Women took part in the games for the first time, with sailor Hélène de Pourtalès, born Helen Barbey in New York City,[2] becoming the first female Olympic champion.

The decision to hold competitions on a Sunday brought protests from many American athletes, who traveled as representatives of their colleges and were expected to withdraw rather than compete on their religious day of rest.

Professionals competed in fencing, as was tradition, and Albert Robert Ayat (France), who won the épée for amateurs and masters, was awarded a prize of 3,000 F (equivalent to €12,867 in 2022[3]).

[11] The host nation of France fielded 72% of all athletes (720 of the 997) and won the most gold, silver and bronze medal placings.

The Baron de Coubertin believed this would help public awareness of the Olympics and submitted elaborate plans to rebuild the ancient site of Olympia, complete with statues, temples, stadia, and gymnasia.

A committee was formed for the organization of the Games, consisting of some of the more able sports administrators of the day, and a provisional program was drawn up.

Sports to be included at the games were track and field athletics, swimming, wrestling, gymnastics, fencing, French and British boxing, river and ocean yacht racing, cycling, golf, lifesaving, archery, weightlifting, rowing, diving, and water polo.

It was an empty threat, but Viscount Charles de La Rochefoucauld, the nominated head of the organizing committee, stepped down rather than be embroiled in the political battle.

The Baron de Coubertin, also secretary-general of the USFSA, was urged to withdraw from active involvement in running the Games and did so, only to comment later, "I surrendered—and was incorrect in doing so."

The IOC ceded control of the Games to a new committee to oversee every sporting activity connected to the 1900 Exposition Universelle.

Alfred Picard appointed Daniel Mérillon, the head of the French Shooting Association, as president of this organization in February 1899.

Mérillon published an entirely different schedule of events, which resulted in many of those who had made plans to compete with the original program withdrawing and refusing to deal with the new committee.

The tennis gold medalists were all former Wimbledon champions; swimming and fencing events were of a good standard; and even polo, a minority sport for the social elite, was well represented by some of the best players in the game.

Belgian Hubert Van Innis took two gold medals and one silver and would add to his tally twenty years later in Antwerp.

Only George Orton, who won Canada's first Olympic title in the shorter of the two steeplechases, ruined a perfect record for the British.

Intended to follow the track of the old city wall, the course was poorly marked out and runners often got lost and had to double back on themselves before continuing.

French honour seemed to have been satisfied when Michel Théato crossed the finish line and a military band struck up La Marseillaise.

[citation needed] The chistera form of the game was played at this, the sport's only appearance at full Olympic level.

A single paying spectator attended the tournament, an elderly English gentleman who travelled from Nice for the early stages.

Margaret Ives Abbott, a student of art from Chicago, played in and won a nine-hole golf tournament on an October Tuesday in Paris.

[15] To support the recognition of a total of 95 medal events per Mallon's suggestion, one more race in each of 2 other classes (0.5-1t and 3-10t) has been recognized by the IOC.

A number of people named as members of medal-winning crews by the IOC have been proved not to have competed; others have their participation seriously questioned by historical research.

Switzerland's Konrad Stäheli was the outstanding marksman of the Games, taking a trio of titles and leading his country to the top of the shooting medal table.

John Arthur Jarvis of Great Britain, Frederick Lane of Australia and the German Ernst Hoppenberg each won two titles.

Edgar Aabye was a journalist covering the Games for the Danish newspaper Politiken and was asked to join the team when another puller was taken ill. Osborne Swimming Club, representing Great Britain, were unchallenged in the tournament, scoring 29 goals and conceding only 3 in their 3 matches.

An enormous number of events was held, though many fall short of the standards later required for Olympic championship status.

Four planned competitions were not organized due to a lack of participants: balle au tamis [fr], field hockey, jeu de paume and lacrosse.

Francisco Henríquez de Zubiría[40][41] of Colombia was a silver medal-winner on the French tug of war team.

Otherwise unrepresented countries whose athletes competed for other countries: Some sources also list athletes from the following nation as having competed at these Games: Debuting nations at the games included Argentina, Belgium, Bohemia, Cuba, Haiti, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Persia, Peru, Romania, Russia and Spain.

[47][48] Whilst 2nd place silver medals were awarded in shooting, rowing, yachting, tennis, gymnastics, sabre, fencing, equestrian and athletics.