geo

GEO

ANTWERP 1920

ANTWERP 1920
Games of the VII Olympiad

The 1916 Olympics were scheduled to be held in Berlin , but were canceled because of what came to be known as World War I. The 1920 Games were awarded to Antwerp to honor the suffering that had been inflicted on the Belgian people during the war. The Opening Ceremony was notable for the introduction of the Olympic flag and the presentation of the Athletes' Oath. In a performance unequaled in Olympic history, Nedo Nadi of Italy earned gold medals in five of the six fencing events. Ethelda Bleibtrey of the United States won gold medals in all three women's swimming contests. Including preliminary heats, she swam in five races and broke the world record in every one. France 's Suzanne Lenglen dominated women's tennis singles so completely that she lost only four games in the ten sets she played. At age 72, Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn earned a silver medal in the team double-shot running deer event to become the oldest medalist ever. The 1920 12-foot dinghy sailing event was the only event in Olympic history to be held in two countries. The first race was staged in Belgium , but the last two races took place in the Netherlands because both entrants were Dutch.


Participating Nations

29

Participants

2,626 athletes (65 women, 2,561 men)

Events

154

The top three winners were: United States of America, Sweden and Great Britian

Medal Tally of 7th Olympic Games

Rank.	Nation	Medals
		Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States of America	41	27	27	95
2	Sweden	19	18	24	61
3	Great Britain	15	15	13	43
4	Finland	15	10	9	34
5	Belgium	14	11	11	36
6	Norway	13	9	9	31
7	Italy	13	5	5	23
8	France	9	19	13	41
9	Netherlands	4	2	5	11
10	Denmark	3	9	1	13
11	South Africa	3	4	3	10
12	Canada	3	3	3	9
13	Switzerland	2	2	7	11
14	Estonia	1	2	0	3
15	Brazil	1	1	1	3
16	Australia	0	2	1	3
=17	Japan	0	2	0	2
=17	Spain	0	2	0	2
19	Greece	0	1	0	1
19	Luxembourg	0	1	0	1
21	Czechoslovakia	0	0	2	2
22	New Zealand	0	0	1	1
Total		156	145	135	436

STOCKHOLM 1912

STOCKHOLM 1912
Games of the V Olympiad

Held in Stockholm , the 1912 Olympics were a model of efficiency. The Swedish hosts introduced the use of unofficial electronic timing devices for the track events, as well as the first use of a public address system. The modern pentathlon was added to the Olympic program. Women's events in swimming and diving were also introduced. Sweden would not allow boxing contests to be held in their country. After the Games, the International Olympic Committee decided to limit the power of host nations in deciding the Olympic program. If there was an unofficial theme of the 1912 Games, it was endurance. The course for the cycling road race was 320km (199 miles), the longest race of any kind in Olympic history. In Greco-Roman wrestling, the middleweight semifinal match between Russian Martin Klein and Finland 's Alfred Asikainen lasted eleven hours. Hannes Kohlemainen of Finland won three gold medals in long-distance running. The most popular hero of the 1912 Games was Jim Thorpe of the United States . Thorpe won the five-event pentathlon and shattered the world record in the ten-event decathlon. One member of the Austrian team that finished second in the team sabre fencing event was Otto Herschmann, who was, at that time, president of the Austrian Olympic Committee. Herschmann is the only sitting national Olympic committee president to win an Olympic medal.

