Explainer: Who took part in the Antwerp Olympics?

The 7th Summer Olympics were held in the Belgian city of Antwerp. These were the first games since before the war began, the 1916 games were scheduled to be held in Berlin but were cancelled as Europe was engulfed in violence.

While there may have been great excitement at the return of the Olympics in 1920, it is worth noting when looking back today that these games very offered very little in terms of wider representation.

Only 29 nations took part, a small fraction of the 207 nations that took part in 2016’s Rio games. While there are several reasons for the low number of nations participating, the recent war meant politics was a significant factor. For instance, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire were not invited to the games having been on the losing side. Conflicts also kept Russia and Poland from competing.

When it comes to Irish interests, despite attempts to have Ireland recognised as its own nation at the Olympics, Irish athletes competed for Great Britain, albeit for the last time. Others, who had emigrated, competed for their adopted countries, in particular the USA. You can read more about Ireland’s attempt for self-determination at the 1920 Olympics here.

Participating countries: 

The 1920 games were also very male-dominated. Of the 2626 participants in 1920, only 65 were women; women only participated in diving, swimming, figure skating and tennis events.

Events:

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