All the competitors were amateurs, as was the order of the day, and collected small medals as their prizes. Various countries also donated prizes, with the winner of the rifle shooting competition getting a statue from Pershing of an American doughboy in action during the war. They were the brainchild of Elwood S. Brown, who headed athletics for both the American Army in Europe and the YMCA. They joined 1,000 other athletes and 7,000 troops from various countries in a mini-Olympics that drew big crowds. After years of war, they competed in the day and socialized at night.

Source: International New York Times April 01, 2020 06:22 UTC