Zappas Olympics

Last updated • 10 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Zappas Olympics
Panathinaiko Stadio 1870.JPG
First event1859
Last event1875
Headquarters Athens, Greece
Sponsor Evangelis Zappas

The Zappas Olympics (Greek : Ζάππειες Ολυμπιάδες), simply called Olympics (Greek : Ολύμπια, Olympia) at the time, were a series of athletic events held in Athens, Greece, in 1859, 1870 and 1875, sponsored by Greek businessman Evangelis Zappas. [1] These games were one of the first revivals of the ancient Olympic Games in the modern era. Their success provided further inspiration [2] for William Penny Brookes in England, whose games had been running since 1850, and the International Olympic Committee series from 1896.

Contents

Zappas' contribution in this process was vital: not only were the games hosted at his own initiative, he also provided the funds for the staging of the games, as well as for the construction of much-needed infrastructure, including the refurbishment of the ancient Panathenaic Stadium, which hosted the Games of 1870 and 1875. The same stadium would also host the first IOC Games of 1896, [3] the 1906 Intercalated Games, and archery and the marathon finish at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Revival of the Olympics

Statue of Evangelos Zappas, sponsor of the Games (a work of Ioannis Kossos). Evaggelos Zappas statue Athens.jpg
Statue of Evangelos Zappas, sponsor of the Games (a work of Ioannis Kossos).

Sporadic references to the revival of the ancient Olympic Games were made by various personalities during the 19th century, inspired by a certain degree of romanticism. In his 1833 poem Dialogue of the Dead, the Constantinople-born Panagiotis Soutsos, editor of a Greek newspaper, used the Olympic Games as the symbol of the ancient Greek traditions. Soon after, he explicitly proposed the revival of the games by the newly formed Greek state, even sending a memorandum to that effect to the Greek government in 1835. [4] [5] [6] His proposal was welcomed by King Otto of Greece, but in the event, nothing was done, despite Soutsos' persistent campaigning over the next twenty-six years. [7]

In 1852, the German archaeologist Ernst Curtius, during a romantic lecture, also stated that the Olympic events would be revived. [8] Evangelis Zappas, a successful businessman and member of the Greek diaspora in Romania, was inspired by Soutsos and resolved to revive this ancient tradition through his own efforts and resources. [9] In early 1856, Zappas sent a letter through diplomatic channels to King Otto of Greece, offering to fund the entire project of the Olympic revival, providing also cash prizes for the victors. [10] [11] However, this initiative was not without opposition. There was a wide belief among part of the Greek politicians (notably Charilaos Trikoupis and Stephanos Dragoumis) that athletic games were just a throwback to archaic times. They feared that Greece would seem primitive among the leading nations of Europe if it revived, as they claimed, an old-fashioned and pagan festival. [12] Characteristically, the Greek foreign minister and head of the conservative anti-athletic lobby in Athens, Alexandros Rangavis, suggested an industrial and agricultural exposition instead of an athletic event: [11] [13]

I thanked Zappas for his [...] splendid idea; but told him also that times have changed since antiquity. Today, nations do not become distinguished, as then, by having the best athletes and runners, but the champions in industry, handwork and agriculture. I suggested that he found [...] Industrial Olympic Games. [14]

For months there was no official answer from the Greek government. In July 1856, an article in the Greek press by Panagiotis Soutsos, which made Zappas' efforts widely known to the public, triggered a series of events. [14] Finally, Otto agreed upon competitions at four-year intervals, on the occasion of industrial and agricultural expositions, and allowed the realization of athletic events with Zappas' full sponsorship. Consequently, Zappas offered the necessary funds to the Greek government in order to establish an Olympic Trust Fund. [8]

Olympics

Games of 1859

Ticket of the first Zappas Olympics of 1859 Zappas Olympics 1859 ticket.JPG
Ticket of the first Zappas Olympics of 1859

On November 15, 1859, the first modern revival of the athletic Olympic Games took place in Athens. As the renovation of the ancient Panathenaic stadium was not yet complete, the contests were held in Loudovikou square in Athens (modern Koumoundourou square). [15] Although they could be termed as the first Olympic Games of the present tradition, it was far from being an international festival. [14] They had a distinctly national character, since the participants were exclusively of Greek ethnicity, coming both from inside the independent Greek state and the Greek diaspora of the Ottoman Empire. [13] Athletes competed in a variety of disciplines, similar to those of the ancient Olympic games: running, discus, javelin throwing, wrestling, jumping and pole climbing. [14]

