The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international

multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of intern ...

held in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was held on 6 July. 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 Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

's debut, the first time an official team from an

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

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 The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of 10 track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄ ...

and the new

pentathlon A pentathlon is a contest featuring five events. The name is derived from Greek language, Greek: combining the words ''pente'' (five) and -''athlon'' (competition) (). The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Anci ...

, both won by the American

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe (; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete who won Olympic gold medals and played professional American football, football, baseball, and basketball. A citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was ...

. 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), competitio ...

, while the host country disallowed

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

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, with its introduction occurring at the Figure skating at the 1908 Summer Olympi ...

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 The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

won the most gold medals (26), while hosts

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

won the most medals overall (65). These were the final Olympic Games for eight years due to the disruption of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. 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, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were originally schedu ...

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 The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

(IOC) at the time,

Viktor Balck Viktor Gustaf Balck (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, the driv ...

and

Clarence von Rosen Count Carl Clarence von Rosen (12 May 1867 – 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 the re-intr ...

. 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 Gustaf V (Oscar Gustaf Adolf; 16 June 1858 – 29 October 1950) was King of Sweden from 8 December 1907 until his death in 1950. He was the eldest son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Sophia of Nassau, a half-sister of Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxem ...

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 Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, 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 (), officially known as the Games of the VI Olympiad ( German: ''Spiele der VI. Olympiade''), were scheduled to be held in Berlin, Germany. However, they were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War I, the first tim ...

Pierre de Coubertin Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin (; born Pierre de Frédy; 1 January 1863 – 2 September 1937), also known as Pierre de Coubertin and Baron de Coubertin, was a French educator and historian, co-founder of the International Olympic ...

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 Great Britain 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

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 Summer Olympics, Olympic multisport that consists of five events: fencing (one-touch épée followed by direct elimination), freestyle swimming, obstacle course racing, Laser pistol (sport), laser pistol shooting, and ...

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 Märtha and Astrid, for whom he arranged dynastic marriages, he is an ancestor of current members of ...

, who was the inspector of the

Swedish cavalry This is a list of Swedish cavalry regiments, battalions, corps and companies that have existed in the Swedish Army. They are listed in three ways, first by the actual units that have existed, then by the various names these units have had, and l ...

. 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 A pleasure garden is a park or garden that is open to the public for recreation and entertainment. Pleasure gardens differ from other public gardens by serving as venues for entertainment, variously featuring such attractions as concert halls, b ...

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 the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

Råsunda Stadium Råsunda Stadium (; also known as Råsunda Fotbollsstadion, Råsundastadion, Råsunda Football Stadium or just Råsunda) was the Swedish national football stadium. It was located in Solna Municipality in Stockholm and named after the district ...

served as a venue for the

1958 FIFA World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup was the 6th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Sweden from 8 to 29 June 1958. It was the first and only FIFA World Cup to be played in a Nordic country. Br ...

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 women's national football team, Norway, who became the first European nation to win the Women's World Cup. The tournament fea ...

. 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 Östermalm (; "Eastern city-borough") is a 2.56 km2 large district in central Stockholm, Sweden. With 71,802 inhabitants, it is one of Sweden's most populous and exclusive districts. It is an extremely expensive area, having the highest ho ...

. 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

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 Mälaren ( , , or ), historically referred to as Lake Malar in English, is the third-largest freshwater lake in Sweden (after Vänern and Vättern). Its area is and its greatest depth is 64 m (210 ft). Mälaren spans from east to west. The l ...

, 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 Djurgården, Northern and Southern Djurgår ...

, where a stadium was built.

Kaknäs Kaknäs is a former village in medieval times located in Stockholm, Sweden, as part of the Ladugårdsgärdet area. It is the site of several archeological finds and has given its name to Kaknästornet. During the 1912 Summer Olympics, it h ...

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 (), 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 use was as a venue for the 1912 ...

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 Finnish team entering stadium during the opening ceremony The Games of the V Olympiad were opened on 6 July 1912. The Swedish Royal Family left

Stockholm Palace Stockholm Palace, or the Royal Palace, ( 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 is in Stadsholm ...

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 A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

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 Tug of war (also known as tug o' war, tug war, rope war, rope pulling, or tugging war) is a sport in which two teams compete by pulling on opposite ends of a rope, with the goal of bringing the rope a certain distance in one direction against ...

