Athens 1896 vs Tokyo 2021: 125 years to make the difference at the Olympics

The Olympic Games From the modern era it meets on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 125 years old He turned into a creature little like the creature he was born into Athena But who is struggling to keep Value The core of which he saw the light, was among them Eligibility To overcome the command he now relies on to overcome a blow pandemic.

just to 14 countries, Only for nine sports, men only. Thus the first games were held between 6 and 15 April 1896 thanks to the insightful initiative of French Pierre de Freddie, Baron de Coubertin. A century and a quarter later, they have established themselves as a multinational party par excellence after surviving wars, attacks, boycotts and diseases.

Athena vs. Tokyo
1503 years after the Games Antiquity Banned, for religious reasons, by the Emperor Theodosius, Athena was the only option considered viable as the first vision in the modern era. Since then, the Olympic Games have spread throughout the world and the Games have been held in 23 cities on all continents. Except for Africa. Tokyo will host the Games in 2021 for the second time, after the 1964 edition.

14 versus 206
Only 14 countries participated in 1896 Games: Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. In Tokyo 2020 (the Games retain its name despite a one-year delay), there will be 206 countries at the opening ceremony, plus a team of refugees sponsored by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

241 versus 11.091
Representing these 14 countries, only 241 athletes compete in Athens. Most of them are Greeks. Now, 125 years later, to be expected 11,091 participants. The largest delegations (the United States and China) can exceed 500 members.

9 against 33
The nine sports accepted in the first games were athletics, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, swimming, archery, weightlifting, Greco-Roman wrestling and tennis. They have all survived as Olympians into the 21st century. Includes Tokyo 2020 program 33 sports, Including four starters; Surfing, Climbing, Karate and Skiing.

0% vs 49%
Awarded the International Olympic Committee Tokyo Games The first is with gender parity when calculating that approximately 49% of the participants will be women. None of them competed in the 1896 edition. “I see it as impractical, uninteresting, not very aesthetic and not very correct,” said Coubertin of possible female participation. Women were admitted to the 1900 Games, although they were only accepted in aristocratic and feminine sports such as tennis.

448,000 against 15,400,000,000
The approximate budget for the first games was $ 448,000. Greek millionaire George Averov donated nearly 120,000 to build Olympic Stadium. The latest calculations by Tokyo 2020 regulators rose to 15,400 million, after a 19% increase driven by the epidemic. The sale of television broadcast rights for games is currently the primary means of financing games.

Connolly vs. Terradura
The first Olympic champion in history was American athlete James B. Connolly, who won in Athens in 1896 the triple jump event with a score of 13.71 meters. The Tokyo 2020 calendar expects the first gold in this edition to be awarded to Rami, the winner of the 10-meter air rifle event.

Silver vs. Go
Winners of the 1896 Olympic trials were awarded a silver medal and an olive crown. The Gold Medal that will Distinguish the Champions Tokyo 2020 began to be used in St. Louis 1904.

Greek water carrier for a two-hour marathon
The star of the games’ introductions was the Greek Spyridon Lewis, the winner of the marathon. Louis was a humble water carrier and, because of his stamina, caught the attention of his superiors when he did his military service. So he invited him to take part in the test created in memory of the Athenian soldier Felipe, Who in 490 BC ran the 40 km that separated the Marathon plain from the city of Athens to report a victory Milciades caudillo On the armies of King Darius the First of Persia before he fell to the ground and died.

Spyridon Lewis covered the distance in 2 hours 58 minutes 50 seconds. The winner of the marathon in Tokyo Games He will be a professional runner, very curated and dedicated to years to prepare for the test, which will likely be close to two hours, and is one of the last hurdles still to be torn down on stage Athletics.