Evangelis Zappa's Olympias - 1859

Evangelis Zappas (1800-1865), born in Northern Epirus and a great national benefactor, inspired by the poem of Alexandros Soutsos "Necessity of the Olympic Games" (published in the newspaper "ILIOS" in 1833), addressed to King Othon for the revival of the games in the now Free Greece.

For this purpose, he offered 400 shares of the Hellenic Shipping Company and 3000 imperial florins. Accepting the proposal as well as E. Zappa's offers, Othon submitted a plan for the establishment of the "Olympia", which aimed at National Progress. The organization of the first ''Olympia'' and the revitalization of the national industry were overseen by the committee established in January 1837.

Thus Othon ordered the following:

[The following are verbatim two articles of Government Gazette January 29, 1859 of Chapters A and S, respectively]

''About the start of the Olympia and the establishment of the Committees

Article 1

The official opening of the Olympia will take place on the first Sunday of October of the month of the year 1859 in the then designated Store, and they will last until the end of that month, when their end will be announced.

About Awards

Article 54

The prizes awarded at the Olympia are

1) GOLD coinage of first and second class

2) The SILVER mint likewise

3) The COPPER coinage, and

4) the PRAISE ''

[The following are verbatim excerpts from the newspaper "ELPIS" August 26, 1858]

"...regarding the constitution of the Olympians we decree the following:

Article 1. General Competitions are established in Athens, held every four years, under the name of "Olympia", in essence the products of Greek energy, and especially those of industry, agriculture and animal husbandry, will always be represented.

Article 7. The matches will be divided into Stefanitas and Chramitas. To the former will be awarded medals, according to their kind, gold of the first and second class, distinguished according to thickness and diameter, also of two classes, silver and copper and praises.

Article 8. These medals, on the obverse, will bear the bust of Othon A. King of Greece, Founder of the Olympians", and in the reverse, a crown and in the middle the words "Stefanos Olympiakos A or ΄B class. Champion Evangelis Zappa''. ''

The Olympia were very successful and so Evangelis Zappas decided to devote all his presence to this cause.

Sources:

Livre d'or de la Famile Soutzo, Alexandre Negresco Soutzo 2005

F.E.K. 1859

NEWEST ENCYCLOPEDIC DICTIONARY OF "SUN"

THE ELPIS EPHIMERIS OF THE BEGINNINGS OF SEPTEMBRIOU, August 26, 1858