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The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 5 May and 22 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,408 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports. With the exception of tennis (starting on 5 May) and football and shooting (both starting on 29 June), the games were held within a month with an official opening on 6 July. It was the last Olympics to issue solid gold medals and, with Japan's debut, the first time an
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
n nation participated. Stockholm was the only bid for the games, and was selected in 1909. The games were the first to have art competitions, women's diving, women's swimming, and the first to feature both the decathlon and the new pentathlon, both won by
Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Native ...
. Electric timing was introduced in
athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...
, while the host country disallowed boxing.
Figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are men ...
was rejected by the organizers because they wanted to promote the
Nordic Games The Nordic Games were the first international multi-sport event that focused primarily on winter sports, and were held at varying intervals between 1901 and 1926. It was organized by Sweden's Swedish Central Association for the Promotion of ...
. The United States won the most gold medals (25), while Sweden won the most medals overall (65). These were the final Olympic Games for 8 years due to the disruption of the First World War. The next Olympic Games were held in 1920 in Antwerp.


Host selection

Following the
1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were or ...
in London, authorities in Sweden immediately sought to ensure that the next games would be held there. There were two Swedish members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the time,
Viktor Balck Viktor Gustaf Balck KVO KCMG (25 April 1844 – 31 May 1928) was a Swedish Army officer and sports personality who was one of the original members of the International Olympic Committee, president of the International Skating Union for 30 years, ...
and
Clarence von Rosen Count Carl Clarence von Rosen (12 May 1867, Stockholm – 12 August 1955) was a Swedish athlete, military officer, and Crown Equerry to the King of Sweden. He became a member of the International Olympic Committee in 1900, and was credited for t ...
. Official Report (1913): p. 7. The pair proposed the idea to the Swedish governing bodies of athletics and gymnastics in order to ensure that they backed any potential bid. Support was given by the national associations on 18 April 1909 for a bid to host the Olympics in Stockholm on the basis that suitable financial arrangements could be made. Official Report (1913): p. 8. King Gustaf V was petitioned on 6 May 1909 following the publication of preliminary plans for the Stockholm bid that the expected cost of hosting the Games would be 415,000 kronor (£23,050 or $115,250). The Government accepted the petition on behalf of the King and supported the bid. On 28 May, at the meeting of the IOC in Berlin, the Swedish representatives declared that they had full financial support for hosting the next Games in Stockholm. A deal was made with the German IOC representative on the basis that Berlin would host the
1916 Summer Olympics The 1916 Summer Olympics (german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1916), officially known as the Games of the VI Olympiad, were scheduled to be held in Berlin, German Empire, but were eventually cancelled for the first time in its 20-year history due t ...
. Pierre de Coubertin spoke at the meeting about his concerns that Sweden should ensure that the Games take place, as he did not want a repeat of the problems with Italy hosting the 1908 Games. He also expressed a desire that "the Games must be kept more purely athletic; they must be more dignified, more discreet; more in accordance with classic and artistic requirements; more intimate, and, above all, less expensive." Official Report (1913): p. 9. The Games were duly awarded to Sweden to host in Stockholm as the only nominated host city for the 1912 Summer Olympics.


Organization

left, upright=0.8, Coubertin wanted the 1912 Games to be "more dignified" than those of 1908 The news that Stockholm was to host the 1912 Olympics was received with enthusiasm by the Swedish public. The organizing committee took de Coubertin's words to heart, and aimed to achieve an Olympic Games which removed those elements which detracted from earlier Games. Official Report (1913): p. 10. The committee was elected in the autumn of 1909, with Balck voted as the President of the committee, and Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf selected as Honorary President. The committee's first meeting took place on 7 October, and on 11 October they delegated the arrangements for the individual branches of sports to the relevant governing bodies in Sweden. Official Report (1913): p. 11. There were four exceptions to this, with the game shooting,
modern pentathlon The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The event is inspired by the traditional pentathlon held during the an ...
and mountain ascents retained by the Olympic committee, and the horse riding competitions being organized by
Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland Prince Carl of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Västergötland (27 February 1861 – 24 October 1951) was a Swedish prince. Through his daughters, for whom he arranged excellent dynastic marriages, he is an ancestor of several members of European roy ...
, who was the inspector of the Swedish cavalry. Official Report (1913): p. 12. Altogether there were 187 members of these committees. Official Report (1913): p. 13. The official invitation to compete in the Games was issued on 18 November 1910 to 27 countries, either directly or through their representative on the IOC. A further 15 countries were to have been invited, but as they had no IOC representatives, the Swedish authorities were unsure how to proceed. Official Report (1913): p. 23. Once the organizing committee for the Games received confirmation of the athletic associations in each of the 15 countries, they too were sent invitations. Official Report (1913): p. 25. Some 61,800 entry forms were printed for the use of the various nations. Official Report (1913): p. 26. Free transport was arranged for the invited nations' equipment, and a discount of 50 percent was arranged for competitors and delegates on the state run railway. A daily newspaper which only covered the Olympics was arranged to be published during the Games, in both English and Swedish. Official Report (1913): p. 27. Further arrangements were made for the general arrival of visitors in order to entertain them whilst they were not at the Games; a pleasure garden was opened north of the Olympic Stadium, and a series of indoor tennis courts were converted into a restaurant.


Venues

The front gate of the Stockholm Olympic Stadium, which was built for the 1912 Games Twelve sports venues were used in the 1912 Summer Olympics. This marked the first time that more than one venue would be used for the football tournament, which has been the case ever since. Stockholm Olympic Stadium served as one of the
equestrian venues The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...
for the
1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...
. Råsunda Stadium served as a venue for the
1958 FIFA World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup was the sixth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Sweden from 8 to 29 June 1958. It was the first FIFA World Cup to be played in a Nordic country. Brazil be ...
and the
1995 FIFA Women's World Cup The 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup, the second edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, was held in Sweden and won by Norway, who became the first European nation to win the Women's World Cup. The tournament featured 12 women's national teams from si ...
. In the initial bid document it was identified that a new stadium would be needed, initially envisaged as being located in the Östermalm Athletic Grounds. In order to save funds, it was expected that only one of the stadium's stands would be permanent, with the other three made of wood and dismantled following the Games. The cost of that stadium was estimated at 235,000 Kronor. Arrangements were made with the individual national committees to provide the use of Östermalm Athletic Grounds and
Traneberg Traneberg is a residential district in western Stockholm ( Västerort) and part of the Bromma borough. For the 1912 Summer Olympics, Tranebergs Idrottsplats hosted some of the football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to v ...
. Official Report (1913): p. 41. The cycling road race was held around Mälaren, the third largest lake in Sweden. Official Report (1913): p. 63. The water events, including the swimming and the rowing, were held at
Djurgårdsbrunnsviken Djurgårdsbrunnsviken is a bay in central Stockholm, Sweden, together with the canal Djurgårdsbrunnskanalen forming the northern shore line of the island Djurgården (or more correctly between Northern and Southern Djurgården). The bridge Dj ...
, where a stadium was built. Kaknäs was already used as a shooting range, but alterations were needed to accommodate shooting events. Although it was not used as the Olympic stadium as originally intended, Östermalm hosted the lawn tennis and fencing competitions after a tennis pavilion was moved there from another location. Official Report (1913): p. 167. Five other locations were considered in addition to the Östermalm Athletic Grounds to locate the Olympic Stadium. The
Stockholm Olympic Stadium Stockholm Olympic Stadium ( sv, Stockholms Olympiastadion), most often called Stockholms stadion or (especially locally) simply Stadion, is a stadium in Stockholm, Sweden. Designed by architect Torben Grut, it was opened in 1912; its original ...
was built on the site of the former Stockholm Athletic Grounds in order to retain the other locations for other uses during the Games. By placing it to the north of the city, the Olympic Stadium was within the immediate vicinity of other pre-existing sporting venues. Initial funding was given to the sum of 400,000 Kr for a timber stadium but
Torben Grut Torben Grut (2 June 1871 - 24 December 1945) was a Swedish architect. Biography Torben Andreas Grut was born at Tuns parish in Skaraborg County, Sweden. Grut studied at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. From 1894, Grut was e ...
, Official Report (1913): p. 168. the architect, also drew up alternative plans for a stone stadium. Following discussions with the Swedish Central Association for the Application of Athletics, it was decided that the stone version should be built, and further funds were made available through a national lottery once guarantees were made that no further funding was to be asked for in order to build the stadium. Official Report (1913): p. 169. However it was found that the original estimate for the stone stadium would still be too expensive, and the plans were once more modified in order to simplify the design and reduce costs. An agreement was entered into with a contractor on 2 November 1910 that it would be transferred complete by 25 May 1912. Official Report (1913): p. 171.