Participating Nations

28

Participants

2,407 athletes (48 women, 2,359 men)

Events

102

The top three winners were: United States of America, Sweden and Great Britian

Medal Tally of 5th Olympic Games

Rank.	Nation	Medals
		Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States of America	25	19	19	63
2	Sweden	24	24	17	65
3	Great Britain	10	15	16	41
4	Finland	9	8	9	26
5	France	7	4	3	14
6	Germany	5	13	7	25
7	South Africa	4	2	0	6
8	Norway	4	1	4	9
=9	Canada	3	2	3	8
=9	Hungary	3	2	3	8
11	Italy	3	1	2	6
12	Australasia	2	2	3	7
13	Belgium	2	1	3	6
14	Denmark	1	6	5	12
15	Greece	1	0	1	2
16	Russia	0	2	3	5
17	Austria	0	2	2	4
18	Netherlands	0	0	3	3
Total		103	104	103	310

LONDON 1908

LONDON 1908
Games of the IV Olympiad

The 1908 Olympics were originally awarded to Rome , but were reassigned to London . At the Opening Ceremony, the athletes marched into the stadium by nation, as most countries sent selected national teams. Archers William and Charlotte Dod became the first brother and sister medalists. Oscar Swahn, aged 60, was the oldest ever competitor to earn an Olympic gold medal, winning the running deer shooting, single shot. 1908 marked the first appearance of diving and field hockey. In the spirit of sportsmanship, the final in middleweight Greco-Roman wrestling between Frithiof Martensson and Mauritz Andersson was postponed one day to allow Martensson to recover from a minor injury. Martensson won. Ray Ewry won the standing high jump and the standing long jump for the third time and became the only person in Olympic history to win a career total of eight gold medals in individual events. The event that caught the public imagination around the world was the dramatic ending of the marathon. After 42 kilometres (26 miles) of running, the first man to enter the stadium was Dorando Pietri of Italy , but he collapsed on the track five times and was disqualified when officials carried him across the finish line.

Participating Nations

22

Participants

2,008 athletes (37 women, 1,971 men)

Events

110

The top three winners were: Great Britain, United States of America and Sweden

Medal Tally of 4th Olympic Games

Rank.	Nation	Medals
		Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Great Britain	56	51	38	145
2	United States of America	23	12	12	47
3	Sweden	8	6	11	25
4	France	5	5	9	19
5	Germany	3	5	6	14
6	Hungary	3	4	2	9
7	Canada	3	3	10	16
8	Norway	2	3	3	8
9	Italy	2	2	0	4
10	Belgium	1	5	2	8
11	Australasia	1	2	2	5
12	Russia	1	2	0	3
13	Finland	1	1	3	5
14	South Africa	1	1	0	2
15	Greece	0	3	0	3
16	Denmark	0	2	3	5
=17	Bohemia	0	0	2	2
=17	Netherlands	0	0	2	2
19	Austria	0	0	1	1
Total		110	107	106	323

ST LOUIS 1904

ST LOUIS 1904
Games of the III Olympiad

The 1904 St. Louis Olympics organizers repeated all of the mistakes of 1900. The Olympic competitions, spread out over four and a half months, were lost in the chaos of a World's Fair. Of the 94 events generally considered to have been part of the Olympic program, only 42 included athletes who were not from the United States . The 1904 Olympics did have a few highlights. They were the first at which gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded for first, second and third place. Boxing and freestyle wrestling made their debuts. Marathon runners Len Tau and Jan Mashiani, Tswana tribesmen who were in St. Louis as part of the Boer War exhibit at the World's Fair, became the first Africans to compete in the Olympics. One of the most remarkable athletes was the American gymnast George Eyser, who won six medals even though his left leg was made of wood. Chicago runner James Lightbody won the steeplechase and the 800m and then set a world record in the 1,500m.

Participating Nations

12

Participants

651 athletes (6 women, 645 men)

Events

91

The top three winners were: United States of America, Germany and Cuba

Medal Tally of 3rd Olympic Games

Rank.	Nation	Medals
		Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States of America	78	82	79	239
2	Germany	4	4	5	13
3	Cuba	4	2	3	9
4	Canada	4	1	1	6
5	Hungary	2	1	1	4
=6	Great Britain	1	1	0	2
=6	Mixed team	1	1	0	2
=8	Greece	1	0	1	2
=8	Switzerland	1	0	1	2
10	Austria	0	0	1	1
Total		96	92	92	280

Olympic Games

ATHENS 1896
Games of the I Olympiad

The revival of the ancient Olympics attracted athletes from 14 nations, with the largest delegations coming from Greece, Germany, France and Great Britain. On 6 April 1896, the American James Connolly won the triple jump to become the first Olympic champion in more than 1,500 years. Winners were awarded a silver medal and an olive branch. The German athlete Carl Schumann finished in the top five events of three different sports. The people of Athens greeted the Games with great enthusiasm. Their support was rewarded when a Greek shepherd, Spyridon Louis, won the most popular event, the marathon.

