Pierre de Coubertin was by no means the first person to relive the ancient Olympic Games. The idea was born much earlier in the Renaissance period, with its great interest in the classical world. Thus, the first Cotswold ‘Olympics’ were held annually in England from the early 17th century, apart from the Cromwellian period, and there were many similar events in other countries long before the first of the modern Olympics in Athens in 1896.
An Olympic Association formed in southern Sweden organized its Games at a racecourse in Ramlösa (Helsingborg) in 1834, with four series of events that included jumping on a horse and climbing a pole, as well as running various distances. They all took place on the same beautiful summer day in July.
The first event was a kind of gymnastics competition, in which there were seven competitors. It was won by a student at the old Lund University. He did not receive a laurel wreath, but a gold ring. This was followed by a race in which an apprentice blacksmith finished ahead of nineteen other runners, being equally rewarded, while the winner of the wrestling tournament, in which seven men participated, received a silver jug.
Competitors in the final event had to scale a slippery pole some 10 m (33 ft) high, with a silver goblet aimed at the first person to lower it from its position at the top. As this favored the first to try, it was drawn to decide the order. However, the hearts of the crowd went not to the winner, but to a young man who later made his soapy stick shine in great style, and made a collection for him.
The main promoter of the Helsingborg Games was Gustaf Johan Scharteau, a gymnastics and fencing teacher at Lund University. He originally intended to hold the Games every year, but waited until 1836 before trying again. The events were the same, with the addition of a writing contest in which those who participated had to compare the ancient Olympics with medieval tournaments and the usefulness of reviving combat sports.
Later, Scharteau made his way to Stockholm, where similar Olympic events were scheduled for 1843 in the large open area known as Gärdet. Unfortunately, they proved to be a dismal failure, not for lack of public support, but the other way around. They were too popular! Many more people arrived than the officials expected or could bear. The tickets had been sold, but there were thousands of intruders and everything ended in chaos. Also, the winner of the slippery mast climbing test had just received his award when one of the spectators snatched it from him, so a new test was added to the calendar, a big chase of the culprit, who turned out to be a boy from 14 years.
Scharteau made no attempt to hold his Olympics again and sixty-nine years were to pass before Stockholm was once again the host city of the Olympics. This time, however, they went on a much larger scale and enjoyed much greater success.
