New Evidence Supports Restoration of Jim Thorpe as the Sole Gold Medalist for His Victories in the 1912 Olympics

Jim Thorpe (Sac and Fox, Potawatomi) is an iconic figure in Olympic history. Those familiar with Thorpe will remember he won two Olympic gold medals in 1912 in Stockholm. What many may not know is Thorpe was stripped of the gold medals by the International Olympics Committee (IOC) one year later after it was discovered he had been compensated-payment amounted to the costs of his room and board-for playing minor league baseball prior to participating in the 1912 Olympics.

The IOC erased his records from the Olympic record books. To those concerned with Thorpe's legacy and historical accuracy, his medals and records were stolen from him.

Attempts to have the medals returned were not rewarded until 1982, almost 30 years after Thorpe's death (1953), when replicas were delivered to his family. Even though the gold medals were reinstated, the IOC did not restore Thorpe's records in Olympic history.

https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/new-evidence-supports-restoration-of-jim-thorpe-as-the-sole-gold-medalist-for-his-victories-in-the-1912-olympics