What were the last Games organized in the capital, in 1924, like?

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During the opening ceremony of the 1924 Summer Olympics, at the Olympic Stadium in Colombes (Hauts-de-Seine), July 5, 1924.

OLYMPIC GAMES – 10,500 athletes, 329 events, 206 nations represented, 28 disciplines… The figures for the Paris Olympic Games this summer have little to do with those of 1924 in the capital. A century ago, for the Games of the VIII Olympiad, as they were officially called, each of these figures had to be roughly divided by three: 3,089 athletes (including only 135 women, compared to almost perfect parity 100 years later ), 126 events, 44 nations and 23 disciplines.

At the time, in the heart of July, the event lasted a little longer (an extra week), and some competitions even started… two months before the official opening. Covered by a thousand journalists, these second Games after the First World War marked the acceptance of the Olympics as a major international event, a symbol of harmony with great appeal.

They see the appearance of several strong symbols of Olympism: the Olympic motto (” Faster, higher, stronger “), the ritual of raising the three flags during the closing ceremony (those of the IOC, the host nation and the next host nation); or the creation of the Olympic athletes’ village.

In the medal table, the United States largely dominates the debates with 99 awards, including 45 gold. The American star of the time is Johnny Weissmuller, he who was the first swimmer to complete a 100 m in less than a minute. The one who will also become the famous actor of Tarzan in 12 films then wins three titles in the Tourelles swimming pool. Renovated and renamed in homage to the French swimmer Georges Vallerey, it will serve as a training location during the 2024 Olympics.

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American swimmers Johnny Weismuller (left) and Duke Kahanamoku, here during the Paris Olympics, during the month of July 1924.

Paavo Nurmi, the unrivaled “ Flying Finn »

In the second place among the nations with the most medals, we find a guest who would seem incongruous in 2024: Finland, which has 37 awards, including 14 gold. In the Finnish ranks, a certain Paavo Nurmi, another star of these Games, who won five titles in athletics (no one has done better since in this sport). And how. On July 10, he first flew over the 1,500 m, before winning the 5,000 m… 55 minutes later.

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The start of the men’s 1,500m during the Paris Olympics, at the Olympic stadium in Colombes, July 10, 1924.

Two days later, he competed in the cross-country in 45 degree weather in the shade. Of the 38 starters, 23 gave up but Nurmi, the “Flying Finn”, emerged victorious. In terms of weather, a parallel is possible with the 2024 Games: a hundred years ago, we were already worried about the consequences of such a heatwave on the bodies of marathon runners.

France finished third nation, with 38 medals, including 13 gold. A rank that the Blues would happily rejoice in a hundred years later, who hope to break into the top 5 in the world. Among the pioneers, the polo players became the first French selection in a team sport to win an Olympic title. And this at a time when only 4% of French people know how to swim, in a country where there are only 27 municipal swimming pools.

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During the France-Belgium men’s water polo match played at the Tourelles swimming pool, during the Olympic Games in Paris, July 17, 1924.

If the organization of the 2024 Paris Games happily extends beyond the walls of the capital, with events almost everywhere in the suburbs and even as far as Marseille and Polynesia for example, the Olympic sites at the time were even less present in Paris only this year as can be seen on the map below. The Yves-du-Manoir stadium in Colombes, in Hauts-de-Seine, was for example the epicenter of these Olympics, hosting no less than ten sports including athletics, gymnastics and tennis. Reason why it got a makeover in 2024, as a nod to History.

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The Yves-du-Manoir stadium, scene of a legendary duel

In 1924, it was notably the scene of the legendary duel between British sprinters Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, which inspired the four-Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire (1981) to the music of Vangelis.

And the stadium has since had a facelift and will this summer become the only Parisian site to once again host Olympic events (in this case field hockey), 100 years later.

Another bridge between the two editions, more subtle, can be observed on the surface covering the ground of the Stade de France. This will be composed of two different tones, one light for the competition areas and the other dark for the service areas, supplemented by a gray to recall the cinder athletics track of the 1924 Olympics.

Remembering these Games a century ago is also an opportunity to linger on sites in the capital that have now disappeared. The Vélodrome d’Hiver (15th arrondissement), infamous for the July 1942 roundup during which more than 13,000 Jews were arrested by the French police and deported, was completely demolished in 1959. The Bergeyre stadium, near the Buttes -Chaumont (19th century), where Olympic football matches were held, was also destroyed.

Finally, the 1924 edition hosted sports which are no longer on the program today, such as rugby union or polo. It was also the time for demonstration sports, with slippers and combat canes on the menu. A century later, it is break dance which will appear on the official program of the Olympic Games.

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