Opening ceremony

The Swedish team parading in the stadium during the opening ceremony The Games of the V Olympiad were opened on 6 July 1912. The
Swedish Royal Family The Swedish royal family ( sv, Svenska kungafamiljen) since 1818 has consisted of members of the Swedish Royal House of Bernadotte, closely related to the King of Sweden. Today those who are recognized by the government are entitled to royal t ...
left
Stockholm Palace Stockholm Palace or the Royal Palace ( sv, Stockholms slott or ) is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch (King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia use Drottningholm Palace as their usual residence). Stockholm Palace ...
at 10:40am, and were received at the Olympic Stadium by members of the IOC. Official Report (1913): p. 307. Three thousand competing athletes had already assembled in the nearby Östermalm Athletic Grounds, and began to enter the stadium in alphabetical order by nation according to the Swedish spelling. The Swedish team entered last, but unlike the later tradition, the Greek team did not enter first. Official Report (1913): p. 308. A hymn was sung, a traditional Swedish chant was conducted and prayers were read first in Swedish and then in English. Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf addressed the King on behalf of the Swedish Olympic Association. Official Report (1913): p. 309. King Gustav V then declared the Games officially open by a long speech: Afterwards a trumpet fanfare was played and the Crown Prince called for cheers for the King. Official Report (1913): p. 310. The athletes in their national groups marching out of the stadium in order ended the ceremony. Official Report (1913): p. 311.


Events

The Swedish delegation at the IOC meeting in Berlin on 28 May 1909 had proposed a simple Olympic schedule containing only "pure" athletics, swimming, gymnastics and wrestling. However other countries requested that the schedule be more comprehensive, Official Report (1913): p. 20. and with that in mind they put forward a further programme at the IOC meeting in 1911 which was met with approval. The sports which were added were the tug of war, cycling, fencing, football, horse riding, lawn tennis, rowing, shooting, skating and yacht racing. Official Report (1913): p. 22. Official Report (1913): p. 53. The question of adding skating to the programme was discussed once more on 7 February 1910, with the decision being made to drop it from the schedule. It was felt to be unsuitable because it was a winter sport, and it was to be part of the
Nordic Games The Nordic Games were the first international multi-sport event that focused primarily on winter sports, and were held at varying intervals between 1901 and 1926. It was organized by Sweden's Swedish Central Association for the Promotion of ...
the following year. Boxing was removed from the programme as it was unappealing to the Swedes. Art competitions were considered at a further meeting on 14 February 1910, and were subsequently added to the programme, but now art competitions are no longer regarded as official Olympic events by the International Olympic Committee. As a result, now the 1912 Summer Olympics programme considered composed of 14 sports encompassing 18 disciplines and 102 events. The number of events in each discipline is noted in parentheses.


Athletics

The final moments of the men's 100 metre final The athletic events saw the introduction of a fully automatic timing system developed by R. Carlstedt. It involved attaching
electromagnet An electromagnet is a type of magnet in which the magnetic field is produced by an electric current. Electromagnets usually consist of wire wound into a coil. A current through the wire creates a magnetic field which is concentrated in the ...
s to chronometers in a system which attached a control lamp to the starting gun for each race. This resulted in the firing of the gun starting a timer which was then stopped by one of the judges at the finishing line. Official Report (1913): p. 348. The final of the men's 100 metres was expected to be a mostly American affair, and it ended up with six athletes, only one of whom was not from the United States. It suffered from seven false starts before the athletes finally got away, with
Ralph Craig Ralph Cook Craig (June 21, 1889 – July 21, 1972) was an American track and field athlete. He was the winner of the sprint double at the 1912 Summer Olympics.Alvah Meyer Alvah T. Meyer (July 18, 1888 – December 19, 1939) was an American sprint runner. He was a Jewish member of the Irish American Athletic Club, which also included Abel Kiviat and Myer Prinstein Myer (or Meyer) Prinstein (born Mejer Prin ...
.
Donald Lippincott Donald Fithian Lippincott (November 16, 1893 – January 9, 1963) was an American athlete who competed in the sprint events. He competed for the United States in the 1912 Summer Olympics held in Stockholm, Sweden where he finished third in the 10 ...
won bronze, 15 cm behind second man. Official Report (1913): p. 353. Official Report (1913): p. 354. Kanakuri Shizō, a Japanese marathon runner, went missing during the race. He lost consciousness by heatstroke and a farming family helped him to stop at a party taking place in a villa on the marathon route in order to quench his thirst, then caught a train to Stockholm and left the country the next day. He returned to Japan without notifying race officials. 50 years later, after being invited back by the Swedish authorities, he completed the race with an (unofficial) time of 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 8 hours, 32 minutes and 20.3 seconds.
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
Francisco Lázaro died from
heat exhaustion Heat exhaustion is a severe form of heat illness. It is a medical emergency. Heat exhaustion is caused by the loss of water and electrolytes through sweating. The United States Department of Labor makes the following recommendation, "Heat illness ...
while running the marathon, the only athlete to die during the running of an Olympic marathon. American
Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Native ...
won the pentathlon and the newly created decathlon. Thorpe's gold medals were stripped by the International Olympic Committee in 1913, after the IOC learned that Thorpe had taken expense money for playing baseball, violating Olympic
amateurism An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History Hist ...
rules, before the 1912 Games. This moved everyone else up in the rankings. In 1982, the IOC was convinced that the disqualification had been improper, as no protest against Thorpe's eligibility had been brought within the required 30 days, and reinstated Thorpe's medals. The replicas were presented to his children in 1983, 30 years after Thorpe's death. Finally, in 2022, the IOC posthumously declared Thorpe the sole winner of the pentathlon and decathlon. New
Olympic record Olympic records are the best performances in a specific event in that event's history in either the Summer Olympic Games or the Winter Olympic Games, including: * Archery ( list) * Alpine skiing (records recognized only by FIS) * Athletics ( l ...
s were set in the majority of track and field events, with only the men's
200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...
,
10 km walk The 10 kilometres race walk, or 10-kilometer racewalk, is a racewalking event. The event is competed as a road race. Athletes must always keep in contact with the ground and the supporting leg must remain straight until the raised leg passes it ...
,
standing high jump The standing high jump is an athletics event that was featured in the Olympics from 1900 to 1912. It is performed in the same way as high jump, with the difference being that the athlete has no run-up and must stand still and jump with both feet t ...
, standing broad jump,
hop, step and jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down ...
, and the hurdle competitions failing to have new records set.
Tell Berna Tell Schirnding Berna (July 24, 1891 – April 5, 1975) was an American middle-distance and long-distance runner. His 1912 American record at two miles stood for twenty years. He competed for the United States in the 1912 Summer Olympics h ...
captured a gold for the 3000m and Henry S. "Harry" Babcock took gold for the pole vault, setting an Olympic Record at 3.95m.
Hannes Kolehmainen Juho Pietari "Hannes" Kolehmainen (; 9 December 1889 – 11 January 1966) was a Finnish four-time Olympic Gold medalist and a world record holder in middle- and long-distance running. He was the first in a generation of great Finnish long-dista ...
was the most successful in setting records at the games, with new Olympic Records set in the
5,000 5000 (five thousand) is the natural number following 4999 and preceding 5001. Five thousand is the largest isogrammic number in the English language. Selected numbers in the range 5001–5999 5001 to 5099 * 5003 – Sophie Germain prime * 5 ...
, 10,000 metre and cross country races. Official Report (1913): p. 850.


