Olympic Committee Reinstates Jim Thorpe As Sole Winner

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Published on July 15 2022 6:01 am
Last Updated on July 15 2022 6:02 am

The International Olympic Committee Thursday reinstated American Jim Thorpe as the sole winner of the 1912 Olympics’ decathlon and pentathlon.

Thorpe was stripped of his gold medals in 1913 for violating the amateur rules because he’d been paid to play minor league baseball in 1909 and 1910.

After years of lobbying over the controversial decision, the IOC reinstated Thorpe in 1982, but named him the co-champion with the second place finishers in both events. Thursday, he was restored as the sole champion. Thorpe, who was the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal, died in 1953 at age 65.