The Native American Who Won Two Olympic Gold Medals – Then Had His Titles Taken Away Before History Finally Reversed The Decision
Brundage’s death in 1975 removed the most persistent individual obstacle.
His successor as IOC president, Lord Killanin, was more sympathetic to the Thorpe campaign, and his successor, Juan Antonio Samaranch, presided over the October 1982 vote that restored Thorpe’s honors — and the January 1983 ceremony at which the replica medals were presented to Thorpe’s children.
The campaign had worked.
The result it achieved was partial.
And the understanding of why the result was partial — why the IOC had declared co-championships rather than sole victories, why the scores had not been entered in the official record — would take another generation to fully articulate and address.
How Institutions Correct Old Decisions — And Why They Do It In Stages
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