Summer Olympic Games 3.1 WORLD
During the Saint-Louis Games in 1904, what unusual and controversial event was organized on the sidelines of the official competitions under the name of “Anthropological Days”?
75% of players answered correctly.
THE CORRECT ANSWER: Competitions reserved for indigenous breeds
The 1904 St. Louis Games remain a dark stain in Olympic history because of the “Anthropological Days.”Organized by those responsible for the Universal Exhibition, these events featured members of indigenous peoples (Pygmies, Amerindians, Filipinos) forced to compete in European sporting disciplines for which they had no preparation.The pseudo-scientific objective was to demonstrate the supposed physical inferiority of non-white races compared to Caucasian athletes. Pierre de Coubertin, although absent, strongly criticized this degrading display, predicting that such masquerades would lose their prestige in the face of the reality of pure talent.This tragic event illustrates the systemic racism of the time and the misappropriation of Olympic ideals for the purposes of colonialist propaganda. It took decades for the Olympic movement to completely distance itself from these discriminatory practices to embrace a true universality based on equality.