Attendees included the king, officers and other dignitaries in rows of seats, as well as half of the inhabitants of Athens in the stands. Since it was one of the first mass gatherings in the city's modern history, neither the people nor the police had any previous experience with maintaining the order at such an event. [16] The press of that time lauded the Games as being positive, but they were a disappointment for thousands of Athenians who could not see anything from the rear stands and who did not understand this kind of event. The site was also unsuited for the sports and the weather was too cold. [17] [18] Moreover, the athletic competition had a more game-like than sportive character: as the competitors were not individuals who were seriously dedicated to athletics, the Organising Committee accepted the participation of workers, porters, etc., who were attracted by the monetary prizes of the Games. According to the press of the time, many comical incidents took place during the games: for instance, a policeman, who was assigned to watch over the crowds, left his post and participated in the races. Even a beggar, who pretended to be blind, participated in the races. [16]

The Committee of the Wenlock Olympian Class, brainchild of the English doctor and surgeon [19] William Penny Brookes, sent £10 to Athens for a prize for the best runner in the longest race at the Olympic Games. The Wenlock Prize was the largest prize on offer and was won by Petros Velissarios of Smyrna from the Ottoman Empire who was ethnically Greek.

Games of 1870

Panathenaic Stadium at the first day of the 1896 Olympics. Panathenaic Stadium 1896 oppening.jpg
Panathenaic Stadium at the first day of the 1896 Olympics.

Evangelis Zappas planned to sponsor future Olympic Games and restore the Olympiad, but he died in 1865; however, he left a vast fortune, both for the construction of permanent facilities in the Greek capital, as well as for the continuation of the Olympic Games in four-year intervals. [20] In July 1869, the dates of the 1870 Olympics were announced, followed by organizational plans and proposals about which events to include. The committee paid for participating athletes to undergo three months of training prior to the Games. This training took place in the Panathenaic Stadium, which had been cleaned and leveled.

The Games of 1870 took place in the Panathenaic stadium, which was excavated, restored and provided with wooden benches in order to accommodate 30,000 people, a huge number for the time. [21] In general the contest was much better organized and athletes were uniformly dressed, with sport costumes and sandals in skin color. [16] [21] On November 1, the Games were officially opened, but athletic events were postponed to November 15 due to bad weather, which also forced the cancellation of all nautical events, horse races and shooting events. Athletes included Greek nationals, as well as ethnic Greeks from the Ottoman Empire [22] and Crete [23] (then a semi-independent state under Ottoman suzerainty). Some 20,000 to 25,000 spectators watched the 31 athletes who had previously qualified compete in a variety of events. Before the competition started, the athletes were ordered to take an oath that they would compete in a fair manner. [17] At the same time, the Games included a competition in the arts.

As in 1859 winners received a cash prize; in addition, the first three winners received olive wreaths and small branches of olive and laurel. [17] There was a band playing an Olympic Hymn, specially composed for the occasion. The judges were professors of the University of Athens, and there was a herald for announcing the winners. King George I was awarding the prizes to the winners at the sound of the music. [16]

The 1870 Games were an enormous success and the press dedicated triumphant articles both to the excellent organization and to the accomplishments of the Games. [16] [17] [21]

Games of 1875

Gold medal for the 1875 Olympics First Class Award, Zappas Olympics, 1875.jpg
Gold medal for the 1875 Olympics

Planning for the 1875 competition began in 1871, and in 1873, the foundation for the Zappeion was laid. [17] The 3rd Olympiad was organized by the Director of the Public Gymnasium, Ioannis Fokianos. Fokianos strongly believed that the ideal of gymnastics would expand from above, i.e. the upper classes, through the educated and cultured classes. For that reason, he excluded all participants except for university students. [21] All these students were trained in the Public Gymnasium in Athens in a series of gymnastic exercises introduced by Fokianos and inspired from the German system of gymnastics. [16]

The athletes were impressively dressed: white trousers and white shirts with a large blue stripe, which was, until 1896, the official uniform for gymnastics. [16]

