Athens 1896 Olympic Games | Venue, Events, & Winners

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class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Athens-1896-Olympic-Games">Athens 1896 Olympic Games</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <span class="toc-extra-link selected link-gray-900 mt-15"> Introduction </span> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Athens-1896-Olympic-Games/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Athens-1896-Olympic-Games">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a 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src="https://cdn.britannica.com/61/18361-004-7E921481/Panathenaic-Stadium-athletics-events-Athens-1896-Olympic-1896.jpg" alt="Panathenaic Stadium" height="50" /> </a> <a href="/video/olympics-history-ancient-greece-paris-olympic-games-2024/301770" data-href="/media/1/972056/301770" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <div class="position-relative --aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/18/253818-138-7D8A15C6/olympics-history-ancient-greece-paris-olympic-games-2024.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="The history of the Olympics: From ancient Greece to now" class="col-100" /> <div class="btn btn-sm btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; left:50%; transform: translate(-50%, -50%)"> <em class="material-icons font-14" data-icon="play_arrow" > </em> </div> </div> </a> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://origins.osu.edu/watch/1st-modern-olympic-games-athens-1896" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Ohio State University - Origins - The 1st Modern Olympic Games, Athens 1896</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/athens-1896" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Olympic.org - Athens 1896 Summer Olympic</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: Games of the I Olympiad</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written and fact-checked by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-10-30T00:00:00CDT" >Oct 30, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Athens-1896-Olympic-Games/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="qf-title font-weight-bold font-14 mb-10 text-center"> Quick Facts</div> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Date: </dt> <dd>April 6, 1896 - April 15, 1896 </dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Location: </dt> <dd><a href="/place/Athens">Athens</a></dd> <dd><a href="/place/Greece">Greece</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Athens-1896-Olympic-Games"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref1072660"></span>Athens 1896 Olympic Games</strong>, athletic festival held in <span id="ref1322976"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Athens" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Athens</a> that took place April 6–15, 1896. The Athens Games were the first occurrence of the modern <a href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/Olympic-Games" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Olympic Games</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="inaugural" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/inaugural" data-type="EB">inaugural</a> <span id="ref1322977"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/Summer-Olympic-Games" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Games</a> of the modern Olympics were attended by as many as 280 <a href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/list-of-Summer-Olympic-athletes" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">athletes</a>, all male, from 12 countries. The athletes competed in 43 events covering athletics (track and field), cycling, swimming, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/gymnastics" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">gymnastics</a>, weightlifting, wrestling, fencing, shooting, and tennis. A festive atmosphere prevailed as foreign athletes were greeted with parades and banquets. A crowd estimated at more than 60,000 attended the opening day of competition. Members of the royal family of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Greece" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Greece</a> played an important role in the organization and management of the Games and were regular spectators over the 10 days of the Olympics. Hungary sent the only national team; most of the foreign athletes were well-to-do college students or members of athletic clubs attracted by the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="novelty" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/novelty" data-type="EB">novelty</a> of the Olympics.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="feature-block callout"><span class="md-list-header">Most medals by country</span><ul><li><div>Greece: 47</div></li><li><div>United States: 20</div></li><li><div>Germany: 14</div></li><li><div>France: 11</div></li><li><div>United Kingdom: 9</div></li></ul><p class="topic-paragraph">Note: Medal count per the <a class="external" target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/athens-1896/results" data-show-preview="true">IOC website</a>.</p></div><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies multiple medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100" data-type="other"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="166246" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/61/18361-050-64BC6B3A/Panathenaic-Stadium-athletics-events-Athens-1896-Olympic-1896.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/972056/166246"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/61/18361-050-64BC6B3A/Panathenaic-Stadium-athletics-events-Athens-1896-Olympic-1896.