, 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

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

. 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.

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

, Glima (as the second Olympic demonstration of the sport after

) and Gotland sports were unofficial demonstration sports. This was also the first year art competitions were held at the Olympics.

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 (likely copper) wound into a electromagnetic coil, coil. A current through the wire creates a magnetic ...

s to

chronometers A clock or chronometer is a device that measures and displays time. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month, and the yea ...

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. Donald Lippincott won bronze, 15 cm behind the second man. Official Report (1913): p. 353. Official Report (1913): p. 354. Kanakuri Shizō, a

ese 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. Fifty 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 Francisco Lázaro (21 January 1888 – 15 July 1912) was a Portuguese Olympic marathon runner and Portugal's standard-bearer in their first-ever participation at the Olympic Games, the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Career Like a ...

died from

heat exhaustion Heat exhaustion is a heat-related illness characterized by the body's inability to effectively cool itself, typically occurring in high ambient temperatures or during intense physical exertion. In heat exhaustion, core body temperature ranges from ...

while running the marathon, the only athlete to die during the running of an Olympic marathon. In addition to the physical toll of the event, the reported split time for the 5 km checkpoint at Stocksund (2:17:20 after a 1:48:00 start) Official Report (1913): p. 385. implies an unusually slow 29:20 opening segment, followed by an unrealistically fast 10 km pace. Olympic marathon historian David E. Martin has noted this discrepancy as a likely timing error. American

won the

and the newly created

. Thorpe's gold medals were stripped by the

in 1913, after the IOC learned that Thorpe had taken expense money for playing baseball, violating contemporary 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 H ...

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 as the sole winner of the pentathlon and decathlon events after extensive consultations with his former competitors' families who said they had always viewed Thorpe as the winner. 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. Summer Olympics * Archery at the Summer Olympics, Archery (List of Olympic records in archery, li ...

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 slight ...

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, 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, at the same time, the largest isogrammic numeral, and the smallest number that contains every one of the five vowels (a, e, i, o, u) in certain dialec ...

, 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

, 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 A pacemaker, also known as an artificial cardiac pacemaker, is an implanted medical device that generates electrical pulses delivered by electrodes to one or more of the chambers of the heart. Each pulse causes the targeted chamber(s) to co ...

. 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 Sweden and Germany. 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 Albert Zürner (30 January 1890 – 18 July 1920) was a German Empire, German diving (sport), diver who competed in the 1906 Summer Olympics, in the 1908 Summer Olympics, and in the 1912 Summer Olympics. Career At the 1906 Intercalated Games in ...

took the silver for Germany, and

Gustaf Blomgren Gustaf Adolf Viktor Blomgren (24 December 1887 – 25 July 1956) was a Swedish diver who competed in the 1912 and 1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (; ; ), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (; ; ) and commonly kno ...

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 Paul Günther (24 October 1882 – 13 February 1959) was a German diver who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He won the gold medal in the 3 m springboard event. In the plain high diving, he competed in the final but did not finish, so he ...

taking gold,

Hans Luber Johann "Hans" Luber (15 October 1892 – 15 October 1940) was a German diver who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were ...

in the silver medal position and Kurt Behrens in bronze. A 10-metre platform event also took place for women, with Sweden taking two more medals,

Greta Johansson Anna Teresa Margareta "Greta" Johansson (9 January 1895 – 28 January 1978) was a Swedish diver and swimmer, who competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics. She won the gold medal in the 10 m platform and finished fourth with the Swedish 4 × 100 ...

in gold and

Lisa Regnell Lisa Teresia Regnell (later ''Lindh''; 3 February 1887 – 5 November 1979) was a Swedish diving (sport), diver who won the silver medal in the 10 m platform event at the 1912 Olympics. Her younger sister Elsa Regnell, Elsa finished fourth in th ...

in silver. Great Britain's

Isabelle White Isabelle Mary White (1 September 1894 – 24 June 1972) was the first British diver to win a medal at the Olympic Games, and the first to win a European championship. She competed in four Olympics, including the 1912 Summer Olympics, where s ...

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 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 Dressage ( or ; , most commonly translated as "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrianism, equestrian sport defined by th ...

eventing Eventing (also known as three-day eventing or horse trials) is an equestrian event where the same horse and rider combination compete against other competitors across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This ...

and

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...

