by A call to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to reinstate Native American Olympian Jim Thorpe as the sole winner in his events in the 1912 Olympics.
When Jim Thorpe crossed the finish line of the 1,500-meter race, the final event in the decathlon at the 1912 Olympic games, he not only became the first American Indian to win a gold medal for the U.S. – he brought home two gold medals more than a decade before American Indians were officially recognized as American citizens. Proclaimed “World’s Greatest Athlete” by King Gustav V of Sweden, Jim Thorpe – born Wa-Tho-Huk, translated as “Bright Path” – became an icon of Native American strength and resilience.
However, six months after his historic win, revelations surfaced that Jim was paid what amounted to room and board while playing in a minor league baseball division in the summers of 1909 and 1910. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) promptly stripped him of his medals, removed his name from the official record, and refused him the opportunity to defend himself. They awarded the gold medals to the respective silver medalists, despite the fact that both refused official recognition.
In 1983, following a decades-long effort by supporters – and only after the Swedish Olympic Rules for the 1912 Games were uncovered and legal action threatened did they relent – the IOC reinstated Jim Thorpe in the Olympic record and presented his family with duplicate medals.
But the official Olympic record still erroneously lists Jim as a “co-champion” in his events.
This petition calls on the IOC to restore the record of Jim Thorpe as the sole champion in the pentathlon and decathlon events at the 1912 Olympic Games.
Native Americans have been invariably impacted by the ever-climbing barriers and setbacks of racism in the U.S., and the world of sports is no different. From more than a decade in government run boarding schools where every vestige of his identity and culture were attempted to be taken from him, to travel accommodations far inferior to his white Olympic teammates, to having his track shoes stolen minutes before the decathlon’s final race, to racist depictions in media downplaying his athletic achievements, Jim Thorpe had to overcome one racially motivated trial after another – and still managed to break world records.
To call Jim Thorpe a co-champion in his events isn’t just inaccurate, it stands as a painful reminder of the deep inequities even the most triumphant athletes of color have faced.
Bright Path Strong invites the IOC to join us in the work to create a level playing field for all who participate in the game. Your signatures on this petition will serve to support the resolution introduced by U.S. Congresswoman Deb Haaland, to compel the IOC to correct Jim’s record. This petition is just the first step in a series of initiatives tied to Bright Path – an upcoming feature film from Pictureworks Entertainment and a consortium of American Indian tribes to finally tell the REAL story of Jim Thorpe.
Sign this petition to right history today.
