War games : The Games destined for Berlin in 1916 were cancelled because of the First World War.

Late decision : 20-year-old Joseph Guillemot, a packet-of-cigarattes-a-day man, ran out the winner in the 5,000m, beating Finnish legend Paavo Nurmi. Guillemot could have repeated the feat in the 10,000m if the race had not been retimed from 5.30pm to 2.15pm. Guillemot was informed of the change at 1pm in the middle of lunch and suffered stomach cramps in the race itself, yet still won silver. He had to overcome a further disadvantage as he wore shoes two sizes too big after his own were stolen.

Special invite : Only countries regarded as allies and those who remained neutral during the war were invited to participate.

Local decision : It was not the IOC but the organising committee that took the decision to exclude Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey.

Royal opening : The Games were opened by King Albert I.

New symbol : Introduction of the Olympic flag - five linked rings: blue, yellow, black, green and red representing the five corners of the earth. On a white background these six colours represented the colours of the flags of all the participating countries.

Double confirmation : After an objection, the final of the 100m swimming freestyle was re-run. The initial winner, America's Kahanamoku, repeated his victory in the exact same time to the tenth of a second: 1min1.4sec.

Seasonal victor : The American Edward Eagen became the first athlete to win gold in the summer olympics and in the winter games, in boxing in 1920 and as part of a four-man bobsleigh team in 1932 in Lake Placid.

Olympic innovation : For the first time an athlete, the fencer Victor Boin, recited the Olympic sermon on behalf of all the competitors.

Flying Finns : The feat of the games was realised by the Finnish delegation. They numbered 60 and returned with 15 gold medals.

Fencing for five : The Italian Nedo Nadi won five gold medals.

Setting sights : England's Albert George Hill became the first athlete to win both the 800m and 1,500m.

New event : The 3000m Steeplechase made its first appearance as an Olympic event.

Suspicion : After celebrating the victory of his team in the 4x100m, relay, American athlete Morris Kirksey finds the hotel doors locked. He is arrested by the Police after they find him ascending the front of the hotel building. At the Police station, no-one is prepared to believe that he is the Olympic champion, and he did not receive his medal until the following day after he fails to attend the medal ceremony. Later, Kirsky, who also won a silver medal in the 100m and a gold in rugby, became the chief prison doctor at Saint Quentin.

Assassination : The American, James Howard Snook, a gold medallist in the team shooting event, was executed 10 years later in the electric chair. Aged 48, Snook, a veterinary professor at the University of Ohio, had battered his mistress, Theora Hix, 25, to death with a hammer. Hix had just informed Howard's wife of their affair, with Howard committing the crime in a car just across the road from the shooting club.

Pledge : The Belgian athlete who was given the honour of proclaiming the Olympic oath, Victor Boin, turns out to be in a class of his own, winning medals in various sports. During the Games in 1908, he won a silver in water polo and in 1912, the bronze. In 1920, he also won a silver in the team fencing event. But he was still able to demonstrate his sporting ability by taking part in swimming, ice-skating, ice-hockey, flying, and motorcycling. He went on to become president of the Belgian Olympic Committee and the founder of the International Association of Sports Journalists.

Revenge : The American John Brendan Kelly, a manual worker from Philadelphia who was prevented from taking part in the Henley regatta on the Thames, reaped his revenge by beating Britain's Jack Beresford, the champion. Kelly's daughter grew up to become Princess Grace of Monaco. Between 1920 and 1924, Kelly won three gold medals in the skiff event and the double sculls.

Unique : American Edward Eagan was the only athlete in the world to have won a gold medal during the Summer Games and one during the Winter Games. In 1920 he won the middle-heavyweight title in boxing and in 1932 at Lake Placid, he formed part of the victorious four-man American bobsleigh team.

Diving youth : The American diver Aileen Riggin wons the gold medal in the springboard event - while still only aged 13.

The Kangaroo : American Charles Paddock won the 100m thanks to a totally personal technique which affords him the nickname, "the flying man". Before crossing the finishing line he made a leap of around four metres in order to "save time" and thus obtain victory.