 10 cm more beam.
Over time, several scoring systems for Sailing were used during the Summer Olympics. Many of these systems were also used by other regattas in their times. In order to understand how the medals in the Olympics were handed out one must have a look at the scoring system of that specific olympic sailing regatta.
Linton Chorley Hope FRAes was a sailor from Great Britain, who represented his country at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Meulan, France. With Lorne Currie as helmsman and fellow crewmembers John Gretton and Algernon Maudslay, Hope took first places in both the race of the .5 to 1 ton class and the Open class.
The 20+ ton was a sailing event on the Sailing at the 1900 Summer Olympics program in Le Havre. The race was planned for 2 August 1900. However, as result of the storm that was unleashed on the port and the poor condition of the sea the race was postponed to Sunday 3 August 1900. 14 boats, from 4 nations registered for the competition. Due to the weather conditions only four of them started and finished the race. Originally this race was not a part of the Olympic competition but was part of the l’Exposition universelle. Later it was incorporated in the Olympic history.
In many works, it is read that the IOC later met to decide which events were Olympic and which were not. This is not correct and no decision has ever been made. No discussion of this item can be found in the account of any Session.