CZECHOSLOVAK
HERITAGE
ANNIVERSARY YEARS
OF THE JOINT CZECH AND SLOVAK
OLYMPIC TEAMS
1924
GAMES OF THE VIII OLYMPIAD, PARIS
The Games of the II Olympiad in 1900 in Paris remained in the shadow of the 1900 Paris Exhibition (Exposition Universelle) and the poor results of their organisation. By hosting the Games of VIII Olympiad in 1924 the French capital repeated the organisation of the Olympic event without a candidate procedure, by which the International Olympic Committee expressed its respect for its founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin.
The Games saw a number of Olympic firsts: Olympians lived in an Olympic village; radio broadcasts were transmitted from the sporting grounds; the number of active athletes surpassed three thousand, and the number of women exceeded one hundred. The Czechoslovak team was made up of 131 athletes – 127 men and four women – who competed in 16 sports in 75 disciplines and took home a total of 10 Olympic medals.
OFFICIAL POSTERS
In Paris, more than one version of the official poster was presented. From a total of 150 designs, two were selected to be used. One was a poster by painter and illustrator Alexander Orsi showing the figure of a javelin thrower and a silhouette of Paris. The second was designed by Jean Droit and depicted athletes giving the Olympic salute, which was based on the ancient salute of the raised right hand.
REPLICA OF THE COMMON CLOTHING OF THE CZECHOSLOVAK OLYMPIC TEAM TO THE GAMES OF THE VIII OLYMPIAD IN PARIS IN 1924
The work of the artistic-decorative workshops of the Slovak National Theatre. Design: prof. Peter Čanecký. At first, no official physical clothing that members of the Czechoslovak team wore a hundred years ago at the Paris Olympics could be found in Slovakia or Czechia. The idea then came about that resulted in the promise of renowned Slovak costume and stage designer prof. Petr Čanecký to make replicas of the common clothing and sportswear. Thanks to the willingness of the management of the Slovak National Theatre, the artistic-decorative workshop of the SND undertook the task of making the clothing.
MAJOR FIGURES IN BRIEF
JIŘÍ STANISLAV
GUTH-JARKOVSKÝ
(1861–1943)
A founding member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), after the First World War he served as the Secretary General of the IOC, was a co-author of the Olympic Charter and a long-term President of the Czech and Czechoslovak Olympic Committee.
Aside from the Olympic movement, he also worked as a sports and tourism official. In his honour, the Czech Olympic Committee annually awards the Jiří Guth-Jarkovský Award to the most important figures in the field of sports.
MAJOR FIGURES IN BRIEF
JOSEF RÖSSLER-OŘOVSKÝ
(1869–1933)
Versatile athlete and sports organiser and official. A founding member of the Czech Olympic Committee. He stood by the birth of several sports sectors in the country, e.g. skiing, tennis, football and yachting and was also a strong promoter of scouting.
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MAJOR FIGURES IN BRIEF
BEDŘICH ŠUPČÍK
The first Czechoslovak Olympic champion, owner of a complete set of medals in gymnastics. To go with the gold and bronze from the 1924 Olympic Games in individual competitions, he also won silver in the team competition together with other Czechoslovak gymnasts at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam.
At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, Bedřich Šupčík won the Olympic gold in what is no longer an Olympic discipline: in rope climbing without a push. He climbed the eight-metre rope in 7.2 seconds; therefore, on Sunday, 20 July at the stadium in Colombes, the Czechoslovak flag rose for the first time on the highest pole of an Olympic sporting ground.
MAJOR FIGURES IN BRIEF
JÚLIUS BALÁSZ (BALÁŽ)
(1901–1970)Czechoslovak swimmer, diver, sports official, coach. A participant in two Olympic Games and the holder of several Czechoslovak swimming and diving titles. One of the founders of the Czechoslovak diving school.
IN ORDER TO MAKE IT TO THE START, HE HAD TO JUMP ONTO A TRAIN THAT WAS ALREADY MOVING
MAJOR FIGURES IN BRIEF
MIKULÁŠ KUCSERA
(1902-1987)
He was ranked among the best high jumpers in Czechoslovak athletics tables for the first time in 1920 with a performance of 166 cm. A year later, he had already moved into the top position thanks to a jump of 175 cm. In 1924, he equalled the Czechoslovak record of 185 cm and became the national champion with a jump of 180 cm. He only learned that he had been nominated for the Games of the VIII Olympiad in Paris at the Wilson (main) Station in Prague, where he had come to say goodbye to the other athletes who were leaving for the Games. In order to make it to the start, he had to jump onto the already moving train. The long journey, poor accommodation conditions and insufficient food took their toll on Kucsera’s performance in Paris. He jumped only 173 cm, did not meet the qualification limit and was eliminated from further competitions.
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