Our Bright Path's tweet: On the 110th anniversary of the medal ceremony of the 1912 Games, Jim Thorpe’s rightful place in the @Olympics records is restored — as the sole #GoldMedal winner of the #Decathlon & #Pentathlon.
By Philip Barker
Jim Thorpe is once again to be recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the sole gold medal winner of the 1912 Olympic pentathlon and decathlon.
The decision comes on the exact anniversary of his decathlon gold medal 110 years ago.
The IOC relented after a two-year campaign by the Bright Path Strong organisation, which is inspired by Thorpe’s indigenous name Wa-Tho-Huk (meaning Bright Path) as a member of the Sac and Fox community.
World Athletics are also to amend their roll of honour to record him as champion in both events.
“We welcome the fact that, thanks to the great engagement of Bright Path Strong, a solution could be found,” IOC President Thomas Bach said.
“This is a most exceptional and unique situation, which has been addressed by an extraordinary gesture of fair play from the National Olympic Committees concerned.”
At the 1912 Stockholm Games, Thorpe had been given many accolades.
King Gustav V of Sweden famously told him “You sir are the greatest athlete in the world”
Thorpe was stripped of the medals in 1913 after it was discovered that he had received payment for playing baseball which was deemed in contravention of the regulations on amateur status in force at the time.
He remained a revered figure in American sport and was even the subject of a Hollywood film “Jim Thorpe, All American” directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Burt Lancaster.
The IOC Executive Board had reinstated Thorpe as joint champion in 1982 after representations from the United States Olympic Committee.
The IOC President at that time was Juan Antonio Samaranch.
He made presentations to Thorpe’s children after an IOC Executive Board meeting in Los Angeles.
At the time, the IOC remained unwilling to restore Thorpe as “sole” champion but did
after receiving permission from surviving family members of both athletes upgraded to gold after Thorpe’s disqualification.
Bright Path Strong had contacted the Swedish Olympic Committee and descendants of decathlete Hugo Wieslander and confirmed that before he died in 1976, he had indicated that he regarded Thorpe as the “sole legitimate champion.”
Norwegian Sports authorities gave the same declaration regarding pentathlete Ferdinand Bie who died in 1961.
Wieslander and Bie will now again be recorded as silver medallists in the respective official records.
The IOC have confirmed that Thorpe’s fellow American James Donahue and Canadian Frank Lukeman will both retain the medals they were awarded when the pentathlon results were revised in 1913.
Decathletes Charles Lomberg and Gösta Holmér both from Sweden keep the medals they were awarded in the decathlon.
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