Zappas Olympics

Zappas Olympics

Panathenaic Stadium in 1870
First event	1859
Last event	1875
Headquarters	Athens, Greece
Sponsor	Evangelis Zappas

The Zappas Olympics (Greek: Ζάππειες Ολυμπιάδες), simply called Olympics (Greek: Ολύμπια, Olympia) at the time, were a series of athletic events held in Athens, Greece, in 1859, 1870 and 1875, sponsored by Greek businessman Evangelis Zappas.^[1] These games were one of the first revivals of the ancient Olympic Games in the modern era. Their success provided further inspiration^[2] for William Penny Brookes in England, whose games had been running since 1850, and the International Olympic Committee series from 1896.

Zappas' contribution in this process was vital: not only were the games hosted at his own initiative, he also provided the funds for the staging of the games, as well as for the construction of much-needed infrastructure, including the refurbishment of the ancient Panathenaic Stadium, which hosted the Games of 1870 and 1875. The same stadium would also host the first IOC Games of 1896,^[3] the 1906 Intercalated Games, and archery and the marathon finish at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.