Five Moments in the History of the Olympic Games

Five Moments in the History of the Olympic Games -

By Camille DELORME and Guillaume YATIBINGUI

TSEconomist has selected for you five athletes who made History with incredible performances during the Olympic Games. The last one will surprise you!

Paris 1900: Charlotte Cooper, the first Olympian woman

For the first time in history, there was a perfect parity between women and men among the 10,500 athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Promised for Tokyo 2020, this parity has not been easily achieved.

It was in 1900 in Paris that the first woman in history took part in the Games. Charlotte Cooper not only participated but also won the first two Olympic gold medals for women, in singles and doubles.

These victories happened in a particular context: in those days women practicing sport were often frowned upon. Women were allowed to take part in the 1900 Games because this edition was organized by the Republic and not the International Olympic Committee, as it was a part of the Universal Exhibition. The Committee and its president were firmly opposed to the participation of women. Pierre De Coubertin was convinced that women’s role should be limited to crowning the winners. In 1900, only 2.2% of athletes were women (22 women), and they did not have access to all sports.

Opening up the Olympic Games to women was the result of the involvement of the French rowing champion Alice Milliat, active in numerous women’s sports organizations and organizer of a great number of highly successful women’s championships and competitions.

It wasn't until 2007 that the Olympic Charter made it compulsory for all sports to be open to women. However, there is still a long way to go before equal recognition between women and men in the sports world. In 2018, for example, the media only devoted 4% of sports coverage to women's sport.

Berlin 1936: Jesse Owens shocked the world

On German soil, during probably the darkest times Germany has ever seen, a 22-year-old African-American athlete representing the United States won 4 Gold medals and broke several Olympic records in sprints and long jump in front of Adolf Hitler. His name is James Cleveland Owens, known as Jesse Owens.

One year before, in May 1935, the grandson of former slaves already shocked the segregated United States by breaking or tying 4 world records in less than one hour during what is now known as « The greatest 45 minutes ever in sport ». The young athlete did not stop there as he became internationally famous during the 1936 Olympics for winning 4 gold medals in the following disciplines: 100 m dash, long jump, 200 m sprint, and 4x100 sprint relay.

Despite all those achievements, the president of the US, F.D Roosevelt did not receive the young Olympic champion at the White House, as he would have carried the risk of losing support from a part of racist voters before the election of November 1936.

A beautiful point to mention however: Jesse’s main competitor in the Olympics, the German athlete Luz Long - in which the Nazis had cast all their hopes - highly congratulated Owens after being defeated by him, which led to the beginning of a friendship between the two athletes. This moment of great sportsmanship between a Black American athlete and a White German athlete, refusing to accept the racial tensions of their respective country is one of the many examples showing how sports values can bring people together and bridge divides even in the most challenging times.

Barcelona 1992: « The Dream Team »

This was the name of probably the greatest basketball team ever assembled, and it was 100% made in the US.Before 1992, professional basketball players weren’t allowed to compete in the Olympics, hence NBA players who were by far the best in the world couldn’t access the competition

After the authorisation of professional players in the Olympics, the US created the biggest aggregation of talent. Among many legends, we count Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, David Robinson and of course, His Airness Michael Jordan.

The US made a clear statement at that time: the Best basketball players in the world are on their land. The Dream Team reached the gold medal after winning all of its games with a gap of at least 44 points in each of them. The domination was so huge that the rest of the world received the message clearly: as of now the US would be THE team to defeat in the Olympics.

Not only was the Dream Team dominant on the court, but it also contributed to highly popularize basketball globally. The year 1992 is now a classic in the history of the sport and the history of the Olympics in general. The cultural impact was so important that the « Dream Team » became a popular expression to refer to a collection of talented people working together.

London 2012: Tatyana McFadden wins the Gold

Tatyana McFadden is an American disabled athlete. Born paralyzed from the waist down in Leningrad, she was abandoned at birth by her mother and placed in an orphanage.

Due to a lack of financial resources, this orphanage was unable to provide her with medical treatment or a wheelchair and the future champion learned to move on her hands and arms until the age of six. At this age, she was adopted by an American family who took her to the United States.

After trying several sports, she devoted herself to athletics. When she was only fifteen, she qualified for the 2004 Paralympic Games of Athens and won a silver medal in the 100 m and a bronze one in the 200 m. After that, her exploits followed one another. For example, the champion won four consecutive “Grand Slam” in a wheelchair: this consists of winning the four marathons of Boston, Chicago, London and New York in the same year! Then, she became a multiple medalist during multiple Paralympic Games, but it was at the London Games in 2012 that she won her first Paralympic gold medals, taking a huge revenge upon life, and demonstrating that sports are for all.

Disabled athletes face a lot of discrimination. This is what Tatyana McFadden experienced in 2005 when she was denied access and the right to race alongside others at the high school track meets. She decided to take legal action. From this case came the federal Tatyana’s law which gives students with disabilities the right to compete in interscholastic athletics with able-bodied students.

Her determination and resilience are an example of combativeness that sport can reward. The film “The Rising Phoenix” released in 2020 shares her admirable story.

Paris 2024: A TSE student at the Olympics! Lili Dezou

Yes, you read it right. A young rising star of Rugby Sevens has competed at the 2024 Olympics and is about to start her second year in TSE.

.Her name: Lili Dezou. The 20-year-old player from Stade Toulousain is a true product of the Haute-Garonne region. Born in Grenade, she started to play rugby in 2014 in the rugby club of the city, then moved to State Toulousain in 2019 and won the national championship with this club in 2022. Thanks to her athletic and technical abilities, the young lady earned a spot in the French team with which she won the European Championship last year, before being picked again to compete again with the French team at the 2024 Olympics that took place in her country land.