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/61/18361-050-64BC6B3A/Panathenaic-Stadium-athletics-events-Athens-1896-Olympic-1896.jpg?w=300" alt="Panathenaic Stadium" data-width="1600" data-height="1084" loading="eager"></picture><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">1 of 2</div><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/61/18361-050-64BC6B3A/Panathenaic-Stadium-athletics-events-Athens-1896-Olympic-1896.jpg" data-href="/media/1/972056/166246">Panathenaic Stadium</a><span>Panathenaic Stadium, home of the athletics (track-and-field) events of the Athens 1896 Olympic Games.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="301770" data-asm-type="video"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="video" video-id="253818"><a data-id="253818" class="gtm-assembly-link d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/video/olympics-history-ancient-greece-paris-olympic-games-2024/-301770"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/18/253818-138-7D8A15C6/olympics-history-ancient-greece-paris-olympic-games-2024.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="The history of the Olympics: From ancient Greece to now" loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/jD6J2QN0.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://cdn.britannica.com/18/253818-138-7D8A15C6/olympics-history-ancient-greece-paris-olympic-games-2024.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/AC3xPuV9.vtt", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/CYkcmWLv.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div><div class="position-absolute top-10 left-10 assembly-slide-tag rounded-lg">2 of 2</div></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><span class="md-assembly-title font-weight-bold mr-5 d-inline font-sans-serif md-video-caption" video-control="253818">The history of the Olympics: From ancient Greece to now</span><span>The first Olympic Games consisted of a singular event: a footrace.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><a class="font-14 mt-10 d-inline-block" href="/event/Athens-1896-Olympic-Games/images-videos">See all videos for this article</a></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button disabled="true" class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span></button><button disabled="true" class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span></button></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The athletics (track-and-field) events were held at the <span id="ref1322978"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Panathenaic-Stadium" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Panathenaic Stadium</a>. The stadium, originally built in 330 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>, had been excavated but not rebuilt for the 1870 Greek Olympics and lay in disrepair before the 1896 Olympics, but through the direction and financial aid of Georgios Averoff, a wealthy Egyptian Greek, it was restored with white marble. The ancient track had an unusually <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="elongated" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/elongated" data-type="EB">elongated</a> shape with such sharp turns that runners were forced to slow down considerably in order to stay in their lanes. The track-and-field competition was dominated by athletes from the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">United States</a>, who won 9 of the 12 events. The swimming events were held in the cold currents of the Bay of Zea. Two of the four swimming races were won by <span id="ref1322979"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alfred-Hajos" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Alfréd Hajós</a> of Hungary. <span id="ref1322980"></span>Paul Masson of France won three of the six cycling events.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/the-olympics-quiz" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/44/190944-131-7D082864/Silhouette-hand-sport-torch-flag-rings-Olympic-February-3-2015.jpg" alt="Silhouette of hand holding sport torch behind the rings of an Olympic flag, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; February 3, 2015." class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">The Olympics Quiz</div> </div> </a><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><div class="feature-block callout"><span class="md-list-header">Athletes to know</span><ul><li><div><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Spyridon-Louis-The-First-Olympic-Hero-1936025" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Spyridon Louis: The First Olympic Hero</a></div></li><li><div><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alfred-Hajos-Into-the-Icy-Waters-1936082" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Alfréd Hajós: Into the Icy Waters</a></div></li></ul></div><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The 1896 Olympics featured the first <span id="ref1322981"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/marathon-race" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">marathon</a>. The race, conceived by Frenchman <span id="ref1322982"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michel-Breal" class="md-crosslink ">Michel Bréal</a>, followed the legendary route of <span id="ref1322983"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pheidippides" class="md-crosslink ">Pheidippides</a>, a trained runner who was believed to have been sent from the plain of Marathon to Athens to announce the defeat of an invading Persian army in 490 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>. The race became the highlight of the Games and was won by <span id="ref1322984"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Spyridon-Louis" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Spyridon Louis</a>, a Greek whose victory earned him the lasting admiration of his country.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span><span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/editor/mindy-johnston/12488102">Mindy Johnston</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":972056,"pageLength":371,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Athens 1896 Olympic Games | Venue, Events, & Winners | Britannica