Charles Dvorak - 1900 Summer Olympics

1900 Summer Olympics

In 1900, funds were solicited from faculty, students, alumni and Ann Arbor businessmen to send Dvorak, three other Michigan track athletes, and Coach Fitzpatrick to the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. In Paris, Dvorak missed the event finals following a controversy over the scheduling of certain event finals for a Sunday. Several American athletes agreed they would not violate Sabbath. The pole vault, in which Dvorak was a favorite, was one of the events scheduled for Sunday. Two of the Americans (Dvorak and Bascom Johnson) nevertheless went to the Racing Club grounds where the event was to be held. They were told not to worry, that the event had been rescheduled. The officials later changed their decision, and the event was held after Dvorak and Johnson had left. Irving Baxter won the competition with a jump of 10 feet, 10 inches. Because of the confusion, a special, albeit unofficial, competition was arranged for the athletes who had not participated in the Sunday event. Dvorak took the silver medal in the special competition with a jump of 11 feet, 1-3/4 inches.

On his return from Paris, Fitzpatrick praised the American athletes and criticized Paris officials for holding key event finals on a Sunday: "The Americans showed themselves superior in every kind of track athletics. They won practically everything. We felt keenly the breach of faith in holding the Paris games on Sunday, but we could do nothing more than make a formal protest."

An entirely different account of Dvorak's disqualification was published in October 1900 by The Michigan Alumnus. According to the latter account, Dvorak's "form in vaulting had been a revelation to the Frenchmen. Each day cries of 'Bravo! Bravo!' could be heard as Charlie swung over an eleven foot jump with the greatest ease." However, on the day of the finals, Dvorak and the Princeton vaulters chose not to cross the patch where the 100 meters run was occurring and therefore did not arrive at the standards until the other contestants had made their first trial jump. According to this account, Dvorak and the Princeton vaulters were not allowed to participate due to their late arrival.