. 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 Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, 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 Sweden, Swedish cavalry officer and Equestrianism, horse rider. He competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics and won the individual and team eventing competitions.

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 (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as ...

, 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 including Guy Vernor Henry, Jr. taking the bronze for the team event, while Frenchman

Jacques Cariou Jacques Cariou (23 September 1870 – 7 October 1931)
. Sports Reference.com 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 Equestrianism, horse rider who competed at the 1912 and 1928 Olympics. Military career Bonde was born in Stockholm, Sweden and was the s ...

, 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 Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi ...

. 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 Rabod Wilhelm von Kröcher (30 June 1880 – 25 December 1945) was a German horse rider who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockhol ...

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 (; ; ), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (; ; ) and common ...

winning the bronze for

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. 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. He won the bronze medal in the individual fo ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

placed third. Official Report (1913): p. 465. There were individual and team events in both épée and sabre. The épée team event saw

take the gold medal and Great Britain and the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

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 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 Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

, with their team taking the gold medal over

and the Netherlands. Official Report (1913): p. 473. The individual competition saw a shut out by Hungarian athletes with

Jenő Fuchs Jenő Fuchs (also known as Jenő Fekete; 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 ...

winning the overall competition,

Béla Békessy Béla Békessy (16 November 1875 – 6 July 1916) was a Hungarian épée, foil and sabre fencing, fencer. He won a silver medal in the individual sabre (fencing), sabre event at the 1912 Summer Olympics. He was killed in action during World ...

in second and

Ervin Mészáros Ervin Mészáros (2 April 1877 – 21 May 1940) was a Hungarian fencer. He won a gold and a bronze medal at the 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as S ...

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 Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

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 The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

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 Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, 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 go ...

, 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 fo ...

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

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

n 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 group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, artistry and endurance. The moveme ...

, won the individual gold for the same event.

Louis Ségura Louis Ségura (July 23, 1889 – 1963) was a French gymnast who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He won the bronze medal in the individual all-around in 1908, as well as the silver medal in 1912. He was ...

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 (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were a ...

, 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 Summer Olympics, Olympic multisport that consists of five events: fencing (one-touch épée followed by direct elimination), freestyle swimming, obstacle course racing, Laser pistol (sport), laser pistol shooting, and ...

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. (11 November 1885 – 21 December 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, then the Third Army in France and Germany after the Alli ...

(later better known as the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

) used a .38 caliber Colt revolver, while the Danish competitors preferred the

Danish Army The Royal Danish Army (; ; ) is the land-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures, equipment and training method ...

service pistol A service pistol (also known as a standard-issue pistol or a personal ordnance weapon) is any handgun issued to regular military personnel or law enforcement officers. Typically, service pistols are semi-automatic pistols (previously revolvers) ...

, the Bergmann–Bayard, the Germans and Norwegians used the

Luger P08 pistol The Pistole Parabellum or Parabellum-Pistole (Pistol Parabellum), commonly known as just the 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 1 ...

and the Swedes used a target practice pistol by

Smith & Wesson Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (S&W) is an American Firearms manufacturer, firearm manufacturer headquartered in Maryville, Tennessee, United States. Smith & Wesson was founded by Horace Smith (inventor), Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson as the ...

. Official Report (1913): p. 647. The shooting part of the competition was won by

Gösta Åsbrink Karl Gösta Åsbrink (18 November 1881 – 19 April 1966) was a Swedish gymnast and modern pentathlete who won a gold medal in the 1908 Summer Olympics and a silver medal in the 1912 Summer Olympics. Åsbrink's 1908 gold medal was won in Lon ...

, 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 M ...

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 pentath ...

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 (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and com ...

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 where he was ...

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 Bror is a Scandinavian masculine given name which simply means 'brother'. The name has been found as early as in runestones in the form Brodhir. The name form Bror is known since the year 1536. It is also used heavily in a colloquial sense in the ci ...

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 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. Etymology English ''eight'', from Old English '', æhta'', Proto-Germanic ''*ahto'' is a direct continuation of Proto-Indo-European '' *oḱtṓ(w)-'', and as such cognate wi ...

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 Leander Club, founded in 1818, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, and the oldest non-academic club. It is based in Remenham in Berkshire, England and adjoins Henley-on-Thames. Only three other surviving clubs were founded prior ...

facing

New College, Oxford New College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by Bishop William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as New College's feeder school, New College was one of the first col ...

