Athens_Greece

A Summer To Remember by Mackenzie Berry The first summer Olympics were held in Athens, Greece in 1896. Panathinaiko Stadium overflowed with people, as these Olympics had the largest international participation of any sporting event to this date. On June 18, 1894 Pierre de Coubertin organized a congress and presented his plans to representatives of sports societies from 11 countries. Since Greece was the birthplace of the Olympic Games, Athens was decided as a host city. Athletics, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, shooting, swimming, tennis, weightlifting, and wrestling were the sports that were played. The games were held on April 6th, which is the anniversary of Greece’s independence. 80,000 people attended these Olympics, including King George I of Greece, his wife, and their sons. There were 241 athletes participating in 43 events in 9 sports. Spiridon Louis, a previously unrecognized water carrier, won the marathon to become the only Greek athletics champion. The closing ceremony took place on April 15th.