Highlights

• Francisco Lázaro, a Portuguese runner died from the heat while running the marathon, the first athlete in the history of the modern Olympics to die during competition.
• American Jim Thorpe won the pentathlon and the newly created decathlon. He was disqualified because of violation of principles of amateurism, but was reinstated in 1982.
• Swedish marksman Oscar Swahn became the oldest Olympic gold medalist (up to that time), at the age of 64, in the deer-shooting event.
• Women's events in swimming and diving were introduced.
• Sweden, as the host country, refused to allow boxing events.
• Future World War II General George S. Patton took part in the first modern pentathlon competition. Modern pentathlon was the idea of Pierre de Coubertin.
• In athletics, electronic timing devices were first used.
• For the first time the Serbian athletes took part. They were the representatives of Kingdom of Serbia and were sent by the Serbian Olympic Club: sprinter Dušan Milošević, who ranked third in the 100 m qualification group and marathon runner Dragutin Tomašević, who finished in 37th position.
• Ewart Douglas Horsfall won his first two gold medals for Great Britain in rowing. He has widely been considered Britain's greatest rower prior to Steve Redgrave.
• 1912 saw the first art competitions at the Olympic Games, a tradition that was to be kept up until 1948. The American Walter Winans became the only person ever to win Olympic medals both in an athletic competition (a silver medal in shooting) and in an art competition (a gold medal in sculpture).

Medals awarded

Demonstration sport