1920 Olympics

The Summer Olympics of 1920, officially known as the VII Olympic Games, were an international multi-sport competition held in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1920. In March 1912, at the 13th session of the IOC, Baron Édouard de Laveleye, president of the Belgian Olympic Committee and of the Belgian National Football Association, suggested Belgium to host the 1920 Summer Olympics. No set host city had been suggested at the time. Thanks to World War I, the 1916 Summer Olympics, to be played in Berlin, capital of the German Empire, have been postponed. The outcome of the war and the 1919 Paris Peace Conference not only affected the Olympic Games as a result of the creation of new states but also as a consequence of sanctions against the nations who lost the war and were blamed for initiating it. Forbidden to participate in the games were Austria, France, Russia, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire. Germany did not return to the Olympic arena until 1928 but instead organised a series of events, dubbed the Deutsche Kampfspiele, starting with the Winter Edition of 1922. The USA won both gold and silver medals. The sailing contests were held in Ostend, Belgium and two were held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The bid to host the 1920 Summer Olympics in Belgium's name was rendered at the 13th IOC session in March, 1912. That was done by Baron Édouard de Laveleye, president of the Belgian Olympic Committee and the Royal Belgian Football Union. No set city of host was suggested at the time. Henri de Baillet-Latour as chairman and Alfred Verdyck as secretary general, president of the Belgian Football Union Clubs, formed an executive committee on 17 April 1919. They formed seven committees to handle budgets, lodging, public relations, advertising, plans, trips, and holidays. Finance and preparation proved to be the two hardest things to tackle: in February 1920, six months before the Games really started, the event schedule was published. An ice hockey tournament marked the Season's early start around April 23rd and 30th 1920. Played at the "Palais de Glace" in Antwerp, or at the Ice Palace, this was the first time ice hockey was an Olympic sport. The first stone of the current Beerschot Olympic Stadium was laid on 4 July 1919 by the mayor of Antwerp, Jan De Vos, and it was inaugurated less than a year later, on 23 May 1920, with a gymnastics display. The nautical stadium or Stade Nautique d'Antwerp was designed at the end of Jan Van Rijswijcklaan using the city ramparts as a spectator stand. Most events, such as shooting, fencing, and equestrian sports, were held at pre-existing sites in and around Antwerp and as far away as Ostend. Such events were the first to recite the Olympic Oath, the first to unleash doves symbolising peace, and the first to lift the Olympic Flag. The USA won 41 gold medals, 27 bronze and 27 silver medals, the most won by any of the 29 countries participating. Sweden, Great Britain, Finland and Belgium joined the 5 most successful medal earning nations. The Games featured a week of winter sports, the first skating participation since the Olympics in 1908 and ice hockey marking their appearance at the Olympics. Nedo Nadi has won 5 gold medals in fencing competitions. The Olympic schedule featured 156 events covering 29 disciplines and 22 sports all across 1920. The Sailing scheme was valid for all 16 sailing classes but only 14 sailing contests were contested in competition. Seventeen athletics venues were used during the 1920 Summer Olympics. As has been the case since time immemorial, this was the first time the nfl game was broadcast around the world.