Participating Nations

14

Participants

241 athletes (0 women, 241 men)

Events

43

The top three winners were: United States of America, Greece and Germany

Medal Tally of 1st Olympic Games

Rank.	Nation	Medals
		Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States of America	11	7	2	20
2	Greece	10	17	19	46
3	Germany	6	5	2	13
4	France	5	4	2	11
5	Great Britain	2	3	2	7
6	Hungary	2	1	3	6
7	Austria	2	1	2	5
8	Australia	2	0	0	2
9	Denmark	1	2	3	6
10	Switzerland	1	2	0	3
11	Mixed team	1	1	1	3
Total		43	43	36	122

Olympic Games

Introduction

On 6 April 1896 at Athens, King George I of Greece opened the Ist Olympic Games of modern times. An audience of over 60,000 had gathered in the city's newly refurbished Panathinaiko Stadium to witness the opening ceremony. The Games had been reintroduced, after a gap of 1503 years, on a much larger scale this time, inviting the whole world.

Panathinaiko Stadium

This time, 14 nationalities participated in 43 events. A total of 241 athletes (all male) participated. Jim Connolly (USA) won the triple jump and thus became the Ist Olympic Champion in modern history. 108 years later, Games were again organized in Athens. 202 NOC's participated in 28 sports, 37 disciplines and 301 events. A total of 10,975 athletes besides officials participated in the games.

Jim Connlly

Ever since their renaissance over 100 years ago, Olympic Games have become the greatest sports event in the world. No matter how many world or continental championship wins an athlete may gain, to compete in the Olympic Games will remain his or her supreme ambition and a lifetime dream.

Ancient Olympics

The Heritage of the Games

A few Arcadian deserters came in - men who had nothing to live on and wanted employment; they were taken to Xerxes and questioned about what the Greeks were doing. There was one Persian in particular who put the question, and he was told in reply that the Greeks were celebrating the Olympic festival, where they were watching athletic contests and chariot-races. When he asked what the prize was for which they contended, the Arcadians mentioned the wreath of olive-leaves which it is our custom to give. This drew from Tritanaechmes, the son of Artabanus, a remark which proved his true nobility of character-though it made Xerxes call him a coward; for when he learned that the prize was not money but a wreath, he could not help crying out in front of everybody, God heavens, Mardonius, what kind of men are these that you have brought us to fight against-men who compete with one another for no material reward, but only for honour !

Herodotus

Battle of Marathon

And these men of honour confront the Persian Army (for Greece and Persia were the two super powers to the then known world) and in the 'Battle of Marathon' Greek forces attained a victory in 490 B.C. Phadaphides (the messenger) runs 26 miles (42.195 Km) carrying the message of victory to the King at the court in Athens. "We have won", he delivers the message, drops and dies.'Marathon race' is being run by almost all nationalities World over today. It is being run over centuries now, following the footprints of Phadaphides , distance remaining the same. During 28 Olympic Games, Marathon race was run on its actual course, the course followed by Phadaphides 2495 years ago. Message of victory run was converted into an Athletic event. Such was the relationship between Athletics and the Greek culture.

Concept

Athletics, as a vehicle of the Greek ideal and not just a physical exertion of the body is rooted in ancient Greece. Athletics is part of the concept and goal of upbringing and education. The Olympic Games not only promoted the Greek type of body, but also cultivated competition, elevated Greek art and bonded Greek people together.

