History
Fast Facts
Host City: St. Louis, MissouriOpening date: July 1, 1904
Closing date: Nov. 23, 1904
Nations: 13
Athletes: 689 (681 male, 8 female)
94 events in 17 sports
The confusion of the Paris Games seriously damaged the Olympic movement, and the 1904 games almost killed it. Chicago was originally selected as the host, but St. Louis officials feared that the Olympics would cut into attendance at the World Fair.
They threatened to hold athletic competitions in conjunction with the fair if the Olympic Games weren't moved to St. Louis.
The IOC finally decided to let President Theodore Roosevelt arbitrate the question, and he chose St. Louis. The IOC went along with that.
European tension caused by the Russo-Japanese War and the difficulty of getting to St. Louis kept many of the world's top athletes away. There were only 687 competitors, most of them from the United States, though Canada sent a good-sized contingent. Only 12 countries were represented.
In a number of sports, the U. S. national championship was combined with the Olympic championship, because there were no competitors from other nations. The United States won 80 of the 100 gold medals and 238 of the 300 total medals.
Boxing was added to the program and wrestling was restored, but all the competitors in both sports were from the United States. Swimming returned, along with weightlifting, and a full gymnastics program was held. Rowing events were held for the first time.
Ray Ewry again won all three standing jumps. Three other U. S. track and field athletes, Archibald Hahn, James Lightbody, and Harry Hillman, won three gold medals apiece. The top foreign athlete was Emil Rausch of Germany, who won three swimming events. Zoltan Halmay of Hungary and Charles Daniels of the United States each won two swimming gold medals.
The St. Louis Games did make one major contribution to the Olympic tradition: gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded to the top three finishers for the first time.