These contests were timed to coincide with an exposition of 1,200 Greek and 72 foreign exhibitors, the largest Greece had ever seen. The Greek royal family did not attend. There was not enough space for huge crowds that attended, who finally filled up the arena of the Stadium. Dissatisfaction ensued, and Fokianos was considered responsible despite his great efforts and the very good training of the athletes. [16] The press heavily criticized the Games not only for the lack of organization, but also because the organizers had disqualified the working classes from competing. [24] Fokianos became so embittered that he resigned as overall leader of the Olympics. However, the artistic competition of the Olympics proved a great success: 25 composers won awards in music and 25 sculptors and painters were honored. [17]

Games of 1888–89

Front view of the landmark Zappeion exhibition center which is a short walk from the Panathenaic stadium. Zappeion.jpg
Front view of the landmark Zappeion exhibition center which is a short walk from the Panathenaic stadium.

After an extended period of litigation between the Greek government and a group of Zappas' relatives over Zappas' bequests, Konstantinos Zappas secured the execution of Zappas' will. The Greek government used Zappas' money to complete the Gymnasterion, a central gym, in 1878, and to continue the work on the Zappeion exhibition center, which had begun in 1873 and was frequently interrupted. The Zappeion officially opened on October 20, 1888. As in 1875, Fokianos took charge of the sporting events (but did so independently of the earlier Olympic Committee), which were postponed up till April 30, 1889. These Games were not co-ordinated by the Olympic Committee that organised the 1859, 1870, and 1875 Zappas Games, but by Fokianos alone. Thirty athletes competed in a variety of disciplines including discus, pole long leap (over a ditch), weightlifting, mast climbing, and rope climbing among others. All participants were clad alike. [3]

In 1890, a royal decree, signed by Crown Prince Constantine and the foreign minister Stephanos Dragoumis, announced that the Olympiad would be reinstated, at four-year intervals, from 1888. The next Olympics were officially scheduled for 1892, but ended postponed due to the Greek government's claim of lack of funding. [25] In the event, the Panathenaic stadium would be used to stage the Olympic Games in 1896, the first to be held under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee. [3]

Aftermath and influence on the rebirth of the Olympics

The English physician William Penny Brookes had initiated a sports movement in the United Kingdom, founding the Wenlock Olympian Games in 1850. [26] These were organised by the Wenlock Olympian Class which changed its name to the Wenlock Olympian Society in 1860. [27] Brookes adopted an event from the programme of the 1859 Zappas Games and included 'throwing the javelin at a target' into the much-expanded 1861 Wenlock Olympian Games. The first man to be placed on the honor roll of the Wenlock Olympian Society was the Smyrniot Petros Velissariou, who competed at the 1859 Athens Olympic Games in distance running and who won a prize donated by the Wenlock Olympian Society's Committee. [28] Brookes was the first to propose holding open international Olympics to be held in Athens, as distinct from the revived Greek national Olympics of 1859, 1870, and 1875 which mirrored the Ancient Olympics as they were closed to all but Greek-speaking competitors. [29] Despite his persistent pleas to the Greek government for action on this issue, his proposals fell on deaf ears. [30] However, many of the ideas that Brookes used within the Wenlock Olympian Games were subsequently adopted by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who learned about them when visiting Wenlock in 1890. [31] [32]

Zappas' influence on the revival of the Olympic Games, alongside Soutsos, Brookes, and later Coubertin, was significant. [2] In addition, the Panathenaic stadium, which was refurbished with his funding, went on to host events in the 1896, 1906, and 2004 IOC Olympics, while the Zappeion hosted fencing events in 1896, was a site of the first Olympic Village in 1906 (hosting the Hungarian Olympic team), and was used as the media center during the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. [33]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympic Games</span> Major international multi-sport event

The modern Olympic Games are the world's leading international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered the world's foremost sports competition, with more than 200 teams, representing sovereign states and territories, participating. By default, the Games generally substitute for any world championships during the year in which they take place. The Olympics are staged every four years. Since 1994, they have alternated between the Summer and Winter Olympics every two years during the four-year Olympiad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre de Coubertin</span> French educator and historian (1863–1937)

Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin, also known as Pierre de Coubertin and Baron de Coubertin, was a French educator and historian, co-founder of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and its second president. He is known as the father of the modern Olympic Games. He was particularly active in promoting the introduction of sport in French schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1896 Summer Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in Athens, Greece