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, abbreviated as a 4+, is a racing shell 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 ...

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 River Thames, Thames as it flows through the western suburbs of London. The TRC clubhouse stands on Putney Embankment. The club was founded in 1860. As of July 2023, Thames had w ...

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), abbreviated as a 1x, is a racing shell 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-sec ...

heats proved controversial with the first round race between

Mart Kuusik Hugo-Maksimilian "Mart" Kuusik (9 December 1877, Repino, Saint Petersburg, Kuokkala, Grand Duchy of Finland – 24 August 1965) was an Estonian Rowing (sport), rower who competed for the Russian Empire in the 1912 Summer Olympics. Representi ...

and Alfred Heinrich being re-run after a protest by Heinrich. In addition,

Cecil McVilly Cecil Leventhorpe McVilly MC, (3 August 1889 – 4 November 1964) was an Australian representative rower and WWI military officer. He was a three-time Australian champion sculler and the first sculler to represent Australia at an Olympic games ...

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 Olympi ...

. Official Report (1913): p. 673.

Wally Kinnear William Duthie Kinnear (3 December 1880 – 5 March 1974) was a Scottish Rowing (sport), rower who competed for Great Britain at the 1912 Summer Olympics and won major single scull events prior to the World War I, First World War. Early days ...

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 eight, and in 1912 in the single scull A single scull (or a scull), abbreviated as a 1x, is a racing shell design ...

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 Urban areas in Sweden, 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 ...

on 19 July, along with the other vessels that were to take part in an Olympic

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wa ...

. 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 country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

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 Sweden, Swedish Shooting sports, 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 competi ...

, 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,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

Duke Kahanamoku Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku (August 24, 1890 – January 22, 1968) was a Hawaiian competition swimmer, lifeguard, and popularizer of the sport of surfing. A Native Hawaiian, he was born three years before the overthrow of 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. Hebner swam for the Illinois Athletic Club under Hall of Fame Coach Wil ...

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 med ...

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 – 18 September 1959) was a German Empire, 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 ...

, 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, symbolizing the pinnacle of speed and athleticism in swimming competitions. The first swimm ...

and 400 metre team relay taking place.

Fanny Durack Sarah Frances "Fanny" Gately ( Durack; 27 October 1889 – 20 March 1956) was an Australian competition swimmer. From 1910 until 1918 she was the world's greatest female swimmer across all distances from freestyle sprints to the mile marathon ...

won the individual contest, breaking the world record for the distance in the fourth heat. Her fellow

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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 Biograp ...

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. 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 subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...

, and

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

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 number 1 ranked male tennis players, world No. 1 tennis player and soldier who was killed in action during World War I. Considered ...

from

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, who was also the reigning

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

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 1912 Summer Olympics, Stockholm Games, he won both the men's singles and doubles indoor gold ...

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 37 years, including starring roles in numerous theatre and television productions. He played Captain Mainwaring in the British sitcom ''Dad ...

. Official Report (1913): p. 621. Felix Pipes

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. Career He won two gold medals: Men's Singles and Doubles at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. Eight years later ...

and Harold Kitson 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 Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two p ...

. 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. In major tournaments she won the singles title at the 1912 World Hard Court Championships – Women's singles, 1912 World Ha ...

of France defeated

Dorothea Koring Dorothea, also spelt Dorothee (German), Dorothée (French), and Dorotea, is a female given name from Greek (Dōrothéa) meaning "god's gift". In English it is more commonly spelt Dorothy. People with this name include: Aristocracy * Count ...

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 in ...

to win the gold, the duo defeating

Sigrid Fick Sigrid Fick (née ''Frenckell''; 28 March 1887 – 4 June 1979) was a Finnish-born tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between t ...

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 m ...

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 Institute ...

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 a 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#United Kingdom, territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, England, including the Middle Temple, Middle and Inner Temple, Inner Temples. The for ...

and the Stockholm Police, with the Swedish team winning 2–0. Due to the non-appearance of the team from

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

, 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 Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), or classic wrestling (Euro-English) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been i ...

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 Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...

, 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 Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

. 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 U ...

taking the gold medal, while German

Georg Gerstäcker Georg Gerstäcker (3 June 1889 – 21 December 1949) was a German wrestler who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an ...

