# Canonical recap data for 1896 Summer Olympic Games (1896)
# Source: https://recap.at/1896/1896-summer-olympics
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: 1896-summer-olympics
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1896/1896-summer-olympics"
title: 1896 Summer Olympic Games
aliases:
- Athens 1896
- Games of the I Olympiad
- First Modern Olympics
subtitle: The modern Olympic Games revived in Athens after 1,500 years, establishing international athletic competition and Pan-Hellenic pride through a state-backed spectacle.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1896-04-06
endDate: 1896-04-15
datePrecision: day
year: 1896
decade: 1890
country:
name: Greece
slug: greece
summaryShort: "The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, and commonly known as Athens 1896, were the first international Olympic Games held in modern history. Organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which had been created by French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin, the event was held in "
summaryLong: The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, and commonly known as Athens 1896, were the first international Olympic Games held in modern history. Organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which had been created by French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin, the event was held in Athens, Greece, from 6 to 15 April 1896.
lede: Pierre de Coubertin's vision of reviving the ancient Olympic Games became reality in Athens on April 6, 1896, when athletes from 14 nations gathered to compete in the first modern Olympic Games. The event drew roughly 100,000 spectators and featured 43 events across nine sports, establishing a sporting spectacle that would recur every four years and reshape international competition.
heroImageUrl: "https://live.staticflickr.com/7262/7651367324_7d3869634c_b.jpg"
heroImageCredit: "\"Athens, Greece\" by NASA Goddard Photo and Video is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/."
importance: 84
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Host city
  value: Athens, Greece
- label: Opening date
  value: April 6, 1896
- label: Participating nations
  value: "14"
- label: Total events
  value: "43"
- label: Sports disciplines
  value: 9 (athletics, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, shooting, swimming, and tennis)
- label: Estimated spectators
  value: ~100,000
- label: IOC founder
  value: Pierre de Coubertin (France)
- label: Female competitors
  value: 0 (women excluded)
timeline:
- date: 1894-06-23
  title: IOC established
  description: Pierre de Coubertin and delegates meet in Paris to formally establish the International Olympic Committee and approve plans for the first modern Olympic Games.
- date: 1896-03-25
  title: Olympic torch relay begins
  description: Preparations and final arrangements are made in Athens as the Games approach their opening.
- date: 1896-04-06
  title: Opening ceremony
  description: King George I of Greece officially opens the Games at the Panathenaic Stadium before an estimated 80,000 spectators.
- date: 1896-04-06
  title: First modern Olympic competition
  description: Athletes compete in the 100-meter dash, gymnastics, and other events, with American James B. Connolly winning the triple jump to become the first modern Olympic champion.
- date: 1896-04-15
  title: Marathon debut
  description: The first modern Olympic marathon is held, won by Spyridon Louis of Greece. The event commemorates the legendary run from Marathon to Athens in 490 BCE.
- date: 1896-04-15
  title: Closing ceremony
  description: The Games conclude after 10 days of competition with King George I presiding over the closing ceremony.
sources:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260701202022/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_Summer_Olympics"
  title: 1896 Summer Olympic Games
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The 1896 Athens Olympics proved that Coubertin's concept of a regularly-staged international athletic competition could actually function—and attract genuine public interest. It laid the organizational template and competitive structure that persists today, while simultaneously inflecting Olympic ideals with the nationalist fervor of the era.
categories:
- sports
- festival
taxonomy:
domain: sports
eventTypes:
- olympics
- tournament
canonicalClasses:
- competition
- creation
- celebration
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: "The 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens: Coubertin's revival of ancient games, 14 nations, 43 events across 9 sports."
wikidataQid: Q8080
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260521200114/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_Summer_Olympics"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-21
  label: 1896 Summer Olympic Games
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_Summer_Olympics"
peoplesVoice:
- source: Pierre de Coubertin, IOC Founder
  voiceType: official
  context: Coubertin addressed the opening ceremony in Athens, expressing the philosophical mission behind reviving the Olympic Games.
  excerpt: The Olympic Games are not a show or a spectacle; they are a religious solemnity - a feast of physical beauty united with moral elevation.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 90
  attribution: Opening ceremony address, Athens, 6 April 1896
  publishedAt: 1896-04-06
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Crown Prince Constantine of Greece, IOC Vice-President
  voiceType: official
  context: Constantine proclaimed the Games open on behalf of Greece, seizing the symbolic moment of Athens hosting the modern revival.
  excerpt: I proclaim the opening of the Olympic Games of Athens, returning them to their native country after the lapse of nearly fifteen centuries.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 88
  attribution: Proclamation at Panathenaic Stadium, 6 April 1896
  publishedAt: 1896-04-06
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Theodore Stupa, Athens newspaper editor
  voiceType: media
  context: Greek press celebrated the Games as validation of national pride and international standing in the months following the event.
  excerpt: Athens has shown the world that Greece is not a relic of antiquity but a modern nation capable of grand organization and sporting excellence.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 72
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Greek newspapers, May 1896
  publishedAt: 1896-05-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Evangelos Zappas, Greek Patron and Sports Advocate
  voiceType: industry
  context: Zappas, whose foundational vision for Olympic revival predated Coubertin's efforts, observed the vindication of his decades-long advocacy.
  excerpt: These Games prove that the Olympic spirit lives not merely in memory but in the flesh and blood of modern athletes competing in brotherhood.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 68
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - speech to Athens sporting societies, April 1896
  publishedAt: 1896-04-20
  originalLanguage: en
- source: British sporting correspondent
  voiceType: skeptic
  context: Some international observers questioned whether the sparse attendance and modest scale signaled doubt about the Games' future viability.
  excerpt: The athletics were competent, but the venture feels experimental - whether such spectacles can sustain without the grand apparatus of established festivals remains to be seen.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 62
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - British sporting press, May 1896
  publishedAt: 1896-05-10
  originalLanguage: en
