1920's Sports | Olympics: The Eighth Olympic Games

Birth of the American Olympic Association.

To honor retiring International Olympic Committee Chairman Baron de Coubertin, the man responsible for proposing the modern Olympic Games in the early 1890s, the Eighth Olympics were held in Paris in July 1924. To resolve a power struggle among organizations hoping to direct the U.S. team, the American Olympic Association—composed of representatives from the competing groups—was created on 25 November 1921 as a permanent controlling board for American Olympic teams.

High Olympic Spirits.

With funding of $350,000, the 417-member American team departed from Hoboken, New Jersey, on 16 June on the luxurious S.S. America. The experience of the 1924 team was the antithesis of that of the 1920 team. Spirits and morale were high on the way to the games and were further buoyed by American successes.

Outstanding American Performances.

The U.S....