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Sylvia Ma

A century ago in the summer of 1924, the world’s eyes turned to Paris as the City of Lights welcomed the Games of the VIII Olympiad, with tales emerging of athletic prowess, cultural exchange and the electric energy of a post-war world coming together.
Now, as the Games return to France, we journey back to those Roaring Twenties to see how the last Paris Olympics were captured in the ink of the Post.
China’s Olympic debut – almost
Paris 1924 marked the first appearance of China in an Olympic venue, but its athletes did not compete.
Four tennis players from the Republic of China – the sovereign state in mainland China from 1912 to 1949 – had signed up to play.

They took part in the opening ceremony of the Games, but the quartet of Khoo Hooi-hye, Ng Sze-kwang, Wei Wing-lock and Wu Sze-cheung then withdrew from the tennis competition. As the Post put it succinctly:
The Olympic lawn tennis contests began today. The Chinese Ng Sze-kwong, Wei Wing-lock and Zee Heung scratched in the singles. – Reuter.
Another involvement with a link to China was that of British runner Eric Liddell, who won gold in the 400 metres and was later immortalised in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire.
Born in China to Scottish missionary parents, Liddell went to study in London at an early age. After winning his 1924 gold, he returned to China as a missionary teacher and stayed there until his death in a Japanese civilian internment camp in 1945.
A report in the Post on July 14, 1924 recorded his decision to head back to China:
Liddell, the winner of the four hundred metres at the Olympic Games, is at present at Edinburgh University. He intends to remain there another year for theology and then go to China as teacher in the Presbyterian Missionary School. – Reuter.
Plus ca change?
Some aspects of the Games 100 years ago offer a sign of the times: polo was part of the Olympics, but is now long gone.
The 1924 Games bore some similarities to the 2024 edition, however, featuring swimming and cycling among its 23 sports.
Then, just as now, Australians and Americans were doing well in the pool, as documented in the Post in editions that hit streets on July 17 and 28:
Paris, July 15. – In the Olympic contests, the fifteen hundred metres swimming race, free style, was won by Charlton (Australia) … Charlton’s time was 20 min. 6⅗ secs, a world’s record.
London, July 26. – At Harrow Baths this afternoon, the American Olympic swimmers beat the British Empire Olympic competitors by nine events to two.
A century on, swimming will again be hotly anticipated, especially in Hong Kong. The city’s star athlete Siobhan Haughey will chase medals in the 100 and 200m freestyle, with Australian rivals her likely biggest obstacle to success. She won silver medals in both races at the Tokyo Games.

Some other things do not change: the United States was top of the medal table printed by the Post, just as it tends to be nowadays.
Finland was second, which would be a surprise in 2024. France was third, which is not far from its projected placing of fourth this time.
Expensive Paris
The Post also covered tourists’ experience of Paris during the Games. On July 18, it published a column from the United Press, in which the writer Minott Saunders recounted a costly stay:
There will be reasonable and at the same time good places to live, but visitors should not expect too much. This is a fete season and prices range accordingly.
They have a pleasant practice of being poor mathematicians and they count badly, which is universal among waiters … Many Americans unfamiliar with French money do not bother to count it. Waiters bank on this, and some profit by it.

Another piece the Post published on the same day, also from United Press, commented on the transport and facilities:
Unfortunately, facilities for seeing the Games are unsatisfactory, and it is impossible now to improve them greatly. The main entrance to the stadium is from a narrow street in a village, and traffic congestion makes approach impossible for auto-buses.
The stadium also leaves much to be desired in comfort. None of the seats have backs, and the grandstands are tin-roofed, giving the summer sun every possible chance.


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China’s weird Olympic ‘debut’, Chariots of Fire runner: how Post reported 1924 Paris Games

Eric Liddell, on whom the film Chariots of Fire was partly based, on his way to 400 metres gold in 1924. Photo: Underwood & Underwood/Corbis

An archived image of the Post’s coverage of the 1924 Paris Olympics. Photo: SCMP

Australia and the United States enjoyed success in the pool in 1924. Photo: SCMP

The Post’s medal table from the last Paris Olympics. Photo: SCMP

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Zhang Yufei, pictured with her 200 metres butterfly gold medal at the Tokyo Games, will swim again in Paris. Photo: AP

Skateboarder Zheng Haohao competes in the Olympic qualifier series in Budapest in June. Photo: Xinhua

China’s Wang Shun, one of the swimmers implicated in the TMZ story, is in China’s squad for Paris. Photo: AFP

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Saudi Arabia’s Tareg Hamedi won a silver medal in karate at the Tokyo Games, but was rewarded at home as though he had won a gold medal. Photo: Reuters

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Tareg Hamedi was a champion in his country’s eyes. Photo: AFP

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Pedestrians walk past fences erected on the Alexandre III bridge Olympic site in Paris. Photo: AFP

The River Seine will be the site of the opening ceremony. Photo: AP

Members of the Brazilian and French police patrol in front of the Sacre-Coeur Basilica ahead of the Paris Olympics. Photo: DPA

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The Buzz

Several themes will be familiar to today’s readers – US top of medal table, Australian swimming gold and high costs for tourists


Several themes will be familiar to today’s readers – US top of medal table, Australian swimming gold and high costs for tourists.


China’s weird Olympic ‘debut’, Chariots of Fire runner: how Post reported 1924 Paris Games

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Several themes will be familiar to today’s readers – US top of medal table, Australian swimming gold and high costs for tourists

China’s Olympic debut – almost

Several themes will be familiar to today’s readers – US top of medal table, Australian swimming gold and high costs for tourists