Classical Greece provided the model for the perfect and ideal man in its search for morality and physical perfection. This is the notion of the Greek ideal of Kalokagathia (Benevolence) , a classic humanistic ideal, inherent in the Olympic Games. The broad range of varied athletic events included in the ancient Olympics lasted for more than a thousand years and was the epitome of the ancient Greek way of life.

Olympia's ancient past holds eternal elements of a lasting worth and to evaluate them is to acquire a deeper knowledge of modern man. These symbolic ideals stemming out of the sacred place of antiquity, and the institution of the ancient Olympic Games are something the modern world looks to even today.

Greek classical tradition considered athletics an inextricable part of social and religious life. Today, the Olympic Games are a multi-faceted cosmopolitan event. The legendary name "Olympics", however, is still a reference to the origins of the Games despite the fact that the modern day Olympics are a far cry from their ancient forerunner. In the mind of the reviver of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre De Coubertin , and the supporters of the Olympic movement, Olympia was the place they always returned to in search of the humanistic ideals underlying the concept.

Pierre De Coubertin

After establishing the torch-bearing race in 1936 , every four years the eyes of the contemporary world turns to Olympia since this is where the flame of the winter and summer Olympic Games is kept burning, thus reminding us of the concepts on which the modern games are founded.

The Olympic Games target young and old alike while billions of viewers worldwide tune in to the televised games. The five circles of the Olympics emblem is one of the mostly widely recognized the world over while the ancient custom of truce during the Olympic Games is a lesson we can learn from and claim for our times. "I walk among the ancient ruins of the Games" , wrote Coubertin in 1927 during one of his visits to ancient Olympia. "They seem like dead giants, lying in the place where they battled and struggled, with the will to survive drawn upon their faces. I can almost hear the buzz of the Olympic Games coming from the banks of the Cladeus river, the notes from the trumpets and lyres still suspended in the air. I can just see the men and the women, the riverbanks swarming with animals and people, their colourful robes shimmering in the brilliant sun".

Greece's hosting of the 2004 Olympic Games gave thousands of visitors the opportunity to visit the sacred site of ancient Olympia. And if some restless souls could hear to the footfalls of the athletes still racing around the ancient stadium, then they could very well perceive the dream of the romantic reviver of the Olympics, who may also seem just a bit 'ancient' in the eyes of modern day viewers watching the Olympics in the comfort of their homes.

History

A great universal event, such as the Olympic Games, could not have been created in just one era. The first Olympic Games were born of myths but also sprang from tangible realities and hard work of years. According to legend, the first to compete at ancient Olympia, Greece were the Gods of Mt.Olympus.

Zeus

'Zeus' fought with 'Cronus' for the throne of the Gods and commemorated his win by creating the Games during which 'Apollo' beat 'Hermes' in stadium running, and 'Ares' in Boxing. Another legend has it that the first of Iliads 'Aethios' founded the first games in the area, lending his name to the World Athletes.

According to another myth, the demi-god 'Hercules' founded the Games. And there are so many other myths.

Hercules

According to the earliest written records, the ancient Olympic Games date back to 776 BC. The ancient plains of Olympia, famous as the location of magnificent temples dedicated to the god Zeus and the goddess Hera , served as the Games' permanent site. For nearly 12 centuries, the Games were staged every four years, until the Roman Emperor Theodosius prohibited their continuation, believing them to be a "pagan" ritual attracting excessive public attention on athletic and spiritual affairs.

The fact that the ancient Games were dedicated to the Greek gods made he competition a strongly religious event, combining spiritual aspects of various theological rituals with the trials of sport.

Programme of Events

As the Games developed, so did a framework of procedures that remained largely unchanged throughout the duration of the
ancient Games: -

Day one The oath, the animal sacrifices.

Second day , Sprint, Wrestling, Boxing, Pangratio.

Day three Chariot races, the Long Jump, Discus Throw, Javelin Throw, Sprints.

Day four Hecatomb, Sprints, Diavlos, Long distance race, Wrestling, Boxing, Pangratio, Footrace in armour.

