MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES - 1920 Antwerp Olympiad
 
                       

The Games of the VII Olympiad were held in Antwerp, to honor the suffering that had been inflicted on the Belgian people during World War I. The 1916 Olympics were scheduled to be held in Berlin, but were canceled because of the war. The countries that lost the war were not invited by the Olympic Commitee and the newly formed Soviet Union refused to send athletes.
The Olympic Games were opened officialy by king Albert and were introduced the Olympic flag and the Athletes’ Oath. The Olympic flag, with the five coloured rings, symbolizing the ideal of the unity of the five continents, was raised for the first time and the Athletes’ Oath was announced by Victor Boin (water-polo/fencing).
The 12-foot dinghy sailing event was the only iin Olympic history to be held in two countries.

 The first race was staged in Belgium, but the last two races took place in the Netherlands because both entrants were Dutch. Nedo Nadi, from Italy, won gold medals in five of the six fencing events, Ethelda Bleibtrey, from the United States, earned gold medals in all three women’s swimming contests, broking the world record in every one

and Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi won three gold medals.
Suzanne Lenglen, from France, dominated women’s tennis singles (lost only four games in the ten sets she played) and Swedish Oscar Swahn, aged 72, earned a silver medal in the team double-shot running deer event, becoming the oldest medalist ever.
 
 
 
     

Opening date:
20th April 1920
Closing date:
12th September 1920
Nations: 29
Sports: 22
Events: 154
Athletes: 2 626
Men: 2 561
Women: 65

Candidate cities: Amsterdam and Lyon, who withdrew before the vote.