Cycling

The cycling events at the 1912 Games were limited to a road race around Lake Mälaren, which had already been a successful route for a yearly cycling race. Official Report (1913): p. 428. Although not originally in the schedule, several countries requested that track cycling be added; however, the organizing committee stuck by their plans not to build a new track cycling stadium as the only one in Stockholm had been destroyed in order for the Olympic Stadium to be built. Official Report (1913): p. 427. In addition, Germany had specifically requested Cycle-Polo and Figure-Cycling to be added to the programme, both of which requests were turned down by the committee. Official Report (1913): p. 429. It was decided to hold the road race as a time trial, and to outlaw any non-competitive cyclists acting as
pacemakers An artificial cardiac pacemaker (or artificial pacemaker, so as not to be confused with the natural cardiac pacemaker) or pacemaker is a medical device that generates electrical impulses delivered by electrodes to the chambers of the heart eit ...
. Nineteen nations entered 151 athletes into the competition, which was a greater number than expected by the committee. Official Report (1913): p. 431. The largest group was from Great Britain, who had entered twelve competitors from England, another twelve from Scotland, and a further nine from Ireland. Official Report (1913): p. 432. The race began on 7 July, with the athletes leaving in groups. The first group left at 2am, with the remaining groups leaving at intervals of two minutes. Official Report (1913): p. 438. The distance raced was , with South African Rudolph Lewis winning the gold medal in the individual race.
Frederick Grubb Frederick Henry Grubb (27 May 1887 – 6 March 1949) was a British road racing cyclist who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He won silver medals in the individual road race and the team road race. In 1914, after he retired from racing, he ...
of Great Britain won the silver medal, and
Carl Schutte Carl Otto Schutte (October 5, 1887 – June 24, 1962) was an American road racing cyclist who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He won two bronze medals, one in the individual time trial and another in the team time trial A team time tria ...
of the United States won the bronze. Official Report (1913): p. 443. However, the average positions of the Swedish team were better than their competitors', and so the Swedish team won the gold medal for the team competition. The silver and bronze medals followed the individual victories, going to Great Britain and the United States respectively – giving Grubb and Schutte a second medal each of the same varieties. Official Report (1913): p. 450.


Diving

All of the medals in the men's competitions were split between the diving teams of the Swedish and German teams. The men's high dive was a Swedish white out, with Swedish divers taking all three medal positions.
Erik Adlerz Erik Wilhelm "Loppan" Adlerz (23 July 1892 – 8 September 1975) was a Sweden, Swedish diving (sport), diver who competed at the 1908, 1912, 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics. In 1908 he was eliminated in the first round in the Diving at the 1912 S ...
took the gold medal, Official Report (1913): p. 730. and proceeded to take the gold medal for Sweden in the 10 metre platform too. Albert Zürner took the silver for Germany, and Gustaf Blomgren won the bronze medal for Sweden. Official Report (1913): p. 738. Another white out occurred in the 3 metre springboard with all three medals going to the German team, with Paul Günther taking gold,
Hans Luber Hans Luber (15 October 1893 – 15 October 1940) was a German diver who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olym ...
in the silver medal position and
Kurt Behrens Kurt Behrens (November 26, 1884 – February 5, 1928) was a German diver who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of ...
in bronze. A 10-metre platform event also took place for women, with Sweden taking two more medals, Greta Johansson in gold and Lisa Regnell in silver. Great Britain's Isabelle White won the bronze medal. The remaining finalists were all from Sweden. Official Report (1913): p. 739.


Equestrian

left, Axel Nordlander, who won two gold medals for Sweden in the dressage Equestrian made its first appearance at a modern Olympics in the 1912 Games. Although competitions involving horse riding had been included in the programme of 1900, this was the first appearance of modern Olympic staples such as dressage, eventing and
show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ...
. It was expected that the competitors would be military personnel as they would have had the cavalry experience to compete. Official Report (1913): p. 564. The competition was split between the military competitions, Official Report (1913): p. 583. prize riding and prize jumping. Official Report (1913): p. 593. Official Report (1913): p. 595. In the military competition, seven countries put forward competitors for the individual and team eventing. Each nation put forward four athletes with the exception of Denmark, which only put forward three. Some of the countries also nominated reserves in addition to their main athletes. The total length of the course was with the start and finish both in the grounds of the Field Riding Club. The heat was such on the day of the event that competitors lost as much as in weight. Swede
Axel Nordlander Axel Nils August Nordlander (21 September 1879 – 30 April 1962) was a Swedish officer and horse rider. He competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics and won the individual and team eventing Eventing (also known as three day eventing or hor ...
won the individual competition, and led the Swedish eventing team to victory as well, earning himself two gold medals. In second place in the individual competition was German
Friedrich von Rochow Friedrich Leopold Harry von Rochow (12 August 1881 – 17 August 1945) was a German horse rider who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Oly ...
, who also earned a second silver medal as the team from Germany placed second overall. Only the bronze medals were split up between nationalities, with the American team taking the bronze for the team event while Frenchman
Jacques Cariou Jacques Cariou (23 September 1870 – 7 October 1951)
. Sports Reference.com
was a Fren ...
won the individual medal. Official Report (1913): p. 592. Two additional countries entered for the dressage, although only Sweden entered the maximum number of competitors. The event resulted in Sweden taking all three medals, with the gold going to
Carl Bonde Count Carl Gustaf Bonde af Björnö (28 April 1872 – 13 June 1957) was a Swedish Army officer, equerry and horse rider who competed at the 1912 and 1928 Olympics. Military career Bonde was born in Stockholm, Sweden and was the son of landowne ...
, the silver to
Gustaf Adolf Boltenstern Gustaf Adolf Boltenstern (1 April 1861 – 9 October 1935) was a Swedish officer and horse rider. Early life Boltenstern was born on 1 April 1861 in Helsingborg, Sweden, the son of major Gösta Boltenstern and his wife Charlotte von Boltenstern ...
and the bronze to
Hans von Blixen-Finecke Baron Hans Gustaf von Blixen-Finecke (25 July 1886 – 26 September 1917) was a Swedish officer and equestrian who won a bronze medal in dressage at the 1912 Summer Olympics. He died in an aeroplane crash in 1917. Early life Von Blixen-Finecke ...
. Official Report (1913): p. 856. The individual show jumping competition was the only individual equestrian event at the 1912 Olympics in which Sweden won no medals, with the gold medal instead going to Cariou of the French to add to his bronze medal from the dressage, Rabod von Kröcher taking the silver for Germany, and
Emmanuel de Blommaert Emmanuel de Blommaert de Soye (15 October 1875 – 12 April 1944) was a Belgian horse rider who competed in the 1912 and 1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van ...
winning the bronze for Belgium. The team event saw Sweden take another gold medal, with the French team second and the German team, featuring Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, in the bronze medal position. Official Report (1913): p. 602.


