| Host city | Athens, Greece |
|---|---|
| Nations participating | 20 |
| Athletes participating | 903 (883 men, 20 women) |
| Events | 78 in 13 sports |
| Opening ceremony | April 22 |
| Closing ceremony | May 2 |
| Officially opened by | George I of Greece |
| Stadium | Panathinaiko Stadium |
The 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games were an international multi-sport event which 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.[1] While medals were distributed to the participants during these games, the medals are not officially recognized by the IOC today[2] and are not displayed with the collection of Olympic medals at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Contents |
The first Intercalated Games had been scheduled by the IOC in 1901 as part of a new schedule, where every four years, in between the internationally organized games, there would be intermediate games held in Athens. This was apparently a compromise: After the successful games of Athens 1896, the Greeks suggested they could organize the games every four years. Since they had the accommodations and had proven to be able to hold well-organized games, they received some support. However, Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the International Olympic Committee opposed this. Coubertin had intended the first games to be in Paris in 1900. After Paris lost the premiere Olympics, Coubertin did not want the games to be permanently hosted elsewhere.
When these games turned out less than perfect and were overshadowed by the Exposition Universelle, the IOC supported the Greek idea by granting them a second series of quadrennial games in between the first series. All of the games would be International Olympic Games; the difference was that half of them would follow Coubertin's idea of organizing them in different countries to make the Olympic Movement more international, while the other half would follow the Greeks' idea of a permanent home with the Greek NOC as experienced organizers. This was a departure from the ancient schedule, but it was expected that, if the ancient Greeks could keep a four-year schedule, the modern Olympic Movement could keep a two-year schedule. As 1902 was now too close, and Greece experienced internal difficulties, the 2nd Olympic Games in Athens were scheduled for 1906. The IOC as a whole gave the Greek NOC full support for the organization.
The 1906 games were quite successful. Unlike the 1900, 1904 or 1908 games, they were neither stretched out over months nor overshadowed by an international exhibition. Their crisp format was most likely instrumental in the continued existence of the games.
These Games also were the first games to have all athlete registration go through the NOCs. They were the first to have the Opening of the Games as a separate event; an event at which for the first time the athletes marched into the stadium in national teams, each following its national flag. It was also first with an Olympic Village at the Zappeion. They introduced the closing ceremony, and the raising of national flags for the victors, and several less-visible changes now accepted as tradition.
The Games were held from 22 April to 2 May 1906, in Athens, Greece. They took place in the Panathinaiko Stadium, which had already hosted the 1896 Games and the earlier Zappas Olympics of 1870 and 1875. The games excluded several disciplines that had occurred during the past two games; it was unclear whether they ought to have been part of the Olympic Games. Added to the program were the javelin throw and the pentathlon.
The games included a real opening ceremony, watched by a large crowd. The athletes, for the first time, entered the stadium as national teams, marching behind their flags. The official opening of the games was done by King Georgios I.
Six thousand schoolchildren took part in possibly the first ever Olympic closing ceremony.
These medals were distributed but are no longer recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
In the table, the host country is highlighted.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 15 | 9 | 16 | 40 |
| 2 | United States | 12 | 6 | 6 | 24 |
| 3 | Greece | 8 | 14 | 13 | 35 |
| 4 | Great Britain | 8 | 11 | 5 | 24 |
| 5 | Italy | 7 | 6 | 3 | 16 |
| 6 | Switzerland | 5 | 6 | 4 | 15 |
| 7 | Germany | 4 | 6 | 5 | 15 |
| 8 | Norway | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 9 | Austria | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 10 | Denmark | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 11 | Sweden | 2 | 5 | 7 | 14 |
| 12 | Hungary | 2 | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| 13 | Belgium | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 14 | Finland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 15 | Canada | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 16 | Netherlands | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 17 | Mixed team | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Australia | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 19 | Bohemia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 78 | 80 | 78 | 236 | |
The mixed team medal is for Belgian/Greek athletes in the Coxed Pairs 1 mile rowing event. The silver medal for the team from Smyrna and the bronze medal for the team from Thessalonica in the football event were won by ethnic Greeks competing for Greece, despite both cities being Ottoman possessions at the time.
|
||||||||||||||