Antwerp 1920 Olympic Games: Facts and figures
One hundred years ago on 20 April 1920, the Olympic Games began in the Belgian city of Antwerp. Beyond their lasting contributions to sport, gender equality, unity and peace after the devastation of World War I, the 1920 Games produced some great athletic achievements and many Olympic firsts.
© 1920 / Comité International Olympique (CIO)
Antwerp 1920 in numbers
Number of countries: 29
Number of athletes: 2,626 (65 women, 2,561 men)
Number of events: 156
Number of venues: 17 (11 were repurposed)
© IOC
The Antwerp 1920 Olympic Games saw many firsts:
- The Olympic flag was raised for the first time at the Games.
- The Olympic oath was taken for the first time by an athlete on behalf of all the competitors.
- Doves were released as a symbol of peace for the first time.
Athletic achievements
- Ethelda Bleibtrey (USA) won gold in all three women’s swimming events. Including the preliminary heats, she swam in five races and broke the world record in each one.
- Nedo Nadi (Italy) won gold medals in five of the six fencing events, a feat never repeated.
- Paavo Nurmi (FIN) won three golds and a silver, the beginning of his career as one of the most successful male athletes in Olympic history.
- At the age of 72, shooter Oscar Swahn (SWE) earned a silver medal, and is still the oldest Olympic medallist.
© IOC
Unusual firsts…and lasts
- Antwerp 1920 featured a week of winter sports, including figure skating and ice hockey, the latter making its Olympic debut.
- Tug of war made its last appearance at the Olympic Games.