"A good effort, satisfactory results, but no-one can say that these were Olympic Games".

Baron De Coubertin on the Paris Olympic Games

The Olympic Games in Paris were simultaneously staged with the International Fair and the presentation of the Eiffel Tower but the only real accomplishment of the French was the organization of a feast with various weaknesses and monstrous events.

The Baron was forced to step down from his position as the president of the IOC prior to the commencement of the Games.

A real stadium was not available for the track and field events. Athletes were running on grass and the hurdles were made from telephone pillars. Many discus attempts were not recorded since many attempts ended up in the near by trees. The spectators were not more than three thousand, a disappointing number, considering that in Athens, the number reached thirty and forty thousand.

The only successful spectacle of the Paris Games was the marathon event that was won by a French confectionist, Micheal Theato. He was the only athlete that wore shorts instead of long trousers (like all the other athletes) and his victory created tremendous national enthusiasm. Later on it was proved that Theato was originally from Luxembourg and not from France therefore the medal was credited to Luxembourg.

The other exclamation of the Paris Games was the notorious fight between two American athletes who were competing in the long jump. Due to religious beliefs the Americans could not compete (Krenslain on Saturdays and Prinstain on Sundays). The IOC committee decided that the winner would be determined from the best result of the qualifying races that were concluded prior to the weekend. In the qualifying jumps, Prinstain accomplished a 7m17cm jump and was decided champion while the IOC allowed Krenstain to complete in the finals on Sunday where he jumped 7m18cm. Nevertheless after the competition, Prinstein approached his fellow American and punched him repeatedley.

One other American began writing his personal history in the Olympic Games, beginning in Paris. Ewry, an athlete competing in the three events, managed to win three gold medals in the high jump, long jump and triple jump (without motion). His accomplishment is extraordinary when considering that in his youth, Ewry spent five years in a wheelchair due to illness.