The Fifth Summer Olympics of 1912 were held in Stockholm from 6 to 27 July. The capital of Sweden was chosen to host the Games at the 1904 session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Berlin.
The grand opening of the Games of the Fifth Olympiad took place on July 6, 1912 at the Royal Stadium. The opening ceremony was attended by King Gustav V of Sweden and Pierre de Coubertin. The stands of the stadium, which can accommodate 32 thousand spectators, were packed to capacity.
The competition was attended by 2,407 athletes from 28 countries. Competitions were held in 14 sports, which was somewhat inferior to the number of disciplines of the previous Olympiad, but the total number of competitions increased. The pentathlon for the first time appeared in the Olympic program, for the first time there were swimming competitions among women. It was at the Olympics in Stockholm that the classic disciplines were included in the competition program - relay races 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 meters, as well as running at 5000 and 10000 meters.
The competition was held in a very tense struggle, but in many sports the favorites were immediately determined. So, in the 800-meter race, there was no equal to the Americans - James Meredith, Melvin Shepperd and Ira Davenport.
In the 5 km race, a dramatic struggle unfolded between the Finn Hannes Kolehmainen and the Frenchman Jean Buen. The victory was predicted for the French runner, who set a new world record in the preliminary race. The athlete himself did not doubt the victory, believing that he had no worthy rivals. However, immediately after the start of the race, it became clear that the young Finnish athlete Hannes Kolehmainen was not going to give in to him. They ran the entire distance foot to foot - if one managed to get ahead, the other immediately caught up with him, and so seventeen times. Seconds before the finish, the Frenchman managed to get ahead of his opponent, but in the last meters the Finn caught up with him and managed to cross the finish line first. The record set the day before by the Frenchman was immediately improved by 30 seconds, which was a truly phenomenal achievement. At the same Olympiad, Hannes Kolehmainen won two more gold medals in the 10,000 meter race and the 8,000 meter cross race.
The Americans were in the lead in the shot put, with Patrick McDonald and Ralph Rose winning gold and silver. The Americans also excelled in the 110-meter hurdles, Fred Kelly won the gold.
The wrestling competitions were very interesting. The duration of the bouts was limited to one hour, in case of a tie, the winner was determined by points. But in the semifinals and finals, the time was not limited, as a result, the fight between the Russian M. Klein and the Finn A. Asikainen lasted 10 hours. The Finn won. Since he won it in the semifinals, he immediately had to participate in the final fight without rest, which he lost to a Swedish athlete. All protests by the Finns and the Russians who supported them were rejected.
There were many such unfair decisions at this Olympiad. So, it started raining during the shooting competition. For the Swedish shooters, the organizers immediately erected a canopy, and athletes from other countries were not allowed under it. As a result, the Swedes won seven gold medals, six silver and four bronze medals. They also won in the overall team standings, receiving 24 gold, 24 silver and 17 bronze medals.
The winners were awarded at the Royal Stadium. After the presentation of the medals, a banquet was held, which was attended by all the participants of the competition. Pierre de Coubertin spoke about the need to organize the next Olympiads in an even more organized manner and celebrate them with joy and harmony.