Fencing

The foil competition became a full Olympic event, having appeared at the 1908 Games as a demonstration sport. Official Report (1913): p. 466.
Nedo Nadi Nedo Nadi (9 June 1894 – 29 January 1940) was one of the best Italian fencers of all time. He is the only fencer to win a gold medal in each of the three weapons at a single Olympic Games and won the most fencing gold medals ever at a singl ...
and
Pietro Speciale Pietro Speciale (29 September 1876 – 9 November 1945) was an Italian fencer. He won a silver medal in the individual foil event at the 1912 Summer Olympics and a gold in the team foil at the 1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics ...
of Italy took the gold and silver medals respectively, and
Richard Verderber Richard Verderber (January 23, 1884 – September 8, 1955) was an Austrian fencer who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He was part of the Austrian sabre team, which won the silver medal. In the individual foil event he won the bron ...
of
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous c ...
placed third. Official Report (1913): p. 465. There were individual and team events in both épée and sabre. The épée team event saw Belgium take the gold medal and Great Britain and the Netherlands in second and third place respectively. Official Report (1913): p. 468. A member of the Belgian team went on to take the individual title as well, with
Paul Anspach Paul Eugène Albert Anspach (1 April 1882 – 28 August 1981) was a Belgian épée and foil fencer who competed in four consecutive Olympics (1908, 1912, 1920 and 1924). His grand-uncle, Jules Anspach (1829-1879), was Brussels burgomaster. Ea ...
taking the gold medal.
Ivan Joseph Martin Osiier Dr. Ivan Joseph Martin Osiier (December 16, 1888 – December 23, 1965), was a Danish Olympic medalist, and world champion, fencer who fenced foil, épée, and saber. He was given the Olympic Diploma of Merit during his career. He is also one ...
of Denmark took the silver medal, and another Belgian who was not in the team event, Philippe le Hardy de Beaulieu, won the bronze medal. Official Report (1913): p. 472. The sabre competition was dominated by the competitors from Hungary, with their team taking the gold medal over
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous c ...
and the Netherlands. Official Report (1913): p. 473. The individual competition saw a shut out by Hungarian athletes with
Jenő Fuchs Jenő Fuchs (29 October 1882 – 14 March 1955) was a Hungarian sabre fencer. He competed at the 1908 and 1912 Olympics and won both the individual and team events at both Games. He missed the 1920 Olympics, where Hungary was not allowed to c ...
winning the overall competition, Béla Békessy in second and Ervin Mészáros in third. Official Report (1913): p. 477.


Football

Great Britain plays Denmark in the final of the football tournament Thirteen countries signalled their intention to enter football teams for the 1912 Olympics. A standard cup tie system was implemented, with the final deciding the gold and silver medallists and a third/fourth position playoff deciding the bronze medal winner. Only FIFA affiliated teams were allowed to take part, with the public draw for the tournament taking place on 18 June 1911. Official Report (1913): p. 483. The tournament itself started on 29 June. In the first round Finland defeated Italy 3–2, Official Report (1913): p. 484. Austria beat Germany 5–1 and the Netherlands emerged victorious over Sweden 4–3. Official Report (1913): p. 485. Official Report (1913): p. 486. The team from Great Britain, who had won the gold medal at the 1908 Summer Games, were given a bye to the second round, where they faced Hungary and won 7–0. Official Report (1913): p. 488. Finland also won their match, defeating Russia 2–1. Official Report (1913): p. 487. Denmark matched the British scoreline, winning 7–0 against Norway, Official Report (1913): p. 489. and the Netherlands won against Austria 3–1. Official Report (1913): p. 490. The semi final matches pitted Great Britain against Finland, where they won 4–0, Official Report (1913): p. 491. and Denmark against the Netherlands, ending in a 4–1 victory for Denmark. Official Report (1913): p. 492. The Netherlands won the third/fourth place playoff by the biggest scoreline of the tournament, beating Finland 9–0. Official Report (1913): p. 495. Later on the same day the final was played in the Olympic Stadium, where Great Britain retained its gold medal against Denmark in front of 25,000 spectators. Goals from
Harold Walden Harold Adrian Walden (10 October 1887 – 2 December 1955) was an English amateur footballer who played for several clubs, Halifax Town, Bradford City and Arsenal. Walden also played for Great Britain's football team, with which he won gol ...
, Arthur Berry and two from
Gordon Hoare Gordon Rahere Hoare (18 April 1884 – 27 October 1973) was an English amateur footballer who was a member of the Great Britain team that won the gold medal at the 1912 Summer Olympics. In club football, he played in the Football League f ...
helped Britain to win by a margin of 4–2. Official Report (1913): p. 493.


Gymnastics

The gymnastic competition at the 1912 Games featured a single individual competition and three team events in addition to a variety of displays by the various teams. The Swedish team naturally won the Gymnastics event of the Swedish system, referred to in the programme as "Team Competition I", with fellow Scandinavian teams Denmark and Norway taking the second and third positions. The all around team competition came second, with Italy taking the gold. Official Report (1913): p. 855. In addition, one of the Italian team members,
Alberto Braglia Alberto Braglia (23 April 1883 – 5 February 1954) was an Italian gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements ...
, won the individual gold for the same event. Louis Ségura of the French team won the individual silver, while another member of the Italian team,
Adolfo Tunesi Adolfo Tunesi (August 27, 1887 – November 29, 1964) was an Italian gymnast who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V ...
, won the individual bronze. The all around team competition saw Hungary take the silver medal and the team from Great Britain in third place. The final team competition allowed for a free choice of movements and apparatus. Official Report (1913): p. 562. This was another all Scandinavian affair, with the Norwegian team emerging victorious, Finland in second and Denmark in the bronze medal position.