The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad and commonly known as Athens 1896, were the first international Olympic Games held in modern history. Organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which had been created by French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin, the event was held in Athens, Greece, from 6 to 15 April 1896.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Summer Olympics</span> Multi-sport event in Athens, Greece

The 2004 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, and officially branded as Athens 2004, were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1906 Intercalated Games</span> International multi-sport event in Greece

The 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games, held from 22 April 1906 to 2 May 1906, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated in Athens, Greece. They were at the time considered to be Olympic Games and were referred to as the "Second International Olympic Games in Athens" by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). However, the medals that were distributed to the participants during these games were later not officially recognised by the IOC and are not displayed with the collection of Olympic medals at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panathenaic Games</span> Festival in ancient Greece

The Panathenaic Games were held every four years in Athens in Ancient Greece from 566 BC to the 3rd century AD. These Games incorporated religious festival, ceremony, athletic competitions, and cultural events hosted within a stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panathenaea</span> Ancient Greek festival

The Panathenaea was a multi-day ancient Greek festival held annually in Athens that would always conclude on 28 Hekatombaion, the first month of the Attic calendar. The main purpose of the festival was for Athenians and non-Athenians to celebrate the goddess Athena. Every four years, the festival was celebrated in a larger manner over a longer time period with increased festivities and was known as the Great (or Greater) Panathenaea. In the years that the festival occurred that were not considered the Great Panathenaea, the festival was known as the Lesser Panathenaea. The festival consisted of various competitions and ceremonies, culminating with a religious procession that ended in the Acropolis of Athens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympia, Greece</span> Municipality in Greece

Olympia, officially Archaia Olympia, is a small town in Elis on the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece, famous for the nearby archaeological site of the same name. The site was a major Panhellenic religious sanctuary of ancient Greece, where the ancient Olympic Games were held every four years throughout Classical antiquity, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. They were restored on a global basis in 1894 in honor of the ideal of peaceful international contention for excellence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panathenaic Stadium</span> Stadium in Athens, Greece

The Panathenaic Stadium or Kallimarmaro is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens, Greece. One of the main historic attractions of Athens, it is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wenlock Olympian Games</span> Sporting event

The Wenlock Olympian Games, dating from 1850, are a forerunner of the modern Olympic Games. They are organised by the Wenlock Olympian Society (WOS), and are held each year at venues across Shropshire, England, centred on the market town of Much Wenlock. One of the two mascots for the 2012 Summer Olympics was named Wenlock in honour of the Wenlock Olympian Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zappeion</span> Building in the National Gardens of Athens, Greece

The Zappeion is a large, palatial building next to the National Gardens of Athens in the heart of Athens, Greece. It is generally used for meetings and ceremonies, both official and private and is one of the city's most renowned modern landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evangelos Zappas</span> Greek philanthropist and businessman (1800–1865)

Evangelos or Evangelis Zappas was a Greek patriot, philanthropist and businessman who spent most of his life in Romania. He is recognized today as one of the founders of the modern Olympic Games, which were held in 1859, 1870, 1875, and 1888 and preceded the Olympic Games that came under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee. These Games, known at the time simply as Olympics, came before the founding of the International Olympic Committee itself. The legacy of Zappas, as well as the legacy of his cousin Konstantinos, was also used to fund the Olympic Games of 1896.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Garden, Athens</span> Public park in Athens

The National Garden, called the Royal Garden until 1974, is a public park of 15.5 hectares in the center of the Greek capital, Athens. It is located between the districts of Kolonaki and Pangrati, directly behind the Greek Parliament building and continues to the South to the area where the Zappeion is located, across from the Panathenaiko or Kalimarmaro Olympic Stadium of the 1896 Olympic Games. The Garden also encloses some ancient ruins, column drums and Corinthian capitals of columns, mosaics, and other features. On the Southeast side are the busts of Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first governor of Greece, and of the Philhellene Jean-Gabriel Eynard. On the South side are the busts of the celebrated Greek poets Dionysios Solomos, author of the Greek National Hymn, and Aristotelis Valaoritis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandros Soutsos</span> Greek poet

