From The Times, July 6, 1924
In brilliant sunshine, and in the presence of the President of the French Republic, the Prince of Wales, Prince Henry, and a distinguished gathering of the representatives of many nations, the ceremonial opening of the Olympic Games in the Colombes Stadium took place yesterday afternoon. The march round the arena, when each national group was preceded by its national flag, was a lengthy business.
The groups came in French alphabetical order, so that South Africa (Afrique du Sud), in green blazers and white flannels, led the way, followed by Argentina, in black blazers, Australia, and Austria. Then came Belgium, greeted with a roar of applause louder even than France herself received later.
The United States had a veritable army (“the army of occupation,” somebody called it), with 300 male competitors in dark blue blazers, in addition to 24 women, who marched much better than the men, and contingents from the US Army and Navy — truly a formidable force. And next to them came Finland, a hundred men, who, in white, with blue trimmings, were perhaps in their marching and physique the most impressive of all the nations.
Then followed France — 180 competitors, including 12 women — all very stylish in white, with edgings of dark blue, and immediately behind France marched Great Britain (rightly enough, for we seem to remember having marched with her before), with 100 men and 20 women looking workmanlike and well turned out in blue blazers and white flannels, led by a contingent of pipers, of the Cameron Highlanders.
It was a striking spectacle as the great snake-like procession wound its way round the green arena. In less than 20 words President Doumergue declared the games of the Eighth Olympiad open, and, with a fanfare, the Olympic flag was broken out from the mast at one end of the Stadium, and a salute was fired with aerial maroons; hundreds of pigeons were released from baskets ranged along the edge of the turf, to rise in a cloud and wheel and swing prettily overhead, flashing in the bright sun, while an aeroplane roared and dipped perilously near to the Stadium’s roof.
Anzeige
With the glitter and the noise, and the triumphant music of the band, it was a most successful and auspicious opening.
Explore 200 years of history as it appeared in the pages of The Times, from 1785 to 1985: thetimes.co.uk/archive
