What began as a local athletics festival grew to become the British Olympic Games in 1887. The first event open to women was knitting.
Prize money
Brookes learnt of the Olympiads in Athens and wrote to Zappas. The pair exchanged money that was used as prizes in their respective Games.
It was Brookes who in 1881 proposed to the Greek government that the parallel Olympics should be internationalized, according to an article at the time in the Greek newspaper Klio.
In 1890, Coubertin visited the Much Wenlock Games where according to Young he was initiated into the idea of an international Olympics.
Within four years the IOC was formed and the Greek government had agreed to host the first international Games.
"Until then Coubertin was relatively uninterested in classical ideas and Olympic revivalism," writes Georgiadis.
But the Olympic establishment continues to downplay the contribution of Zappas and Brookes. Jean-Loup Chappelet, secretary general of the De Coubertin Foundation, which is staging exhibitions in Athens in August, insists that De Coubertin's legacy is of primary importance.
"[He] is the one who worked hard toward this goal, networking with sports organizations ... founding the IOC in 1894, fighting for circulating the Games across continents, unlike Zappas and Penny Brookes who kept their games at the same place."
Both historians insist they are not interested in diminishing the role of the French baron but that Olympic history needs revision.
"I have no desire to discredit Coubertin but I do think others deserve some credit too," said Young.
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