Topic: Dmitri Pavlovich, GD
One of the first members of world royalty to participate in the modern Olympic Games was the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich—the grandson of Emperor Alexander II and cousin of Emperor Nicholas II.
As a child, Dmitri was weak and sickly; however, this did not prevent him from enlisting in the army as a guardsman. It was at the 1912 Olympic Games held at Stockholm, Sweden that he became a participant. He entered in the equestrian events: first in the individual show jumping competition, and then in the team competition. In the individual competition he finished in fifth place, and in the team competition in ninth place.
Grand Duke Dmitri returned to Russia without laurels, but to his credit as an organizer of sporting events, he showed himself to be bright and enthusiastic. Not only was he the president and driving force behind many other sports clubs, he became the pioneer of the Olympic Movement in Tsarist Russia.
The first Russian Olympic Games were held at Kiev from 20-25 August, 1913. Prizes were awarded to the winners from the grand duke’s own personal fortune. The outbreak of World War One in 1914 brought an end to the Russian Olympic Movement.
© Paul Gilbert @ Royal Russia. 30 July, 2012
Updated: Tuesday, 31 July 2012 6:49 PM EDT
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