- Participating nations: 14 - Number of athletes: 245 (men only)
- Time of year: April 6-15 - Number of events: 43 We have
already touched on the problems between the Greek royal family
and the government. A schism that ended with the resignation of
the Greek government! (see Olympic history) The Games themselves
were financed through ticket sales, a national fundraiser, and
by making a special collection of Olympic stamps. One expense
that lacked coverage was the restoration of the ancient stadium
in Athens. The Greek Crown Prince Constantine appealed to an
extremely rich merchant who donated the amount - 585,000
drachmas. But before the restoration was finished, the merchant
had had to pay a whopping 920,000 drachmas! This shows that even
the organizers of the first Olympic Games had problems sticking
to the initial budget. Many of the problems and issues facing
the ancient and early modern Games seem to reappear, sometimes
with an almost eerie exactitude, to haunt the Olympic Games of
today. For the Games