1904 Summer Olympics (original) (raw)

The Games of the III Olympiad were held in 1904 in St. Louis, USA. The organizers repeated all of the mistakes of 1900. The Olympic competitions, spread out over four and a half months, were lost in the chaos of a World's Fair. Of the 94 events generally considered to have been part of the Olympic program, only 42 included athletes who were not from the United States.

Games of the III Olympiad
Nations participating	13
Athletes participating	689 (681 men, 8 women)
Events	94 in 17 sports
Opening ceremonies	July 1, 1904
Closing ceremonies	November 23, 1904
Officially opened by	David Francispresident of Louisiana Purchase Exposition
Athlete's Oath	not applicable
Judge's Oath	not applicable
Olympic Torch	not applicable

Highlights

First games at which gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded for first, second and third place.
Boxing, dumbbells, freestyle wrestling, and decathlon made their debuts.
Marathon runners Len Tau and Jan Mashiani, Tswana tribesmen who were in St. Louis as part of the Boer War exhibit at the World?s Fair, became the first Africans to compete in the Olympics.
One of the most remarkable athletes was the American gymnast George Eyser, who won six medals even though his left leg was made of wood.
Chicago runner James Lightbody won the steeplechase and the 800m and then set a world record in the 1,500m.