Wenlock Olympics

Much Wenlock has a special place in the history of the modern Olympic games - and perhaps it could help to resolve a potential crisis in Moscow.

Dr William Penny Brooks established an athletic competition modelled on the original Grecian Olympic Games at Much Wenlock in 1850. He corresponded with like-minded sporting enthusiasts in France and Greece leading to the development of the modern Olympic games in Greece later in the century. That spirit of co-operation was under threat in 1980 when the Moscow games were hit by boycotts over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Could Much Wenlock provide an alternative?