1908 London, Great Britain
The London Games were originally set to be held in Rome, but the eruption
of Mt. Vesuvius two years earlier, destroyed the Italian economy and the
government was declared unable to stage the event.
The organization of the London Games was the best ever. The Games were held in a stadium of 100.000 spectators at Shepherd Bus. It was the first time that participation forms were examined in both national and individual level. In the competition sector the British never realized that the rules were the same for all athletes. The judges ruled many decisions in favor of the British athletes, something that astonished the rest of the participants and foreign spectators.
Once again the marathon was the event that became the milestone for the London Games. Doranto Piedri, an Italian confectionist born in Capri was chosen to compete in the marathon race for Italy. Famous for his stamina, Piedri began to extend his distance from the rest of the athletes and entered the stadium first with visible signs of fatigue on his face and running style. Because of his exhaustion Piedri lost his sense of direction and began running the wrong way around the track. He was unable to realize his mistake but when the British judges saw an American athlete entering the stadium second they aided Piedri through the finish line the correct way. The American complained and eventually were awarded the gold medal, while Piedri was sent to the hospital in a state of shock.
The Queen of England was a witness of Piedri’s effort, so she awarded him with a gold cup at her visit to the hospital. A fund was raised for the unfortunate Italian athlete.