This Week in Olympic Sport History May 5-12, art competitions at Olympic Games Stockholm 1912
Olympics.com highlights Olympic sports history, including Olympian birthdays and notable events from May 5-12.
Welcome to This Week in Olympic Sports History, where Olympics.com remembers significant sports events from the past. This week, we will cover May 5-12.
Did you know? Art competitions at the Olympics
Did you know that the Olympic Games Stockholm 1912, which officially started on May 5th, 1912, were the first to include art competitions? In addition to traditional sports, participants competed in five art categories (painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, music). This addition brought a new dimension to the Olympic program, celebrating creativity alongside athleticism.
IOC President Baron Pierre de Coubertin's vision was to merge sports competitions with art to bridge the gap between athletic and artistic excellence. All submitted artwork had to be original and inspired by sport-related themes.
De Coubertin's Olympic Gold in Poetry
De Coubertin himself won a gold medal at the Stockholm 1912 for his poem 'Ode to Sport,' which he submitted under a pseudonym.
Art competitions were part of the Olympics until the 1948 Games in London, after which they were replaced by non-competitive art exhibitions and culture festivals.
Notable Olympic birthdays: May 5-12
- Brooke Bennett (USA, Swimming, three-time Olympic champion), born 6 May 1980
- Tony Estanguet (France, Canoe, three-time Olympic champion), born 6 May 1978
- Chris Paul (USA, Basketball, two-time Olympic champion), born 6 May 1985
- Kitty McKane (UK, Tennis, Olympic champion), born 7 May 1897
- Paul Drayton (USA, Athletics, Olympic champion), born 8 May 1939
- Deena Deardurff (USA, Swimming, Olympic champion), born 8 May 1957
- Cindy Parlow (USA, Football, two-time Olympic champion), born 8 May 1978
- Sarah Vaillancourt (Canada, Ice Hockey, two-time Olympic champion), born 8 May 1985
- Luis Enrique (Spain, Football, Olympic champion), born 8 May 1970
- Barbara Ann Scott (Canada, Figure skating, Olympic champion), born 9 May 1928
- Ralph Boston (USA, Athletics, Olympic champion), born 9 May 1939
- George Wilson (USA, Basketball, Olympic champion), born 9 May 1942
- Esko Rechardt (Finland, Sailing, Olympic champion), born 9 May 1958
- Miloslav Mecir (Czechoslovakia, Tennis, Olympic champion), born 9 May 1964
- Steve Yzerman (Canada, Ice Hockey, Olympic champion), born 9 May 1965
- Carla Overbeck (USA, Football, Olympic champion), born 9 May 1968
- Daniela Silivas (Romania, Artistic Gymnastics, three-time Olympic champion), born 9 May 1970
- Grant Hackett (Australia, Swimming, three-time Olympic champion), born 9 May 1980
- Marie-Jose Perec (France, Athletics, three-time Olympic champion), born 9 May 1968
- Blyth Tait (New Zealand, Equestrian, Olympic champion), born 10 May 1961
- Jonathan Edwards (UK, Athletics, Olympic champion), born 10 May 1966
- Gabriella Papadakis (France, Figure Skating, Olympic champion), born 10 May 1995
- Missy Franklin (USA, Swimming, five-time Olympic gold Olympic champion), born 10 May 1995
- Nancy Greene Raine (Canada, Alpine skiing, Olympic champion), born 11 May 1943
- Peter Antonie (Australia, Rowing, Olympic champion), born 11 May 1958
- Mark Breland (USA, Boxing, Olympic champion), born 11 May 1963
- Monica Rosu (Romania, Artistic Gymnastics, two-time Olympic champion), born 11 May 1987
- Pedro Petrone (Uruguay, Football, two-time Olympic champion), born 11 May 1905
- Renate Stecher-Meissner (East Germany, Athletics, three-time Olympic champion), born 12 May 1950
Quote of the week - Tony Estanguet
Since I was little, I have been told that canoeing is a minor sport. My pride, my first victory, is to see that canoeing is of interest beyond its borders.
Tony Estanguet has single-handedly elevated the sport of canoeing to new heights in France. Born on May 6th, 1978, the French star boasts an impressive career. He is a three-time Olympic champion in canoeing, served eight years as a member of the IOC Athletes' Commission and is currently President of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Pau native was the first French athlete to win three gold medals at three different Olympic Games: Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, and London 2012. He also had the honour of carrying the French flag at Beijing 2008.
Estanguet's journey to Olympic success began when he emerged as the frontrunner during the Olympic trials for Sydney 2000, beating his younger brother Patrice, who had won a bronze in the individual canoe slalom at Atlanta 1996.
Following his retirement, the triple Olympic champion became a Member of the International Olympic Committee. He was a key figure in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Bidding Committee and later became the President of the Organising Committee for the 2024 Games.
Don't forget to check out Olympics.com next week for more sports and Olympic history.