RRI Live!

Listen to Radio Romania International Live

RRI Sports Club

Today we look at the first modern edition of the Olympic Games held Athens 124 years ago, more precisely in April 1896. The opening ceremony took place on Sunday April 5, when both the Catholic and Orthodox Christians were celebrating Easter. The number of spectators attending the ceremony was estimated at 80 thousand.

RRI Sports Club
RRI Sports Club

, 08.04.2020, 12:27

Today we look at the first modern edition of the Olympic Games held Athens 124 years ago, more precisely in April 1896. The opening ceremony took place on Sunday April 5, when both the Catholic and Orthodox Christians were celebrating Easter. The number of spectators attending the ceremony was estimated at 80 thousand.



Competitions started on April 6 on the Olympic Stadium which was built from scratch by the Greek authorities on the location of an ancient arena. 241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the Olympic Games. This was the largest international participation in a sports event up to that moment.



In the spirit of the ancient Greek Olympic tradition and especially at the insistence of the French baron Pierre de Coubertin, the participation of women in the Olympic Games was forbidden. It was only in Paris, in 1900, that women were allowed to compete in the Olympic Games.



The first sports event held at the Athens Olympics was the 100 meters race and the first Olympic medalist was the American Francis Lane who ended the race in 12.20 seconds. Besides athletics, the Olympic Games in Athens also included cycling, fencing, gymnastics, shooting, swimming, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.



The marathon race took place on April 10 on the same route, which the Athenian soldier Philippides had covered more than 2,300 years before, to deliver news of the victory of the battle of Marathon over Persia. The winner of the marathon race was the Greek athlete Spiros Louis who thus became a national hero.



The competition ended on April 15. The first place in the nations’ ranking was held by the US with 11 gold medals out of a total of 20 medals won at the Olympic Games. Greece obtained 46 medals, of which 10 gold. (translation by L. Simion)

Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache at the Olympics; photo: Agerpres
Sport Tuesday, 12 November 2024

Olympic Profiles 2024

At the Olympics in Paris Romania’s rowers claimed the first gold medals after a break of 32 years. The last rowers to step onto the first step of...

Olympic Profiles 2024
David Popovici (Photo credit: Facebook /The Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee)
Sport Monday, 11 November 2024

2024 Olympic Profiles

  Before the Olympic Games in Paris, David Popovici was the athlete on whom the vast majority of Romanians’ hopes were pinned. And he did not...

2024 Olympic Profiles
Sports Roundup
Sport Friday, 08 November 2024

Sports weekend

Romanian football team FCSB has succeeded yet another win in UEFA Europa League. On Thursday, holders FCSB grabbed a 2-nil home win against Danish...

Sports weekend
Sports Roundup
Sport Thursday, 07 November 2024

Sports flash

Attention-grabbing, for starters, are results in men’s basketball. In EuroCup, Group B, U-BT Cluj-Napoca sustained a 80-99 away defat by Turk...

Sports flash
Sport Wednesday, 06 November 2024

RRI Sports Club

The FCSB football team will play, on Thursday, a new match in Europa League, the second inter-club continental value echelon. The Romanian champion...

RRI Sports Club
Sport Monday, 04 November 2024

Sports Roundup

  Romania concluded the European Junior and U23 Championships in weightlifting held in Raszyn, Poland, with 11 medals, of which 4 gold, one...

Sports Roundup
Sport Friday, 01 November 2024

Sports Weekend

Romania’s handball team Dinamo Bucharest on Thursday outperformed German side Fuchse Berlin 38-31 in a home game counting towards the Champions...

Sports Weekend
Sport Thursday, 31 October 2024

Sports flash

Romanian women’s basketball team Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe have succeeded their first win in EuroCup’s Group C. On Wednesday, holders Sepsi grabbed...

Sports flash

Partners

Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român
Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS
Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online
Institului European din România Institului European din România
Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti
Muzeul Național de Artă al României Muzeul Național de Artă al României
Le petit Journal Le petit Journal
Radio Prague International Radio Prague International
Muzeul Național de Istorie a României Muzeul Național de Istorie a României
ARCUB ARCUB
Radio Canada International Radio Canada International
Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti” Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti”
SWI swissinfo.ch SWI swissinfo.ch
UBB Radio ONLINE UBB Radio ONLINE
Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl
creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti
italradio italradio
Institutul Confucius Institutul Confucius
BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți

Affiliates

Euranet Plus Euranet Plus
AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters
Digital Radio Mondiale Digital Radio Mondiale
News and current affairs from Germany and around the world News and current affairs from Germany and around the world
Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona

Providers

RADIOCOM RADIOCOM
Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company