Sullivan was a chief organizer of the
1904 Summer Olympics. He decided to allow only one water station on the 24.85-mile course of the
marathon even though it was conducted in 32 °C (90 °F) heat over unpaved roads choked with dust.
His ostensible reason was to conduct research on "purposeful dehydration," even though dehydration is potentially fatal. The marathon ended with the worst ratio of entrants to finishers (14 of 32) and by far the slowest winning time, 3:28:45, almost 30 minutes slower than the next slowest winning time at the
1900 Summer Olympics.
[4] He also organized the Anthropology Days, a racist and cynical attempt to demonstrate athletic white superiority.[5][6]
The 1912 Summer Olympics allowed female divers and swimmers, but
Sullivan, on behalf of the United States Olympic Committee, barred American women from participating even though there were capable women willing to participate.
American athlete of Indian origin
Jim Thorpe competed in the 1912 games and won gold medals in the
pentathlon and the
decathlon. However, those medals were stripped by the AAU and the USOC, with Sullivan playing a prominent role in the decision,
[7] following reports that Thorpe had previously played semi-professional baseball. There is evidence that the AAU was aware of Thorpe's status before the games
[8][9] and allowed him to compete, only to rescind his medals afterward. Thorpe's gold medals were posthumously restored to him in 1983 and presented to his children in a solemn ceremony.
[10]
