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Olympic Firsts

greek discus Here are some of the 'firsts' that have occurred at the Olympic Games. See more Olympic Trivia.

The FIRST Olympic Games for which we still have written records were held in 776 BCE (though it is generally believed that the Games had been going on for many years already).
The FIRST Olympic champion in recorded history was a naked runner, Coroebus (a cook from Elis), who won the only event the stade.
The FIRST ever event of the Modern Olympic Games was the 1st heat of the 100m, held on 6 April 1896.
The FIRST Olympic champion of the modern Olympic Games was James Brendan Connolly of United States, the winner of the triple jump (the triple jump was the first final event of the 1896 Olympics).
The FIRST brothers to win Olympic gold medals were Americans John and Sumner Paine - they came first in the military pistol and free pistol shooting events respectively in 1896.
The FIRST time women competed at the Olympic Games was in 1900 in Paris. It is commonly believed that the FIRST women to take part in the Olympic Games occurred on June 28, when French players Marie Ohnier and Mme Brohy participated in the 1900 croquet games. Actually another female, Swiss sailor Hélène de Pourtalès competed before then, on May 22, 1900.
The FIRST female Olympic Champion was England's Charlotte Cooper, who won the tennis singles in 1900. However, she was not the first female Olympic gold medalist, as Swiss sailor Hélène de Pourtalès earlier won gold as part of a boat crew in the 1-2 ton class.
The FIRST team sport added to the Olympics was Football in 1900.
The FIRST black athlete to compete at the Olympics was Constantin Henriquez de Zubiera, competing for France in 1900. The FIRST black athlete to win a gold medal was African-American John Taylor, who was part of the US relay team in athletics in 1908.

the FIRST time the teams and competitors were representatives of countries and not of clubs or just individuals was in 1908
the FIRST time athletes marched into the stadium behind their nations' flags was in London 1908.
the FIRST brother and sister to win an Olympic medals were William Dodd won the men's archery competition, and his sister Charlotte Dodd won the silver medal in the women's archery competition.
The FIRST time a swimming pool was used for swimming events was at the London Olympics in 1908.
The FIRST Asian country to participate at the Olympic Games was Japan in the 1912 Stockholm Games.
The FIRST women's swimming gold medal was won by the Australian Sarah 'Fanny' Durack, who won the 100m freestyle in 1912.
The FIRST Games to include competitors from all five continents was in 1912.
The FIRST twins to win Olympic Gold medals were the Swedish brothers Vilhelm Carlberg (3 golds) and Eric Carlberg (2 gold) in shooting in 1912.
The FIRST death of an athlete at the Olympic games was in Stockholm 1912. Portuguese runner Francisco Lazaro collapsed from sunstroke and heart trouble at the 29 km mark of the marathon, and died the next day.
The FIRST Olympic Games in which the Olympic Oath was voiced was 1920.
The FIRST Olympic Games in which doves were released to symbolize peace was 1920.
The FIRST Olympic Games in which the Olympic Flag was flown was 1920.
The FIRST (and only time) in Olympic history an event was held in two different countries was in 1920, for the 12-foot dinghy event in sailing. The early races were held in Belgium, but final two races in the event were held in the Netherlands, as the only two competitors in the event were Dutch.
The FIRST time the Games returned to a former venue was in 1924 in Paris.
The FIRST Winter Olympic Games were held in Chamonix, France in 1924.
The FIRST Games to have an Olympic Village for the athletes was in Paris 1924.
The FIRST person to win a medal in the same event in Summer and Winter Olympics was Gillis Grafström, when he won figure skating gold medals at the 1920 Olympics and at the first Winter Olympics in 1924.
The FIRST use a victory podium was in 1932.
The FIRST Games be held in the southern hemisphere were in Melbourne, 1956.
The FIRST time same edition of the Olympic Games were hosted by two National Olympic Committees was when the Equestrian events were held in Stockholm for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. This happened again in 2008 when Hong Hong hosted the equestrian events for the Beijing Olympics.
The FIRST black African to win a gold medal was Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikila, who ran barefoot all the way in Rome, 1960.
The FIRST Games to be televised were the Berlin Olympics in 1936. The telecast of events were shown on large screens around Berlin. The FIRST Olympic Games to be telecast into homes were the 1948 London Game which transmitted within the British Isles. The FIRST Olympic Games to be covered by television worldwide was the Rome Olympics in 1960.
The FIRST athlete to be disqualified for drug use was Swedish pentathlete Hans-Grunner Liljenwall, having tested positive for excessive alcohol in Mexico City 1968.
The FIRST woman to light Olympic flame was Norma Enriqueta Basilio in 1968.
The FIRST Olympic mascot appeared at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games - Waldi the dachshund.
The FIRST time Olympic field hockey games were played on artificial turf was at the 1976 Montreal Games.
The FIRST Games to be held in a communist country was the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.
The FIRST winner of the women's Olympic marathon, held in Los Angeles in 1984, was Joan Benoit of the USA.
The FIRST time professionals were officially allowed to compete in the Games was in 1984.
The FIRST (and only) athlete to win winter and summer Olympic Games medals in the same year was Christa Luding-Rothenburger - in speed skating and cycling in 1988.
The FIRST time all recognised National Olympic Committees (197 of them) were represented at the Games was in 1996.
The FIRST athlete to win gold medals in five consecutive Olympics was British rower Steven Redgrave in 2000.
the FIRST Olympic torch that travelled to all five continents was in 2004.
the FIRST double amputee, and FIRST amputee runner to compete in the Olympic Games was South African Oscar Pistorius (aka the 'Blade Runner'). He competed in the 2012 Olympic Games 400m and the 4 x 400 m relay races.
the FIRST South American city to host the Olympic Games will be Rio in 2016.

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