Lot 4616

Description

Athens, 1906, International Athletic Games, Second Olympic Games, (10th anniversary games), participants medal in bronze (50mm) by N. Lytras, not named. Edge knocks, very fine and rare.

Following completion of the work to restore the stadium and athletic installations around it in Athens, the Greek Senior Athletic Committee applied to the IOC for a permit to organise the International Games in Athens in 1906 to mark the 10th anniversary of the revival of the Olympic Games in 1896. The IOC presided over by Baron P. De Coubertin agreed to organising International Athletic Games in Athens in spite of the original reservations as to the name to be given to these games. The Hellenic Olympic Committee from the beginning named these games Olympic Games and they strongly believed that Athens was the only place where the Olympic Spirit could be revived. The 1906 games were very sussessful and from the beginning foreign representatives and press referred to the 'Second Olympic Games' of Athens. Greece also advertised these games as 'Olympic Games'. The IOC never accepted these games as Olympic Games and originally referred to them as International Athletic Games. However, following international acceptance of the Games as Olympic Games, the IOC was forced to refer to them as the 'Extraordinary Olympic Games'. (p.115, Ath. Tarassouleas, The Olympic Games in Athens 1896 * 1906, Vironas, 1988). These participants medals for 1906 are the same as the 1896 medals except for the date on the reverse.