What Has Much Wenlock got to do with the Olympics?
Wenlock is the mascot for the Olympics and Mandeville for the Paralympics. William Penny Brookes, the founder, are thought to have inspired the modern Olympic Games that began in 1896, only 6 years after Baron Pierre de Coubertin (the founder of the International Olympic Committee) visited the Games.
Where did the Olympics start Much Wenlock?
The first meeting was held at Much Wenlock racecourse on 22–23 October 1850. The first Games were a mixture of athletics and traditional country sports such as quoits, football and cricket. Events also included running, hurdles, football and cycling on penny farthings.
Who decided to hold Olympic Games in the village of Much Wenlock in 1850?
The Much Wenlock Olympics were the vision of one man, William Penny Brookes, a doctor who lived in the town. He wanted to stage a major event to improve people’s health and fitness.
Did the Olympics start in Much Wenlock?
1850
It was in 1850 that the first ever Wenlock Olympian Games were held here in Much Wenlock. The brainchild of Dr Brookes, the Games were originaly designed “to promote the moral, physical and intellectual improvement of the inhabitants of the Town and neighbourhood of Wenlock”.
Who was the driver behind the modern Olympics?
Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Coubertin: Visionary and Founder of the Modern Olympics.
Why were Wenlock and Mandeville chosen?
Streets, parks and underground station entrances in London were decorated with 84 sculptures of Wenlock and the Paralympic mascot, Mandeville, standing 2 metres 30 tall and each weighing a ton, to help guide tourists during the Games. The mascots were chosen in a competition launched in 2008.
Where did the Olympics get its name?
The Games were named for their location at Olympia, a sacred site located near the western coast of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece. Their influence was so great that ancient historians began to measure time by the four-year increments in between Olympic Games, which were known as Olympiads.
What was the aim of the Wenlock Games?
Wenlock Games: a brief history The original objective of the Games was to “promote the moral, physical and intellectual improvement of the inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood of Wenlock, and especially of the working classes, by the encouragement of outdoor recreation”.
Who is known as the father of modern Olympics?
SAB 667 Olympism explores the greater theory of Olympic values in sports as portrayed in writings of Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the Modern Olympics.
Where are the Olympics held in Much Wenlock?
The Wenlock Olympian Games, dating from 1850, are a forerunner of the modern Olympic Games. They are organised by the Wenlock Olympian Society (WOS), and are held each year at venues across Shropshire, England, centred on the little market town of Much Wenlock. One of the two mascots for the 2012 Summer Olympics was…
Why did the Wenlock Olympians change their name?
Following a dispute with WARS, in November 1860, the Wenlock Olympian Class separated from WARS and changed its name to Wenlock Olympian Society. The 1860 Games the following year was a great success and Rifle Shooting was added to the programme.
Where does the name Much Wenlock come from?
Wenlock, a cute creature made from a droplet of steel from the steelworks used to build the Olympic stadium, takes his name from Much Wenlock, a small town in central Shropshire. With a population of around 3,000 this very small town has a very large history. Much Wenlock is home to the Wenlock Olympian Games.
When was the first Wenlock Olympian Society founded?
In 1860 the Class separated from the Reading Society and was called the Wenlock Olympian Society, the name remains unchanged to this date. The Shropshire Olympian Games were founded in 1861 through the initiative of Penny Brookes.