Workers Olympiad 1925

Frankfurt, Germany. The labor movement staged its own mass Olympics

Overview

The Lucerne based Socialist Workers Sport International held its first Olympiad in Frankfurt in July 1925, drawing some 3,000 athletes from about 17 countries and vast crowds. The second edition at Vienna in 1931 attracted tens of thousands of participants and about 250,000 spectators, among the largest sporting festivals of its day. The movement championed mass participation and free entry, and its festivals were extinguished by war and dictatorship.