Olympics once awarded medals for poetry; 1912 gold went to founder under 2 fake names
The Olympic Games once awarded gold medals for poetry, music, architecture, painting and sculpture alongside traditional sporting events. Introduced at Pierre de Coubertin’s insistence in 1912, the artistic competitions even saw the Olympic founder secretly win a literature gold medal under two assumed names. However, amateurism rules and declining interest eventually brought the unusual tradition to an end after the 1948 London Olympics.
