Olympic Glory Returns Home: A Jersey’s Amazing Journey
Life After the Games
After the 1960 Olympic Games, Dutch rowers Peter Bos and Kraft Schepke returned home, starting families and careers while the world around them evolved. Bos served in the navy, while Schepke worked in government and business to promote sports. They fondly remembered their Olympic days and reunions, where Bos brought along the jersey Schepke had given him after their final race.
Preserving Olympic History
“Isn’t it better for his children to have the shirt their father wore?” Bos pondered years later, deciding to return the jersey to Schepke.
The Jersey’s Journey Home
In 2013, Bos tracked down Schepke’s contact details and sent him an email. “He was quite surprised to get it,” Bos recalled. A week later, Schepke received a package containing his long-lost Rome 1960 jersey. The unexpected delivery stirred up old memories and drew heartfelt emails between the two old friends.
He has three children, a son and two daughters. And he said more than once, how nice it was that his son probably could have the jersey that he actually wore.
Lifelong Bonds and Olympic Legacy
The jersey’s return highlighted the enduring bonds formed among Olympians and the power of sports to connect people across time. As Bos reflected, “It meant a lot.”
Did you know?
- The 1960 Rome Olympics were the first to be televised live.
- The 1960 Games were also the first to feature Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) as part of the Soviet Union.
FAQs
- Who won the rowing event at the 1960 Rome Olympics? The United States (Eugene{dot}Stangelwi, William{dot}Kidger, Richard{dot}Levins, Donald{dot}Hanner) won the Men’s Coxless Four event.
- What other sports events were held at the 1960 Rome Olympics? The 1960 Rome Olympics featured a total of 25 sports. Some of the key events included athletics, swimming, cycling, gymnastics, and boxing.
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