Museum on the Move: Inspiration for the Modern Olympics

Brookes still dreamt of an international games and so continued writing letters.

In 1859 Brookes sent a £10 prize to be awarded at the first Athens Olympic Games.
His correspondence with Greek officials and even King George of Greece continued for many years to come, as he tried to persuade the Greek Government to start an International Olympian Festival.

In 1861 Brookes founded the Shropshire Olympian Games. Four years later he helped to establish the National Olympian Association. He immediately started campaigning across the West Midlands to build up support for the Association. The first National Games was held at Crystal Palace, London in 1866. On the day the famous cricketer W.G. Grace was excused from a cricket match to compete in and win the 440 yards hurdle race.

In 1890 the organiser of the International Congress on Physical Education, Baron de Coubertin, came to see Brookes and the Wenlock Olympian Games. He and Brookes spent many hours sharing their hopes and dreams for sport.

Four years later, Coubertin invited Brookes as an honorary committee member to an international congress of sportsmen and physical education enthusiasts. Unfortunately, now aged 85 and in ill health, Brookes was unable to travel to France.
However, Coubertin received the support needed to take the dream of an international Olympics forward. In 1896, just 4 months after Brookes’ death the first Games was held in Athens.

Coubertin wrote an obituary to his “oldest friend” saying:

“If the Olympic Games that Modern Greece has not been able to revive still survives today, it is due, not to a Greek, but to William Penny Brookes.”

Click below to download a pdf of the "Inspiration for the Modern Olympics" exhibition panel