Winner’s medal issued for the Paris 1900 Olympics. Bronze, 42 mm x 60 mm, 52 gm, by Frederic Vernon, Paris. The front, inscribed “Republique Francaise, Exposition Universelle, Paris 1900,” features a winged goddess scattering laurels over the grounds of the Exposition; the reverse identifies the sport as carrier pigeon competition, “Concours de Pigeons Voyageurs,” and depicts a victorious athlete upon a podium with a stadium and the Acropolis in the background. Stamped “Bronze” on an edge. Medal bears a few light marks and the reverse features discoloration to the left side.
This unique winner's medal is for the pigeon racing event, which, along with other events like angling, ballooning, cannon shooting, fire fighting, and kite flying, was not formally recognized by the IOC. Pigeons were also used as live targets in the shooting events, during which nearly 300 birds were killed. The Paris 1900 Games was the first and last Olympiad in history to use live animals as targets.