Fifth day winners enter the temple of Zeus. Award ceremony.

Ancient Contests

Athletics Take Shape . The athletic contests in ancient Greece were part of the religious rituals. Their aim was two-fold: to honour the heroes and gods and to educate young men and prepare them for battle. The contests were modeled on survival and defence techniques.

Foot racing . Running, was a vital need and that is why it was the first and only contest in the first thirteen Olympiads. The distance run by the athletes was 600 feet long or one stadium (192.27 meters). This unit of measurement, the stadium, also lent its name to the place in which the games were held. The next two games to appear in the early Olympiads were the Diavlos (two stadiums in length) and Dolichos (twenty stadiums) included during 524 BC and 520 BC respectively.

Much later, we have the introduction of the hoplite footrace in which the athletes competed in full army regalia (helmet, shield and shin guards) running two to four stadiums, thus transferring military exercises to athletics, which in fact was also considered to be true of other events as well.

Pentathlon . Was introduced during the 18 th Olympiad (708 BC) and it included five separate contests: foot racing, javelin and discus throwing, jumping and wrestling. This combination of contests aimed at the balanced development of physical skills, one of the highest ideals in athletics, the javelin and discus throwing and wrestling are very similar to what they are today. Jumping, however, is different now a days from what it was in antiquity. They jumped carrying weights to give the athletes momentum while their attempts were accompanied by flute playing.

Boxing . The forerunner of modern-day boxing, the hands were wrapped in straps of leather and later in Roman Times, the athletes wore special boxing gloves reinforced with iron and lead. Boxing was introduced during 688 BC.

Wrestling . Included during 632 BC.

Pankratio . Was a dangerous sport, a cross between Wrestling and Boxing and was the harshest of all the events. All holds were allowed, while only the use of teeth and nails was forbidden. The event was introduced during 648 BC.

Horse Racing and Chariot Racing . Introduced after the 25 th Olympiad. These were particularly popular contests with a long tradition, and were considered aristocratic since the upkeep of horses was a costly affair. Championships for heralds and trumpeters were added during the 96 th Olympiad and they demonstrated the significance the ancients placed on music.

There were eventually a total of 23 different events included in the programme throughout the entire history of the ancient games. However, all of them were never held at one time.

Participation more important than Victory . The concept of amateurism was very much alive in classical Greece, but in a different guise than it is today. Champions were not allowed to profit at the ancient Games, but there was an expectation that they would benefit upon a "heroic" return to their own city-states. At the ancient Olympic Games, the ultimate prize was the awarding of an olive wreath (kotinos ). 'Kotinos' is a universal symbol, indicating freedom, hope and simplicity. Indeed, such was the level of acclaim given to victors that three-time winners often had statues of themselves erected. Winners also received various gifts and honours, including exemption from taxation. With the displacement of the amateur ideal by professional athletes competing for monetary rewards, the Games fell into decline.

Women's Games . Married women were not allowed to participate in or to watch the ancient Olympic Games. However, maidens could indeed attend the competition, and the Priestess of Demeter , goddess of fertility, was given the honoured seating next to the Stadium altar. Although the ancient Olympic Games did not allow for female participation, the Herea Games, staged every four years to honour Hera, wife of Zeus , gave female athletes the chance to compete.

The Ancient Olympic Games Discontinued . The four year cycle of the ancient Olympic Games continued unbroken (with over 290 Games being held) well into the period of Roman conquest, but the Games finally met their demise with the Christian Emperor Theodosius, who decreed in 393 AD that all such 'pagan cults' be banned. The games came to an end after a life span of 1170 years.

Prominent Olympians . Few prominent Olympians of the ancient Olympics were:-

Koroibos of Elis , the winner of stadion during 776 BC.

Leonidas of Rodes finished first in three of the running events in four successive games from 164 -152 BC.

Hermogenes of Xanthos, won 8 crowns in three successive games 81-89 AD.

