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I've got to admit, the 1900 Paris Olympics wasn't really on our radar as something we expected to cover in 2024. We're probably a bit late (124 years late) to the party if we wanted to produce any news copy around the action, or so we thought. A curious case has been brought to light, the International Olympic Committe rectifying its historical records to award a silver medal from the men's 25km cycling race at the 1900 Games to France rather than Britain.

The IOC has agreed to rectify its historical records to reflect the fact that a silver medal from the Olympic Games Paris 1900 will now be credited to France rather than Great Britain. This was approved today by the IOC EB.

More: https://t.co/EZTyLRSJXy pic.twitter.com/sxMtrwxG2j

— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) June 13, 2024

The medal was, and remains, awarded to Lloyd Hildebrand, a British citizen who was born and brought up in France (even if the beacon of truth Wikipedia says he was born in Tottenham), competing for a French club before and after winning his medal at the 1900 Olympics.  

"As was the norm then, and for several later editions of the Olympic Games, athletes had only to send the number of their licence, established by the national federation where they were regularly competing, and pay the entry fees to compete at the Games," the IOC explained. "National Olympic Committees (NOCs) were not involved in the process, as they are today.

"Based on this newfound information, the IOC EB decided to apply the same policy as in previous cases brought to the IOC's attention. The medal won by Hildebrand will now be credited to France instead of Great Britain in the official records of the Olympic Games Paris 1900 and in the IOC's database."

Let's kick Friday off with the latest from Billionaires' Row, that's Britain's "most expensive street" (thanks to its £35 million average house price) that is home to private homes and embassies belonging to the world's super rich, but also a crucial quiet and safe active travel route used by thousands of cyclists. Well, it was used by thousands of cyclists... until the Crown Estate banned pedestrians and cyclists after complaints about "dangerous" cyclists causing "near misses" and putting residents and diplomats "at risk".

Needless to say that didn't go down too well, the Labour candidate for Kensington & Bayswater calling the ban "a selfish and spiteful act" and starting a petition calling for its reopening. Naturally, then, Conservative candidate Felicity Buchan also started a separate petition immediately afterwards, some cynics suggesting that might have more to do with the upcoming election than a sudden newfound want to champion the interests of cyclists (just type Felicity Buchan road.cc into your browser for the source of people's cynicism).

The London Cycling Campaign said it was "reeling" from the closure and shared a screenshot of a collision map, to demonstrate the choice now facing riders who can't use Kensington Palace Gardens for their journeys... "a park shut at night" or "an A-road with a grisly collision record"... pick your poison...

We're still reeling from @TheCrownEstate's decision to close #KensingtonPalaceGardens to walking & cycling (but not to cars!)

The N-S cycling alternatives?

- A park shut at night 🤦‍♀️

- An A-road with a grisly collision record 💀

Image via @betterstreetskc pic.twitter.com/PDzZ9ZMJzJ

— London Cycling Campaign (@London_Cycling) June 12, 2024

Well, there might be some hope, the Crown Estate yesterday telling the Evening Standard the installation of "temporary measures" may allow a "safe controlled reopening". The organisation claims it would "rather not" restrict access but near misses caused by "dangerous" cyclists meant there is a need for a "review of continuing cycling and pedestrian safety incidents".

And it seems like nobody is happy (except perhaps some residents), the two major party candidates, locals and the council all saying they want to see it reopened.

A council spokesperson said: "The council was very disappointed to learn that the Crown Estate has taken the decision to close Kensington Palace Gardens to pedestrians and cyclists, without any prior consultation with us. The closure of Kensington Palace Gardens removes a much-valued and largely traffic-free link for people walking and cycling between Notting Hill Gate and Kensington High Street.

"In addition, the closure of part of the pedestrian link from Kensington Church Street to Kensington Palace Gardens has removed an important connection to Kensington Gardens for Kensington residents."

Something tells me the Crown Estate might be announcing a U-turn in the near future...