The th Summer Olympic Gamesthe Olympic Flag

Antwerp
1920

Where?Antwerp Belgium
Which Olympics?The seventh (summer)
How long was it?From 20 April till 12 September
Joining countries:29
Athletes:2692
Whereof women:64

Antwerp was chosen in 1914 to hold the th Olympics. And they were there too, despite all leaved traces of the human tragedy of 1914-1918.
Remarkable was that New Zealand for the first time as own nation was at the Olympics, before that came they at the Olympics as Australasia (together with Australia). The Finns were for the first time as an own nation too, after that they were been a sovereign state. The Finns won as much medals at track-and-field as the United Sates of America. And the enemies (Germany, Austria, Hungary and Turkey) might not come.

For the first time there was an Olympic oath, took by Victor Boin (Belgium). And the Olympic Flag was introduced too, made by baron Pierre de Coubertin. He had inspired himself by an old Greek motif.

For these Olympics was built a new stadium where 30,000 visitors fitted in. But the 400-meter run-track wasn't built very well, and it became worse through many rain. Through WW and an economic repercussion weren't there much spectators. The athletes lived in schools, what they didn't like.

There was a very remarkable soccer-final. That became through the fact that the Czechs left the field after 40 minutes. The referee Lewis was under suspicion through the Czechs. "Lewis had led a match one time before in the Czech Republic, he got problems that time too. And this time he wanted to take revenge, " said Josef Sedlacek, the right-winger from the Czechs. After six minutes scored the Belgian Coppée, through a very heated penalty. The right back Steiner from the Czechs was kicked through the same Coppée at the back. Steiner took revenge, immediately. Lewis sent Steiner out with the red card. Through that left the Czechs the field.

Small facts:

  • These were the first Olympics where joined the little principalities.
  • The first Olympic married couple, the Americans Alice Lord (athlete by diving) and Landon (high jump champion) were, short after their return in the USA, married.

    • There were two wintersports at the Olympic program this year too. Ice hockey and figure-skating.

    Joining countries:  10 
    Athletes: 85 
    Whereof women: 12 

    At figure-skating saw the people for the first time a woman and her husband winning the gold medal. The medal was for Ludowika and Walter Jakobsson (Finland).

    The medals of these Olympics
    The medals of these "Winter"-Olympics
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