The Russian Olympic Team Arrived 12 Days Late to The 1908 London Olympics Because They Hadn’t Updated to Using the Gregorian Calendar
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In the 1500’s most Roman Catholic countries & Scotland adopted the Gregorian Calendar (established by Pope Gregory XIII to compensate for the errors in time that had built up over centuries) over the Julian Calendar (introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC) . A lot of protestant countries however, ignored this new calendar for another 200 or so years. England stuck to the Julian Calendar until 1751 before finally making the switch. Orthodox countries took even longer to accept the change in calendars. Russia, for one did not convert to the Gregorian calendar until after the Russian Revolution in 1917. The funny thing was, in 1908, the Russian Olympic team arrived 12 days late to the London Olympics because of it.
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This seems unlikely, since they ha attended the previous 2 Olympics. Do you have a source for this fact?
It’s not true. In fact, Russia took three medals that year, in wrestling and figure skating. Their shooting team did miss their event, but not because they were using the wrong calendar. The fact is the absence of the shooting team was deliberate.
Your “fact” about the Russian Olympic team missing the 1908 Olympics is untrue. In fact, Russia took three medals at the 1908 Olympics.
They arrived late, but the Olympics ran until the end of October.
So they still competed, just missed the first events.
Maybe political or otherwise, at the summer Olympics some sports like skeet shooting, air rifle ect. Took place before the Olympics were opened.
That was at the London Olympics, 4 years ago.