The First Olympians 4/7: He Came to Watch the 1896 Olympics. He Won Twice (The True Story of John Pius Boland)

Tales of Life: Ordinary People, Extraordinary True Stories · Oct 22, 2026 · 5m

(00:49) An orphan from Dublin

(00:00) A visitor in Athens

Chapters:

The First Olympians, Episode 4 of 7. The true story of John Pius Boland, a young Irishman who lost both parents by the age of twelve, studied law at Oxford and went to Athens at Easter 1896 to visit a Greek friend and watch the first modern Olympics. His friend, who was on the organising committee, entered him in the tennis tournament. Boland won the singles, and then won the doubles together with the German player he had beaten in the first round. When the flags went up, he asked for the flag of Ireland. Later he became a…