Modern pentathlon

Modern pentathlon The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The event is inspired by the traditional pentathlon held during the an ...
was competed for at the 1912 Games, marking its first appearance in the Olympics. Official Report (1913): p. 640. It was for these games that the five events of shooting, swimming, equestrian, fencing and cross country running were decided to make up the pentathlon. Official Report (1913): p. 641. The competition was spread out across five days from 7 through to 12 July, ending with the cross country race. Official Report (1913): p. 646. Only men participated in the event, although a woman named
Helen Preece Helen Preece Chipchase Smith (1897 - 1990) was a British equestrian who also rode in America. She was the only woman briefly entered in the 1912 Summer Olympics. Biography She was the daughter of Ambrose Preese, of Fulham road, London. Her mothe ...
was briefly enrolled to compete until the organizing committee ultimately denied her entry. Jean de Mas Latrie and George S. Patton competing in the fencing event of the Modern pentathlon For the shooting element, each competitor was allowed to bring their own pistol. The American competitor
George S. Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...
(later better known as the Second World War US Army General) used a
Colt revolver Colt's Manufacturing Company, LLC (CMC, formerly Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company) is an American firearms manufacturer, founded in 1855 by Samuel Colt and is now a subsidiary of Czech holding company Colt CZ Group. It is the su ...
, while the Danish competitors preferred the
Danish Army The Royal Danish Army ( da, Hæren, fo, Herurin, kl, Sakkutuut) is the land-based branch of the Danish Defence, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structur ...
service pistol A service pistol, also known as a personal weapon or an ordnance weapon, is any handgun issued to regular military personnel or law enforcement officers. Typically, service pistols are revolvers or semi-automatic pistols issued to officers, non- ...
, the Germans and Norwegians used the
Luger P08 pistol The Pistole Parabellum—or Parabellum-Pistole (Pistol Parabellum), commonly known as just Luger or Luger P08 is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol. The Luger was produced in several models and by several nations from 1898 ...
and the Swedes used a target practice pistol by
Smith & Wesson Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (S&W) is an American firearm manufacturer headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Smith & Wesson was founded by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson as the "Smith & Wesson Revolver Company" in 185 ...
. Official Report (1913): p. 647. The shooting part of the competition was won by Gösta Åsbrink, with
Georg de Laval Patrik Georg Fabian de Laval (16 April 1883 – 10 March 1970) was a Swedish sport shooter and modern pentathlete who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He was part of the Swedish team that won the silver medal in the 50 m team military ...
and Gösta Lilliehöök in second and third place respectively, all three representing Sweden. Official Report (1913): p. 650. The swimming event was three lengths, each of , with the athletes split into eight heats and times going forward to calculate positions.
Ralph Clilverd Ralph Egerton Clilverd MC (30 July 1887 – 7 June 1970) was a British modern pentathlete. He competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics at the age of 24, where he placed 1st in swimming with a time of 4:58.4 and 11th overall. He was awarded an ...
of Great Britain won this event, with
Edmond Bernhardt Edmond Bernhardt (20 April 1885 – 23 May 1976) was an Austrian freestyle swimmer, sports shooter and modern pentathlete. He competed in two swimming events at the 1906 Intercalated Games. Six years later, he competed in the modern pentathl ...
of Austria in second and de Laval in third. Official Report (1913): p. 651. The fencing competition saw each competitor face off against each other. Several opponents were noted for their particular skill in the event with
Åke Grönhagen Åke Edvard Grönhagen (24 January 1885 – 25 December 1974) was a Swedish modern pentathlete and épée fencer who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Ga ...
of Sweden coming first with 24 wins,
Jean de Mas Latrie Jean de Mas Latrie (23 November 1879 – 5 September 1914) was a French fencer and modern pentathlete. He competed in the individual sabre event at the 1908 Summer Olympics and the modern pentathlon at the 1912 Summer Olympics. He was kill ...
of France second with 23,
Sidney Stranne Sidney Stranne (8 February 1886 – 3 August 1957) was a Swedish modern pentathlete and épée fencer. He competed in the modern pentathlon at the 1912 Summer Olympics and in fencing at the 1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( ...
of Sweden in third with 21 and Patton of the United States close behind with 20. Official Report (1913): p. 654. Thirteen of the competitors cleared the equestrian course without any penalties, with Grönhagen winning the event, Bror Mannström of Sweden in second and de Laval third. The cross country run was over 4,000 metres and started in the Olympic Stadium itself. The event was run as a time trial with competitors leaving one minute apart. Official Report (1913): p. 655. As this was the final event, the winning competitors were announced after the race, with Lilliehöök winning the gold medal, Åsbrink taking silver and de Laval, bronze. The highest placed non-Swedish competitor was Patton, who finished fifth. Official Report (1913): p. 656.


Rowing

The rowing events at the 1912 Olympics did not prove popular with the public. This was put down to the "fatigue" of the public due to the volume of sporting events. Official Report (1913): p. 676. The
eight 8 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 8 or eight may also refer to: Years * AD 8, the eighth year of the AD era * 8 BC, the eighth year before the AD era Art * The Eight (Ashcan School), a group of twentieth century painters associated with the ...
competition was split into heats, with two teams in each heat. Official Report (1913): p. 662. The two British crews were lucky not to be drawn against each other, with the team from Leander Club facing New College, Oxford in the final. Leander won by a length with a time of 6:15. Official Report (1913): p. 667. The
coxed four A coxed four, also known as a 4+, is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars and is steered by a coxswain. The crew consists of four rowers, each having one oa ...
followed a similar format to the eights, with the German team from
Ludwigshafener Ruderverein The Ludwigshafener Ruderverein von 1878 is the only Rowing (sport), rowing club in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Germany and also one of the oldest sport club of the city. It was founded in 1878 in Ludwigshafen and at the beginning of the year 2013 the ...
defeating Britain's
Thames Rowing Club The Thames Rowing Club (TRC) is a rowing club based on the tidal Thames as it flows through the western suburbs of London. The TRC clubhouse stands on Putney Embankment. The club was founded in 1860. As at July 2022, Thames had won events at ...
in the final. Official Report (1913): p. 670. The competition for the coxed four, inriggers was much smaller, with only four nations competing. The Danish team defeated Sweden in the final. Official Report (1913): p. 672. The
single sculls A single scull (or a scull) is a rowing boat designed for a single person who propels the boat with two oars, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to minim ...
heats proved controversial with the first round race between
Mart Kuusik Hugo-Maksimilian "Mart" Kuusik (9 December 1877 – 24 August 1965) was a Russian later Estonian rower who competed for the Russian Empire in the 1912 Summer Olympics. Representing Russia, he won a bronze medal in a single sculls event. Hi ...
and Alfred Heinrich being re-run after a protest by Heinrich. In addition,
Cecil McVilly Cecil Leventhorpe McVilly Military Cross, MC, (3 August 1889 – 4 November 1964) was an Australian representative rowing (sport), rower and WWI military officer. He was a three-time Australian champion sculler and the first sculler to represen ...
was disqualified in the first round after colliding with the boat of
Martin Stahnke Martin Stahnke (11 November 1888 in Briesen – 28 February 1969 in Frankfurt am Main) was a German rower. He won the bronze medal in the men's coxless pair, along with Willy Düskow in the 1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics ...
. Official Report (1913): p. 673.
Wally Kinnear William Duthie Kinnear (3 December 1880 – 5 March 1974) was a Scottish rower who competed for Great Britain at the 1912 Summer Olympics and won major single scull events prior to the First World War. Early days Better known to his friends as ...
of Great Britain defeated
Polydore Veirman Polydore Jules Léon Veirman (23 February 1881 – 1951) was a Belgian rower who won two Olympic silver medals: in 1908 in the coxed eight, and in 1912 in the single scull A single scull (or a scull) is a rowing boat designed for a single p ...
of Belgium in the final, Official Report (1913): p. 675. with Kinnear winning the matchup easily.


