Listed 4 sub titles with search on: Olympic games for destination: "STOCKHOLM Town SWEDEN".
Stockholm attained the 1912 honor, an honor that the Swedes
were after since 1896. De Coubertin, now in 1912, raises his voice again
against the accepting of games that are not considered to be of Greek origin,
while he suggests that modern pentathlon be introduced; an event that was dominated
by the Swedes. An unknown American pentathlete that took part and won a fifth
place, became very well known some decades later. That was Gen. of U.S. Army
George S. Patton, a key-man with the Allies victory against Nazi Germany.
The star of Stockholm is Jim Thorpe. The consumate ease, the style
and the true sportsman's conduct he faced his opponents with, made him the world's
favorite athlete. He won two of the toughest games ever. Pentathlon and decathlon.
Thorpe was a panathlete. He could run, swim, play football, wrestle... But Thorpe
was an American Indian, something that the American whiteman's establishment
couldn't easily shallow. Six months after his triumphant return to the U.S.,
Thorpe was mentioned in an article by sports columnist Roy Johnson of Boston,
as having accepted money for coaching a small, country base-ball team. The American
Olympic Committee called Thorpe for an explanation. Thorpe did not refuse the
accusation. Immediately the Committee convened and Thorpe's golden medals were
confiscated. Following this, the medals were sent by mail to the second winners
along with a letter of verification. These were Sweden's Wiesslander and Norway's
Bie. With a spontaneity that was admired by all the sporting world, Thorpe's
opponents refused to accept them. They sent a statement to the newspapers "...and
we consider this as the greatest injustice ever done by humans to a human...".
Thorpe fell into an acute melancholy state. He very rarely worked.
He was mainly supported by his two daughters and some friends and he gradually
ended up an alcoholic. In the Los Angeles 1932 Games, he was seen begging for
money outside the stadium, so that he could buy a ticket to watch the events.
He was recognized by a group of USC students who raised the money needed for
a multiple ticket, valid for all the gamedays. Thorpe died next year completely
forgotten by all. Twenty years later the Union of American Athletes put back
his name in the List of Great American Athletes and, in 1982, a somewhat embarrassed
Olympic Committee gave back the medals to Thorpe's daughters "...on tribute
and honor of the great athlete...", along with a letter of apology...
Text by Dimitri N. Marcopoulos
Stockholm 1912
Links with various Organizations' WebPages:
The Olympic Movement
American Sport Art Museum and Archives , a division of the United States Sports Academy
International Sailing Federation
Stockholm 1912
Links with various Media's WebPages:
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
British Broadcasting Corporation
1912 Stockholm Olympics: Various WebPages
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