Wikipedia:Today's featured article/July 26, 2024
The 1896 Summer Olympics were the first Olympic Games since the Ancient Olympic Games were cancelled by Roman Emperor Theodosius I in 393. A 1894 congress organized by Pierre de Coubertin in Paris established the International Olympic Committee and appointed the Greek capital Athens as the host city. The Greeks had little experience of organizing sports events and initially experienced financial difficulties, but managed to have everything ready in time. The games took place from from 6 to 15 April 1896, fourteen nations took part, and 241 athletes, all male, gave it the largest international participation for any sports event to that date. The athletic highlight for the Greeks was the marathon victory by their compatriot Spyridon Louis. The most successful competitor was German wrestler and gymnast Carl Schuhmann with four victories. Barring the so-called 1906 Intercalated Games of 1906, the Olympics did not return to Greece until the 2004 Summer Olympics. (Full article...)