Editing 1896 Summer Olympics (section)

== Opening ceremony ==

[[File:1896 Olympic opening ceremony.jpg|thumb|The opening ceremony in the Panathenaic Stadium]]

On [[Easter Monday]] 6 April (25 March according to the [[Julian calendar]] used in Greece until 1923),<ref>{{Cite web |title=From Julian to Gregorian Calendar |url=https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/julian-gregorian-switch.html |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=www.timeanddate.com |language=en}}</ref> the games of the First Olympiad were officially opened.<ref name="Coubertin">{{Cite web | url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924083647069&view=1up&seq=52 | title=The Olympic Games of 1896 | author=Pierre de Coubertin | work=The Century Magazine | page=42 | date=November 1896}}</ref> The Panathenaic Stadium was filled with an estimated 80,000 spectators, including King [[George I of Greece]], his wife [[Olga Konstantinova of Russia|Olga]], and their sons. Most of the competing athletes were aligned on the infield, grouped by nation. After a speech by the president of the organising committee, Crown Prince Constantine, his father officially opened the Games with the words (in [[Modern Greek|Greek]]):<ref name="IOCA">[http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1896 Athens 1896&nbsp;– Games of the I Olympiad], International Olympic Committee</ref>

{{blockquote|"I declare the opening of the first international Olympic Games in Athens. Long live the Nation. Long live the Greek people."}}

Afterwards, nine bands and 150 choir singers performed an [[Olympic Hymn]], composed by [[Spyridon Samaras]], with words by poet [[Kostis Palamas]]. Thereafter, a variety of musical offerings provided the backgrounds to the Opening Ceremonies until [[1960 Summer Olympics|1960]], since which time the Samaras/Palamas composition has become the official Olympic Anthem (decision taken by the IOC Session in 1958). Other elements of current Olympic opening ceremonies were initiated later: the [[Olympic flame]] was first lit in [[1928 Summer Olympics|1928]], the first athletes' oath was sworn at the [[1920 Summer Olympics]], and the first officials' oath was taken at the [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Olympic Games]].{{r|IOCA}}