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 Emil Ernst Väre (28 September 1885 – 31 January 1974) was a Finnish wrestler who won the gold medals in the lightweight class at the 1912 and 1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (; ; ), officially known as the Games of the VI ...

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 (), officially known as the Games ...

took the silver and bronze medals respectively.

Claes Johanson Claes Edvin Johansson (4 November 1884 – 9 March 1949) was a Swedish wrestler who competed in the 1912, 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad () and officially branded as ...

won Sweden's only gold medal in the middleweight competition, with his fellow finalist from Russia, Martin Klein, 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 Worl ...

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, Ahlgren won the silver medal in the light heavyw ...

of Sweden and

Ivar Böhling Ivar Theodor Böhling (10 September 1889 – 12 January 1929) was a Finnish wrestler who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics. He won the silver medal in the light heavyweight class. In a remarkable final, he wrestled for nine hours agains ...

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 Yrjö Erik Mikael Saarela (13 July 1884 – 30 June 1951) was a Finnish wrestler who won Olympic gold and a world championship. Wrestling Saarela began wrestling in 1906, coached by Carl Allén. By 1908, he was a well-established wrestler and ...

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 championshi ...

took another medal for Finland with the silver and

Søren Marinus Jensen Søren Marinus Jensen (5 May 1879 – 6 January 1965) was a Danish sport wrestler who competed in the 1906 Intercalated Games and the 1908 and 1912 Summer Olympics. He won medals at each Game; however, the gold medals he won at the 1906 Game ...

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 Coubertin, Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Couberti ...

. 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 and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...

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

, President of the IOC and founder of the modern Olympic movement, won the gold medal for literature. He actually entered the competition under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

s 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. Biography He was born in İzmir, Ottoman Empire. Barthelemy studied in San Pietro a Majella conservatory in Naples. His ...

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 Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Genève and later at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts and was professor at the Swiss Federal I ...

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 Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...

. 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 people ...

, a type of tennis with seven players a side. At the same time, at the other end of the stadium, a type of

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

ic wrestling called Glima 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 of physical skill that allegedly 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 ...

, 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 vari ...

, and

stångstörtning ''Stångstörtning'' is a Swedish sport originating from Gotland. It is similar to the Scottish caber toss, and involves tossing a log as far as possible. The log is 4.2–4.5 m long, weighs 26–27 kg, has a diameter of 13 cm at the thick end an ...

, 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" (), normally practised at the Scottish Highland Games. The term "caber" derives from the Gaelic word ''cabar'', whi ...

. Official Report (1913): p. 818. The three disciplines showcased were

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 people ...

and

. Baseball was also demonstrated at the Games. A game was played between the

, the nation where the game was developed, and

, the host nation. The game was held on Monday, 15 July 1912 and started at 10 a.m. on the Ostermalm Athletic Grounds in

. 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

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

s 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 catc ...

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, a retired American

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

baseball player. Official Report (1913): p. 824.

Participating nations

Twenty-eight nations competed at the 1912 Games.

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

participated for the first time, as did

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, and

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

also made their Olympic debut, marking the first appearance of an

n country at an Olympic Games.

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

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, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

had competed in the Olympics, as part of the team from

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

(the officially recognised name for the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

). 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 officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

, almost one hundred years later. The only nation that participated in the previous games in London 1908 but was absent in Stockholm 1912 was

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and

competed as two sovereign countries. The polity known as

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

is mistakenly considered a single sovereign country, while in reality was two sovereign states in

real union Real union is a union of two or more states, which share some state institutions in contrast to personal unions; however, they are not as unified as states in a political union. It is a development from personal union and has historically been ...

with a single monarch who was titled both emperor of Austria and king of Hungary. At the time, Australasia (

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

were all part of the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

was part of

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

was part of

was de jure under the control of

, but had been de facto run by the British since 1882. 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.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1910s in Stockholm

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

International sports competitions in Stockholm Multi-sport events in Sweden Olympic Games in Sweden Summer Olympics by year

Host selection

Organization

Venues

Opening ceremony

Events

Athletics

Cycling

Diving

Equestrian

Fencing

Football

Gymnastics

Modern pentathlon

Rowing

Sailing

Shooting

Swimming

Tennis

Tug of war

Water polo

Wrestling

Art competitions

Demonstration sports

Participating nations

Number of athletes by National Olympic Committees

Medal count

See also

References

External links