Sailing

The yachts for the sailing competition assembled at
Nynäshamn Nynäshamn is a locality and the seat of Nynäshamn Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 13,510 inhabitants in 2010. While interest in the area as a potentially useful port grew from the mid 19th Century, it was only with the opening of th ...
on 19 July, along with the other vessels that were to take part in an Olympic regatta. Official Report (1913): p. 774. The racing itself started the following day with the 12 metre class. Official Report (1913): p. 775. There were only three nations and yachts competing in this event, the hosts Sweden, as well as Norway and Finland. Norway won the gold medal, Sweden the silver and Finland came in last place, winning bronze. Official Report (1913): p. 782. The 10 metre class had the same number of countries entering it, although this time Sweden entered two yachts and Russia competed instead of Norway. The Swedish yacht ''Kitty'' was the winning vessel, with the Finnish boat in second and the
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...
ns coming third. A slightly improved field was featured in the 8 metre class, with four countries entering two yachts each. The medals were awarded to exactly the same nations as the 12 metre class, another all Scandinavian affair. The 6 metre class saw the most diverse field of any of the sailing events at the 1912 Olympics: six countries entered a total of nine yachts. France and Denmark competed in their only sailing event, along with Sweden, sending two yachts each. Those three nations were the successful in the event, with the French yacht ''Mac Miche'' taking the gold, the Danish ''Nurdug II'' taking silver and the Swedish ''Kerstin'' placing third. Official Report (1913): p. 783.


Shooting

There were eighteen shooting events at the 1912 Olympics, of which eight were team events. The competition was split predominantly into three sections: military rifle shooting, Official Report (1913): p. 679. shooting with miniature rifles, pistols and revolvers, Official Report (1913): p. 691. and clay bird and running deer shooting. Official Report (1913): p. 704. The Swedish and American competitors were the most successful at the competition, with seven gold medals each, although Sweden won a total of seventeen medals while the United States team won fourteen. 64-year-old
Oscar Swahn Oscar Gomer Swahn (20 October 1847 – 1 May 1927) was a Swedish shooter who competed at three Olympic games and won six medals, including three gold. Swahn holds records as the oldest Olympian at the time of competition, the oldest person ...
, part of the Swedish single shot running deer team, is still the oldest gold medal winner in Olympic history.


Swimming

upFanny Durack and Mina Wylie, the gold and silver medallists in the first women's individual swimming event In swimming, Hawaiian
Duke Kahanamoku Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku (August 24, 1890 – January 22, 1968) was a Hawaiian competition swimmer who popularized the sport of surfing. A Native Hawaiian, he was born to a minor noble family less than three years before the ...
won the 100 metre freestyle for the United States, Official Report (1913): p. 718. who also saw
Harry Hebner Harry Joseph Hebner (June 15, 1891 – October 12, 1968) was an American competition swimmer and water polo player who competed at the 1908, 1912 and 1920 Summer Olympics. As part of the American men's 4×200-meter relay teams, he won a bronze ...
win gold in the 100 metre backstroke. Official Report (1913): p. 722. The Canadian team also took two gold medals, both by
George Hodgson George Ritchie Hodgson (October 12, 1893 – May 1, 1983) was a Canadian competition swimmer of the early 20th century, and considered by many to be the greatest swimmer in Canadian history. Hodgson won the two longer freestyle swimming gold ...
in the 400 and 1,500 metre events. Official Report (1913): p. 719. Official Report (1913): p. 721. The German swimming team won all three medals in the 200 metre breaststroke, with the gold going to
Walter Bathe Walter Bathe (1 December 1892 – 21 September 1959) was a German breaststroke swimmer. He won gold medals in the 200 m and 400 m breaststroke at the 1912 Summer Olympics, setting Olympic records that lasted until 1924. In 1970 he was inducted t ...
, Official Report (1913): p. 723. who won a further gold in the 400 metre breaststroke. Official Report (1913): p. 724. The Australasian team was victorious in the men's relay, with the United States finishing in the silver medal position and Great Britain placing third. Official Report (1913): p. 725. The 1912 Games saw the implementation of swimming events for women, with the
100 metre freestyle The 100 metre freestyle is often considered to be the highlight (Blue Ribbon event) of the sport of swimming, like 100 metres in the sport of Athletics. The first swimmer to break the one-minute barrier (long course) was Johnny Weissmuller, i ...
and 400 metre team relay taking place.
Fanny Durack Sarah Frances "Fanny" Durack (27 October 1889 – 20 March 1956), also known by her married name Fanny Gately, was an Australian competition swimmer. From 1910 until 1918 she was the world's greatest female swimmer across all distances from f ...
won the individual contest, breaking the world record for the distance in the fourth heat. Her fellow Australian
Mina Wylie Wilhelmina "Mina" Wylie (27 June 1891 – 6 July 1984) was one of Australia's first two female Olympic swimming representatives, along with friend Fanny Durack.Hirst,Warwic"Wylie, Wilhelmina (Mina) (1891–1984)"Australian Dictionary of Biogr ...
won the silver medal, and
Jennie Fletcher Jennie Fletcher (19 March 1890 – 17 January 1968), later known by her married name Jennie Hyslop, was a British competitive swimmer, Olympic gold medallist, and former world record-holder. In 1905 she set a new world record in the 100-yard fr ...
of Great Britain came third to take the bronze medal. Official Report (1913): p. 726. The British team had further success in the women's relay, winning the team relay with the German team in second place and the Austrian team in third. Because only four countries entered the relay there were no heats; only a final was held. The United States did not field a women's team. Eight years later in
Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,
the American women would compete for the first time and sweep 7 out of 7 available medals. In
1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hold ...
, the United States would enter the largest women's team of any nation. Official Report (1913): p. 727. New Olympic Records were set in all swimming events at the 1912 Games. Official Report (1913): p. 851.