Polites won three running events during one day in AD 69 and was called 'traistes or tripler'.

Milon of Kroton won six successive men's titles in wrestling between 540-516 BC.

Revival . Although the person credited with re-introducing the Olympic Games to the modern world is the French Baron Pierre de Coubertin , classical Greek archaeology may have provided a stimulus of its own. The ancient site of Olympia, buried under river-silt until its rediscovery in 1766, was no significant site for explorations and excavations until the 1870's. Under the leadership of the German archaeologist, Ernst Curtius , the site revealed many treasures, including a splendid sculpture of Hermes retrieved from the temple of Hera. Some historians contend that Curtius , inspired by his marvelous findings at Olympia, made the initial suggestion to revive the ancient Olympic games - an idea brought to fruition by Coubertin .

Whatever the source of his inspiration, it was Baron Pierre de Coubertin who was ultimately responsible for reviving the Games. His enthusiasm for the Games derived from its similarities to the French education system in combining games with moral and social education . It was Coubertin who established the modern Olympic Games as a marriage of sportsmanship and Hellenic classicism. Following two international meetings of the "Union des Societes Francaises de Sports Athletiques" (USFSA) at Sorbonne in 1892 and 1894,where Coubertin first tabled, and later refined and enlarged upon his proposals, the movement of Olympic revival was born.

The International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Movement . On 23 June 1894, Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC), an international non-governmental, non-profit organisation charged with the responsibility of supervising and organizing the Olympic Games. Coubertin then founded the Olympic Movement, which currently consists of the IOC, the International Sports Federations, the National Olympic Committees, the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games, the National Sports Associations and other clubs, and, of course, the athletes themselves.

THE FIRST OLYMPIC GAMES

On 6 April 1896, an estimated crowd of 60,000 gathered to watch the Games-quite possible one of the largest peaceful public gatherings of its time. The first modern Olympic Games featured over 40 events in ten sports. Some records suggest that while 14 nations were represented, over two thirds of the competing athletes were Greek. Most of the sporting events were made up of individual competitions, the only team event being gymnastics. Although the running, wrestling, long jump and discus throwing events survived from the ancient Games, many of the other competitions, such as fencing, cycling and shooting were new to the modern Games.

Ever since 1896, the Games have become a regular feature, putting together the most handsome, the smartest, the best in the world. They invite the athletes, the officials, the organisers, the engineers, the doctors, the media men and people from all walks of life. It is a call to humanity, irrespective of cast, creed and culture. It is a call for educating minds, it is a call for unification, for wherein, the religions, casts and cultures divide, sports unite.

For wherein, Athens Olympics is numbered as 28 th ,in fact it is 25 th in the series, for 6 th , 12th and 13 th could not be organized because of the world wars.

THE FLAG, MOTTO, ANTHEM & OATH

The Olympic Flag . It was Pierre de Coubertin who conceived the idea of the Olympic flag (five coloured interlocking rings on a white background). Almost a century after the flag's creation, the six colours, those of the rings (blue, yellow, black, green, red) and that of the background, still maintain their symbolism as they are found on all the flags of the world. The Olympic symbol, the five interlocking rings, represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of the athletes of the world at the Olympic Games.

The Olympic Games Motto . The Motto of the Olympic Games is Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger).

The Olympic Anthem . The Olympic hymn was written by the Greek national poet, Costis Palamas, with music composed by Spiros Samaras and was first sung at the 1896 Games. It was during the 1958 Olympic Games in Tokyo that the IOC adopted this hymn as the official Olympic anthem.

The Olympic Creed . The 1896 Games was also the birthplace of the Olympic creed. As stated by Pierre de Coubertin, the creed is as follows: " The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well ".

The Olympic Oath . At the Opening Ceremony of each Games one athlete from the host country gives the Olympic oath on behalf of all the competing athletes. This particular gesture of sportsmanship was introduced at the 1920 Games in Belgium. The words of the oath are:

"In the name of all the competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honour of our teams".

