Olympika XVII (2008), pp. 101-132 101 ‘Olympic Games Are an International Farce’: The 1920 Antwerp Games and the Question of Great Britain’s Participation Matthew P.Llewellyn * he Euphoria that surrounded the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) deci- sion to award the 2012 Summer Olympic Games to the City of London creates the impression that the Olympics are central to the aspirations of British sport. Upon closer inspection, however, British ainity for the Olympic Movement appears to be a very recent phenomenon. In fact, history reveals the Olympic matters held an extremely tenuous position in Britain throughout the formative years of Modern Olympic competition. he nation’s apathy emerged most clearly during the 1920 Olympic Games held in Antwerp. his essay examines how the Council of the Brit- ish Olympic Association’s (BOA) attempts at ensuring the nation’s participation in Antwerp proved extremely diicult. Appealing to the beneicence of the British pub- lic, the British Olympic Committee (BOC) launched a 30,000 fund-raising scheme in an efort to train and prepare the nation’s athletes for Antwerp. he diiculties in raising such a prodigious amount would ultimately force the BOC to seriously question the nation’s participation in future Olympic competition. v On July 6, 2005 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the 2012 summer Olympic Games to the city of London. In defeating a highly favored Paris bid, the British capital realized the unrivaled prospect of hosting the sum- mer games for the third time since Baron Pierre de Coubertin’s 1894 revival of the Olympic movement. Relecting on the IOC’s decision, former Prime Minis- ter Tony Blair described London’s nomination as a “momentous day” for Great Britain. 1 London bid leader and former Olympic gold medalist Sebastian Coe re- iterated Blair’s message, expressing his joy that Britain had captured “the biggest prize in sport,” the Olympic Games. 2 he euphoria that surrounded the IOC’s decision creates the impression that the Olympic Games, like the World Cup in soccer, are central to the aspirations of British sport. Upon closer inspection, however, British ainity for the Olympic Movement appears to be a very recent phenomenon. In fact, history reveals that Olympism 3 held an extremely tenuous position in Great Britain throughout the formative years of modern Olympic competition. he nation’s apathy emerged most clearly during the 1920 Olympic Games, organized in haste and held in the war-torn city of Antwerp, Belgium. 4 * Matthew Llewellyn is a Ph.D. candidate at Pennsylvania State University in State College, Penn- sylvania, U.S.A.