Tennis

Tennis on covered courts was agreed initially for the 1912 Games, with competitions run for gentlemen's singles and doubles, ladies' singles, and mixed doubles. Official Report (1913): p. 616. The outdoor tournament was confirmed once the Östermalm Athletic Grounds were completed in late 1911, with the plans modified to have both indoor and outdoor tournaments. Official Report (1913): p. 617. Six countries sent players for the covered court competitions, with representatives from Sweden, Great Britain, Denmark, France,
Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologi ...
, and
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohe ...
appearing. Included in this lineup was Australasia's only competitor,
Anthony Wilding Anthony Frederick Wilding (31 October 1883 – 9 May 1915), also known as Tony Wilding, was a New Zealand world No. 1 tennis player and soldier who was killed in action during World War I. Considered the world's first tennis superstar, Wildin ...
from New Zealand, who was also the reigning Wimbledon gentlemen's champion. Official Report (1913): p. 618. The indoor knockout competition started on 5 May, and continued as expected until the semi-final round where Wilding was beaten by Britain's
Charles P. Dixon Charles Percy Dixon (7 February 1873 – 29 April 1939) was a male tennis player from Great Britain. He was a four-time Olympic medallist and led a successful British team to victory in the Davis Cup. Biography Dixon was born on 7 February 18 ...
. Official Report (1913): p. 620. The British player met Frenchman
André Gobert André Henri Gobert (30 September 1890 – 6 December 1951) was a tennis player from France. Gobert is a double Olympic tennis champion of 1912. At the Stockholm Games, he won both the men's singles and doubles indoor gold medals. Career Gober ...
in the final, but Gobert was victorious over the Englishman in straight sets. Wilding took the bronze medal in a playoff against another British player,
Arthur Lowe Arthur Lowe (22 September 1915 – 15 April 1982) was an English actor. His acting career spanned 36 years, including starring roles in numerous theatre and television productions. He played Captain Mainwaring in the British sitcom ''Dad ...
. Official Report (1913): p. 621. The outdoors tennis competition saw 70 players enter from 12 nations. However, Great Britain did not enter any competitors as the dates of the outdoor competition clashed with the
1912 Wimbledon Championships The 1912 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament ran from 24 June until 8 July.2010 Wimbledon Compendium, by Alan Little ( ...
, despite attempts by the British authorities to convince the Olympic organizing committee to change the dates. Other noted tennis players refused to compete at the Olympics and instead attended Wimbledon. Official Report (1913): p. 630. The gold and silver medals in the gentlemen's singles ended up being decided between two South Africans, with
Charles Winslow Charles Lyndhurst Winslow (1 August 1888 – 15 September 1963) was a three-time Olympic tennis medalist from South Africa. He won two gold medals: Men's Singles and Doubles at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. Eight years later, in Antw ...
and
Harold Kitson Harry Austin Kitson (17 June 1874 – 30 November 1951) was a male tennis player from South Africa who won a gold medal at the men's doubles event at the 1912 Summer Olympics. Tennis career Kitson competed in the singles and doubles ...
playing each other. Winslow won the match and the gold medal, 7–5, 4–6, 10–8, 8–6. Official Report (1913): p. 633. The duo also competed as a pair in the gentlemen's doubles and took the gold medal, beating the Austrians
Felix Pipes Fritz Felix Pipes (also "Piepes"; 15 April 1887 – 20 January 1983) was an Austrian tennis player who was born in Prague. He was Jewish, and was a medical doctor. At the 1912 Stockholm Olympics he teamed up with Arthur Zborzil to win a silver ...
and
Arthur Zborzil Arthur Zborzil (15 July 1885 – 15 October 1937) was a male tennis player from Austria. At the 1912 Stockholm Olympics he teamed up with Felix Pipes to win a silver medal in the men's doubles event. Zborzil also competed at the 1908 Summ ...
. Official Report (1913): p. 634.
Marguerite Broquedis Marguerite Marie Broquedis (; married names Billout-Bordes; 17 April 1893 – 23 April 1983) was a French tennis player. Biography Broquedis was born on 17 April 1893 in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques. She moved with her family to Paris around t ...
of France defeated
Dorothea Koring Dorothea (also spelled Dorothée, Dorotea or other variants) is a female given name from Greek (Dōrothéa) meaning "God's Gift". It may refer to: People * Dorothea Binz (1920–1947), German concentration camp officer executed for war cri ...
of Germany in the ladies' singles for the gold medal. Official Report (1913): p. 636. In the mixed doubles Koring teamed up with
Heinrich Schomburgk Heinrich Georg Schomburgk (; 23 June 1885 – 26 March 1965) was a male tennis player and footballer from Germany. At the Stockholm Olympics in 1912 he won a gold medal in the mixed doubles event with Dorothea Köring. He participated i ...
to win the gold, the duo defeating
Sigrid Fick Sigrid Fick (née ''Frenckell''; 28 March 1887 – 4 June 1979) was a Finnish-born tennis player who moved to Sweden in 1910. She competed at the 1912, 1920 and 1924 Olympics and won two mixed doubles medals in 1912, both with Gunnar Setterwall ...
and
Gunnar Setterwall Carl Gunnar Emanuel Setterwall (18 August 1881 – 26 February 1928) was a Swedish tennis player who won four Olympic medals. In 1908, he won a bronze in the men's indoor doubles, with Wollmar Boström. Four years later, he won three more me ...
of Sweden in the final. Official Report (1913): p. 637.


Tug of war

left, The only tug of war bout which took place at the 1912 Games The tug of war competition was scheduled to take place between 7 and 12 July, with two matches taking place each day. However, out of the five countries which elected to enter the competition, only two actually appeared. Great Britain arrived for its match against Bohemia, but the opposition team was nowhere to be found. Britain was duly declared the winner. The same thing happened once more for the second match, with the Swedish team, made up of policemen from Stockholm, arriving to find that the Austrian team had not arrived. Sweden was announced as the winners of the match in the Austrians' absence. Official Report (1913): p. 425. On the second day of the competition, Great Britain took on Sweden, the only occasion where both teams actually turned up for the bout. The British team were made up of the winners of the gold medal in the same event at the 1908 Games, with the exception of
John Sewell John Sewell (born December 8, 1940) is a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as the 58th mayor of Toronto from 1978 to 1980. Background Born and raised in the Beach neighbourhood, in Toronto, Sewell attended Malvern Collegiate Institut ...
and
Mathias Hynes Mathias Hynes (21 January 1883 – 9 March 1926) was a British tug of war competitor who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics. In 1912 he won the silver medal as member of the British team ''City of London Police The City of London P ...
. As the British team also consisted of policemen, the bout ended up effectively being between the
City of London Police The City of London Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, including the Middle and Inner Temples. The force responsible for law enforcement within the remainder of the London region, ...
and the Stockholm Police, with the Swedish team winning 2–0. Due to the non-appearance of the team from Luxembourg, that one match ended up being the entire tug of war event at the 1912 Olympics. Sweden was awarded the gold medal and Great Britain the silver. Official Report (1913): p. 426.


Water polo

The water polo tournament was set up on a modified elimination system as there were six teams entered. The first round saw the British team defeating the Belgian team, Sweden defeating the French team and Austria defeating Hungary. Lots were drawn to determine which match would take place in the second round as there were three teams left in the competition. Great Britain were drawn to face Sweden, who they defeated. Austria automatically qualified for the final against the winner of the Britain-Sweden matchup. Official Report (1913): p. 741. Great Britain won the gold medal in the event, defeating Austria 8–0. Official Report (1913): p. 745. Playoff matches were then played between each pair of defeated teams in order to decide the second and third places. Official Report (1913): p. 742. Sweden and Belgium played off after a further three matches to decide the silver and bronze medal positions, with Sweden emerging victorious 4–2. Official Report (1913): p. 747.


Wrestling

Martin Klein and Alfred Asikainen, whose wrestling bout lasted for 11 hours and 40 minutes The nations at the 1912 Games entered a total of 267 wrestlers, although the actual competitors who appeared in Sweden were fewer, with 171 actually turning up to compete. Greco-Roman wrestling was the only style of wrestling competed for at the Games. The bouts took place in the open air in an area of the Olympic stadium, with the wrestlers split according to weight into five divisions: featherweight,
lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...
, middleweight A (later referred to as middleweight), middleweight B (later referred to as light heavyweight) and
heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wor ...
. Official Report (1913): p. 752. The skills of the competitors from Finland were noted in the featherweight competition, with
Kaarlo Koskelo Kaarlo Anton "Kalle" Koskelo (12 April 1888 – 21 December 1953) was a Greco-Roman wrestler from Finland who won the featherweight event at the 1912 Olympics. He then fought in World War I and Finnish Civil War, and in 1919 immigrated to the ...
taking the gold medal, while German Georg Gerstäcker took silver and a further medal went to Finland with
Otto Lasanen Otto Abraham Lasanen (14 April 1891 – 25 July 1958) was a featherweight Greco-Roman wrestler from Finland. He won a bronze medal at the 1912 Summer Olympics and placed fourth at the 1914 unofficial European Championships. In 1917 he won a Russi ...
taking bronze. Official Report (1913): p. 753. The lightweight class drew the most attention from the public, with Emil Väre winning gold after beating all of his opponents by pin rather than by points. Swedish wrestlers Gustaf Malmström and
Edvin Mattiasson Berndt Edvin Mattiasson (16 or 18 April 1890 – 15 March 1975) was a Greco-Roman wrestler from Sweden who won a bronze medal in the lightweight division at the 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), ...
took the silver and bronze medals respectively.
Claes Johanson Claes Edvin Johansson (4 November 1884 – 9 March 1949) was a Sweden, Swedish Amateur wrestling, wrestler who competed in the 1912, 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics and won two gold medals, in 1912 and 1920. In 1913 he won the unofficial Europ ...
won Sweden's only gold medal in the light heavyweight competition, with his fellow finalist from Russia,
Martin Klein Martin Klein may refer to: * Martin Klein (footballer) (born 1984), Czech international footballer *Martin Klein (wrestler) (1884–1947), Estonian wrestler * Martin A. Klein, historian of the Atlantic slave trade *Martin J. Klein (1924–2009), Am ...
, retiring before fighting Johanson in the final. This was due to the semi final match between Klein and
Alfred Asikainen Alfred Johan "Alpo" Asikainen (2 November 1888 – 7 January 1942) was a Finnish wrestler who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal. Sporting career Asikainen won the Greco-Roman middleweight event at the 1911 Wor ...
of Finland lasting 11 hours and forty minutes, although they took breaks for refreshments every half-hour. Klein was awarded the silver medal and Asikainen the bronze. Official Report (1913): p. 763. The light heavyweight competition saw another marathon length match, with the bout between
Anders Ahlgren Anders Oscar Ahlgren (12 February 1888 – 27 December 1976) was a Swedish Greco-Roman wrestler. He was a world champion in 1913 and finished second in 1911 and 1922. At the 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommar ...
of Sweden and Ivar Böhling of Finland for the gold medal lasting more than nine hours. The match was then declared a draw with both athletes being awarded the silver medal as neither won the match. The bronze medal went to Hungary's Béla Varga, who was defeated by Ahlgren in the semi final match. Official Report (1913): p. 764. Yrjö Saarela of Finland was victorious in the heavyweight competition after having placed second in the light heavyweight event at the 1908 Games.
Johan Olin Johan Fredrik "John" Olin (30 June 1883 – 3 December 1928) was a Finnish wrestler who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He won the silver medal in the heavyweight class. In 1916, Olin captured a claim to the World Heavyweight championsh ...
took another medal for Finland with the silver and Søren Marinus Jensen repeated his bronze medal at the 1908 Olympics with another for Denmark.


