1912 Summer Olympics

The Stockholm Games were a model of efficiency. The Swedish hosts introduced the first Olympic use of automatic timing devices for the track events, the photo finish and a public address system. If there was an unofficial theme of the 1912 Games, it was endurance. The course for the cycling road race was 320km (199 miles), the longest race of any kind in Olympic history. In Greco-Roman wrestling, the middleweight semi-final match between Russian Martin Klein and Finland’s Alfred Asikainen lasted 11 hours. For the first time, competitors in the Games came from all five continents. It was also the first time Japan participated. The modern pentathlon, women’s swimming and women’s diving all made their Olympic debuts. Jim Thorpe, an Indigenous man from Oklahoma, won the pentathlon and decathlon by huge margins, and was described by King Gustav V of Sweden as "the greatest athlete in the world". He was later disqualified when it was discovered that he had accepted a modest sum to play baseball before the Games. In 1982, the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee decided to reinstate Jim Thorpe and to give back to his daughter the medals that were rightfully his. His feat was immortalised in the film "The Bronze Man" by Michael Curtiz, with Burt Lancaster in the role of Thorpe. Under the nom de plume of Georges Hohrod and M. Eschbach, Baron de Coubertin was awarded first place for his "Ode to sport" which "praises sport in both a literary and sporting way". (Illustration: "Les sports d'hiver" of Carlo Pelligrini, winner of the painting competition of the Concours d’Art.) With the close of the 1912 Olympics, all eyes turned towards the city of Berlin where the next edition of the Games was scheduled to take place. Although World War I made it impossible for plans to proceed, the Games proved their resilience. The 1916 celebration remained in Olympic history as the Games of the VI Olympiad, and in 1920, the Olympics were once again held, with the Belgian city of Antwerp acting as Olympic host. Stockholm 1912, Games of the V Olympiad: the Swedish team of women gymnasts parades in the stadium during the Opening Ceremony. The athletes’ oath was first sworn at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp. A visual identity is developed for each edition of the Olympic Games. Beginning as an olive wreath, medal designs have evolved over the years.