Alexandros Soutsos (1803–1863) was a Greek poet from a prominent Phanariote family. He founded the Greek Romantic school of poetry. Soutsos was born in Istanbul in 1803 from Chian parentage. At the time of the Greek Revolution, he was a young, liberal partisan. He wrote poems to encourage the insurgents. Soutsos studied in Chios, where he spent his formative years. Later he moved to Paris, where he was influenced by the liberal philosophies of the French intellectuals. His major work of prose was the Exóristos. His works were instrumental in developing liberal thought in the young Greek monarchy. He was an admirer of Lord Byron. Whose inspiration prompted Soutsos to try to emulate him. The resultant work, was his longest poem Periplanómenos, in spite of some positive reviews, it never achieved international success. In spite of his lack of artistic respect, he was admired by many of his contemporaries the Greek people admired him for his dedication to freedom, and for his liberal philosophies. He died in Athens in 1863, and his works were published in 1916.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Penny Brookes</span> British doctor, campaigner and a progenitor of the modern olympic movement

William Penny Brookes was an English surgeon, magistrate, botanist, and educationalist especially known for founding the Wenlock Olympian Games, inspiring the modern Olympic Games, and for his promotion of physical education and personal betterment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diagoras of Rhodes</span> 5th-century BC Olympic winner in boxing

Diagoras of Rhodes was an Ancient Greek boxer from the 5th century BC, who was celebrated for his own victories, as well as the victories of his sons and grandsons. He was a member of the Eratidea family at Ialysos in Rhodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konstantinos Zappas</span>

Konstantinos Zappas was a Greek entrepreneur and national benefactor who together with his cousin, Evangelos Zappas, played an essential role in the revival of the Olympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panagiotis Soutsos</span> Greek poet, novelist and journalist

Panagiotis Soutsos was a Greek poet, novelist and journalist born in Constantinople. He was the brother of the satirist Alexandros Soutsos and cousin of writer and diplomat Alexandros Rizos Rangavis. Soutsos is known to be one of the pioneers of romanticism in Greek poetry and prose, as well as a visionary behind the new Olympic Games who inspired Evangelis Zappas to sponsor their revival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marathon at the Summer Olympics</span> Road running event

The marathon at the Summer Olympics is the only road running event held at the multi-sport event. The men's marathon has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since the first modern Olympics in 1896. Nearly ninety years later, the women's event was added to the programme at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sport in ancient Greek art</span>

Athletics were an important part of the cultural life of Ancient Greeks. Depictions of boxing and bull-leaping can be found back to the Bronze Age. Buildings were created for the sole use of athletics including stadia, palaestrae, and gymnasiums. Starting in the Archaic period, Panhellenic Games, including the Olympic Games, begin taking place each year. These games gave people from all over Greece the chance to gain fame for their athletic prowess. Athletics in Greece became one of the most commonly depicted scenes of everyday life in their art.

References

  1. Young 1996, p. 13.
  2. 1 2 Young 2004, p. 144.
  3. 1 2 3 Findling & Pelle 2004, p. 13.
  4. Matthews 1904, p. 42.
  5. Landry, Landry & Yerlès 1991, pp. 102, 114.
  6. Young 2004, p. 141.
  7. Young 2004, pp. 7, 141–142.
  8. 1 2 Hill 1992, p. 16.
  9. Matthews 1904, p. 46.
  10. Gerlach 2004, p. 25.
  11. 1 2 Young 2004, p. 142.
  12. Golden 2008, p. 129.
  13. 1 2 Brownell 2008, p. 36.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Landry, Landry & Yerlès 1991, pp. 103–104.
  15. Young 2004, p. 145.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Foundation of the Hellenic world. Olympics through time. Olympic revival, first attempts, Zappeian Olympics.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Findling & Pelle 2004, p. 12.
  18. Young 2004, p. 146.
  19. Royal College of Surgeons
  20. Gerlach 2004, p. 29.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Young 2004, p. 148.
  22. Young 1996, p. 45.
  23. Young 1996, p. 44.
  24. Young 2004, pp. 148–149.
  25. Young 2004, p. 151.
  26. Minute Book 1, p. 1 WOS archives
  27. Shrewsbury Chronicle 23rd November 1860
  28. Minute Booke 1 WOS archives 1860 Games report
  29. Young 1996, p. 4.
  30. Young 2004, p. 150.
  31. Landry, Landry & Yerlès 1991, p. 102.
  32. Young 2004, pp. 150–151.
  33. Zappas.org Timeline

Sources

Preceded byZappas Olympics
(1859, 1870, 1875, 1888–1889)
Succeeded by