Art competitions

The 1912 Summer Olympics saw the introduction of
art competitions at the Summer Olympics Art competitions formed part of the modern Olympic Games during its early years, from 1912 to 1948. The competitions were part of the original intention of the Olympic Movement's founder, Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin. Medals were awar ...
. Official Report (1913): p. 806. Events were implemented for literature, sculpture, painting, architecture and music. Official Report (1913): p. 808. Official Report (1913): p. 809.
Walter Winans Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...
won the gold medal for his sculpture, ''An American Trotter'', which added to his previous gold medal for the running deer (double shot) competition at the 1908 Olympics and the silver medal in the running deer competition in 1912. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, President of the IOC and founder of the modern Olympic movement, won the gold medal for literature. He actually entered the competition under the pseudonyms of Georges Hohrod and Martin Eschbach from Germany. With the exception of the sculpture competition, only gold medals were issued. Italian
Riccardo Barthelemy Riccardo Barthelemy, also Richard Barthélemy (2 November 1869 – 23 January 1955), was an Italian composer and pianist. He was born in Smyrna. Barthelemy studied in San Pietro a Majella conservatory in Naples. His compositions included ...
won the medal for music with his ''Olympic Triumphal March'', and fellow countryman Giovanni Pellegrini won the gold for painting. The Swiss architects Eugène-Edouard Monod and
Alphonse Laverrière Alphonse Laverrière (16 May 1872 – 11 March 1954) was a Swiss architect. He studied at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts and was professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. In 1912, he won a gold me ...
shared the gold for their stadium design. The sole silver medal, for sculpture, went to Frenchman Georges Dubois for his ''Model of the entrance to a modern stadium''.


Demonstration sports

In the evening of 7 July, demonstrations took place in the Olympic Stadium of sports from the Swedish island of Gotland. These began at 7:30pm with a demonstration of
Pärk Pärk or Paerk is a game, somewhat similar to a game of baseball but where the aim is to gain ground like in American football, that has been played for centuries on the island of Gotland in Baltic Sea. The game is played with two teams of 7 peopl ...
, a type of tennis with seven players a side. At the same time, at the other end of the stadium, a type of Icelandic wrestling called
Glima Glima is the name that covers several types of Nordic folk wrestling practiced as sport and combat. In one common form of glima, players grip their opponent by the waist and attempt to throw them to the ground using technique rather than force. O ...
was demonstrated. Official Report (1913): p. 817. Once those displays had concluded, further demonstrations were made of the Swedish sport
varpa Varpa is an outdoor game that dates back to the Viking Age and survived in Gotland. It is similar to boules and horseshoes but is played with a flat and heavy object called a "varpa" instead of balls. Varpas used to be well-shaped stones, but no ...
, similar to
quoits Quoits ( or ) is a traditional game which involves the throwing of metal, rope or rubber rings over a set distance, usually to land over or near a spike (sometimes called a hob, mott or pin). The game of quoits encompasses several distinct var ...
, and ''stångstörtning'', a version of the
caber toss The caber toss is a traditional Scottish athletic event in which competitors toss a large tapered pole called a "caber" (/ˈkeɪbər/). It is normally practised at the Scottish Highland Games. In Scotland, the caber is usually made from a l ...
. Official Report (1913): p. 818. Baseball was also demonstrated at the Games. A game was played between the United States, the nation where the game was developed, and Sweden, the host nation. The game was held on Monday, 15 July 1912 and started at 10 a.m. on the Ostermalm Athletic Grounds in Stockholm. The Americans were represented by various members of the American Olympic track and field athletics delegation, while the Swedish team was the Vesterås Baseball Club, which had been formed in 1910 as the first baseball club in Sweden. Four of the Americans played for Sweden, as the Swedish pitchers and
catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catcher ...
s were inexperienced. One Swede eventually relieved Adams and Nelson, the American pitchers. Six innings were played, with the Americans not batting in the sixth and allowing the Swedes to have six outs in their half of the inning. The game was umpired by
George Wright George Wright may refer to: Politics, law and government * George Wright (MP) (died 1557), MP for Bedford and Wallingford * George Wright (governor) (1779–1842), Canadian politician, lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island * George Wright ...
, a retired American
National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
baseball player. Official Report (1913): p. 824.


Participating nations

Twenty-eight nations competed at the 1912 Games. Egypt participated for the first time, as did Iceland, Portugal, and Serbia. Japan also made their Olympic debut, marking the first appearance of an
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
n country at an Olympic Games.
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
made its first appearance as a national team, with fourteen athletes attending the Games, although it had previously entered one individual at the 1896 Games. This was also the first time that athletes from
Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
had competed in the Olympics, as part of the team from Turkey (the officially recognised name for the Ottoman Empire). Serbia's appearance was the only time it attended an Olympic Games as an independent nation until the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...
, almost one hundred years later. This was the last Olympics that allowed "private entries", i.e. individual athletes that were not part of a country's officially selected team. Arnold Jackson was one such private entry; he won the 1500 metres by 0.1 seconds, ahead of an American trio, in what was acclaimed at the time to be "the greatest race ever run". His medal is still credited to the United Kingdom, however.


Number of athletes by National Olympic Committees


Medal count

These are the top 10 nations that won medals at the 1912 Games. The medals themselves included solid gold medals, the last time these were given out.


See also


References


External links

* * {{Portal bar, Olympics, Sweden International sports competitions in Stockholm Summer Olympics Olympic Games in Sweden 1910s in Stockholm Multi-sport events in Sweden Summer Olympics Summer Olympics by year