A coach or team official takes a similar oath at each Opening Ceremony.

The Olympic Flame and Torch . The Olympic flame is one of the most visible symbols of the modern Games. Its tradition has survived from the Games of ancient Greece, where as sacred flame, ignited by the sun, burned continually on the altar of the goddess Hera. The modern Olympic flame was first lit in 1928 at the Amsterdam Olympic Games , where it burned throughout the Games. The flame embodies the ideals of purity, the endeavour for perfection, the struggle for victory, friendship and peace - all themes of the Olympic Games. The tradition of the Olympic torch began at the Berlin Games in 1936. As in ancient times, the torch is lit by the sun in ancient Olympia and then passed from runner to runner in a relay to the host city, where it is used to light the Olympic Stadium's flame during the Games Opening Ceremony. The flame then burns until it is extinguished at the Closing Ceremony. In August 2004 the Olympic torch was lit for the first time since the revival of the modern Olympic Games, in the country of their birth.

Olympic Truce . The Olympic Truce, or " Ekecheiria ", as it is called in Greek, has its origins in the ancient Olympic Games, where warring states would lay down their arms seven days prior to, during and seven days after the Games for the sake of peaceful competition. Greece, in cooperation with the IOC, had set up an Olympic Truce Foundation to promote this practice for the modern Games. Leading figures - including former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, ATHENS 2004. President Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, Minister of Foreign Affairs George Papandreou, and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan joined together on 10 May 2001 to address the UN General Assembly on this noble initiative. The Torch Relay is closely connected to this effort. For the 2004 Olympic Games, the torch, a symbol of global unity, brotherhood and peace, traveled to all five continents, and for the first time in history visited the continents of Africa and Latin America.

Result of previous National Games

Year	Venue	Winner	Runner-up
1948	Karachi	Punjab	aa
1950	Lahore	Services	aa
1952	Lahore	Services	aa
1954	Sahiwal	Not trophy was awarded	aa
1955	Dhaka (formerly East Pak)	Services	aa
1956	Lahore	Pakistan Army
1958	Peshawar	Pakistan Army	aa
1960	Dhaka (formerly East Pak)	Pakistan Army	aa
1962	Lahore	Pakistan Army	aa
1964	Dhaka (formerly East Pak)	Pakistan Army	aa
1966	Lahore	aaa	aa
1968	Dhaka (formerly East Pak)	aaa	aa
1970	Karachi	Pakistan Army	aa
1972	Lahore	Pakistan Army	aa
1974	Peshawar	Pakistan Army	aa
1976	Karachi	Pakistan Army	aa
1978	Lahore	Pakistan Army	Pakistan Railways
1980	Karachi	Pakistan Army	Sindh
1982	Peshawar	Pakistan Army	Punjab
1984	Faisalabad	Pakistan Army	Punjab
1986	Quetta	Pakistan Army	Punjab
1988	Karachi	Pakistan Army	Punjab
1990	Peshawar	Pakistan Army	Punjab
1992	Lahore	Pakistan Army	Punjab
1995	Quetta	Pakistan Army	WAPDA
1996	Karachi	Pakistan Army	WAPDA
1998	Peshawar	Pakistan Army	WAPDA
2001	Lahore	Pakistan Army	WAPDA
2004	Quetta	Pakistan Army	WAPDA
2006	Karachi	Pakistan Army	WAPDA

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Medal Tally of 30th National Games

S.No.	Unit	Points	Medals
			Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Army	4985	111	101	67	279
2	WAPDA	3993	88	54	83	225
3	Sindh	1559	14	25	31	70
4	Navy	1543	29	24	22	75
5	Railways	1167	6	12	28	65
6	Punjab	1158	6	12	28	46
7	Police	961	4	10	24	38
8	Air Force	658	1	6	15	22
9	NWFP	450	2	2	8	12
10	Balochistan	426	3	4	16	23
11	Higher Education Commission	386	4	3	6	13