Olympiade de la Republique

Paris, France. Revolutionary national games on the Champ de Mars

Overview

Staged under the French Directory on the Champ de Mars in Paris from 1796 to 1798, the Olympiade de la Republique was a national festival modeled on the ancient Games, with footraces, horse and chariot races and wrestling. The 1798 edition is credited with the first use of the metric system in sport, as distances and times were recorded in the new decimal units.