Evangelos Zappas

Who was Evangelos Zappas?

Evangelis or Evangelos Zappas was a Greek patriot, philanthropist and businessman who spent most of his life in Romania. He is recognized today as a founder of the Olympic Games, who sponsored the Olympic Games of 1859, 1870, and 1875, and preceded the Olympic Games that came under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee. These Games, known at the time simply as Olympics, came before the founding of the International Olympic Committee. The legacy of Evangelis Zappas, as well as the legacy of his cousin Konstantinos Zappas, was also used to fund the Olympic Games of 1896.

During his youth, Zappas joined the Greek War of Independence, achieving the rank of Major and fighting in several significant battles. Following Greek independence, he moved to Wallachia where he had a successful career as a businessman, becoming one of the richest men of that time in Europe.

Aside from being the only major sponsor of the Olympic revival at that time, he is also known in Greece as a national benefactor, thanks to the foundation of several institutions and schools as well as sports and exhibition facilities.