| Bulgaria at the 1896 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | BUL |
| NOC | Bulgarian Olympic Committee |
| inAthens,Greece April 6, 1896 – April 15, 1896 | |
| Competitors | 1 in 2 sports and 4 events |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Bulgaria competed at the1896 Summer Olympics, the first Olympics, inAthens, Greece, from 6 to 15 April 1896. The delegation consisted of one athlete competing in two sports and four events – athleteCharles Champaud, aSwiss high school gymnastics teacher living inSofia. He is sometimes counted as a competitor for Switzerland. There were meant to be five competitors competing for the nation, but Champaud was the only one to arrive on time and the only one to compete. Bulgaria did not win any medals during the Athens Olympics.
Charles Champaud was the only competitor for Bulgaria in the Games.[1] He is also known for being one of two people to be credited with introducingassociation football toSofia in 1895, along withGeorges de Regibus.[2] In 1897, Champaud seriously injured his leg and was sent back to Switzerland for treatment. Nothing is known about his life after that.[2] The delegation consisted of five members, the head of the delegation,Todor Yonchev, who was also chairman of the gymnastics club,Yunak,Dimitar Iliev,Panayot Belev,Ivan Panchov, and Champaud.[3] However, Champaud was the only one to participate as the other four arrived three days late[1][4] due to a misunderstanding about theJulian andGregorian calendar systems.[5] The competitors were each paid 20gold lev per day, and their second class travel expenses were reimbursed.[3] Champaud has been listed both as a Swiss and a Bulgarian competitors in different sources. His name has also been spelled Champoff.[1]Cyril Verbus, a competitor for Belgium, was incorrectly reported as a Bulgarian athlete by French newspaper,Le Fiagro.[6]
| Sport | Men | Women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Gymnastics | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 1 |
1896 was the first year that the modern Olympic Games were held in and hence the appearance ofBulgaria at the Athens Summer Olympics marked their first Olympic appearance.[5] It took place from 6 to 15 April 1896.[7] The nation's delegation consisted of one athlete competing in two sports and four events.[8][2]
| Athletics at the 1896 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Track events | |
| 100 m | men |
| 400 m | men |
| 800 m | men |
| 1500 m | men |
| 110 m hurdles | men |
| Road events | |
| Marathon | men |
| Field events | |
| Long jump | men |
| Triple jump | men |
| High jump | men |
| Pole vault | men |
| Shot put | men |
| Discus throw | men |
Champaud was to compete inmen's pole vault, however he did not start. In the event, which took place on 10 April in the Panathenaic Stadium, there were 16 entries, but only 5 competed. The event was eventually won byBill Hoyt, an American.[9]
| Athlete | Event | Height | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Champaud | Men's pole vault | ||
| Gymnastics at the 1896 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Vault | men |
| Pommel horse | men |
| Rings | men |
| Parallel bars | men |
| Horizontal bar | men |
| Rope climbing | men |
| Team parallel bars | men |
| Team horizontal bar | men |
Champaud competed in three of the gymnastics events, winning no medals.[8] He competed in themen's vault event on 9 April at thePanathenaic Stadium;[10] he placed fifth.[3] The event was eventually won by the GermanCarl Schuhmann.[10] He then competed at themen's pommel horse event on the same day in the same place and came somewhere between 3rd and 15th place. That event was eventually won by the SwissLouis Zutter.[11] He also participated in themen's parallel bars event on 10 April in the same stadium and placed somewhere between 3rd and 18th. The event was eventually won byAlfred Flatow, a German competitor.[12]
| Athlete | Event | Score | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Champaud | Men's vault | Unknown | 5 |
| Men's pommel horse | 3–15 | ||
| Men's parallel bars | 3–18 |
