Antwerp (1920). The story itself begins in Antwerp in 1920, when the Games resumed after the First World War. And the truth is, it couldn't have started better. The Belgian Games saw the Basque Country's most impressive performance. Football, athletics and tennis were the three main events. All the details about the footballers are known, as they are an essential reference when talking about the history of the Spanish national team, which made its international debut at that very moment. The team won the Olympic silver medal, to which it would not be unreasonable to add the adjective “world”, as there was no competition of this nature until 1930 and the Olympics were the most important international championship. Thirteen Basques formed a total majority in the Spanish team, meaning that only five were not Basque: goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora, Samitier, Otero, Gil and Sancho. There were matches in which up to nine of the eleven starters belonged to Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, Real Unión and Arenas de Guecho. Even the most notable anecdotes feature Basque protagonists. Real Sociedad full-back Mariano Arrate was the first captain of the Spanish national team. Patricio Arabolaza, from Irún, scored the first goal that led to victory against Denmark. Félix Sesúmaga, who scored four goals, became the team's top scorer. And José Mari Belauste scored a goal against Sweden, which ultimately led to the silver medal. Incidentally, there is a well-known but implausible story about this goal. It is said that the Athletic centre-half asked his teammate Sabino Bilbao for the ball when he took a free kick, shouting: ‘Give me the ball, Sabino, I'll knock them down.’ The fact is that, shortly before his sad passing, José María Ferrer, one of the men who has worked hardest to chronicle Basque sport, especially football, assured us that he had spoken to a direct witness to that event, who simplified the much-quoted phrase considerably: ‘In reality, Belauste said something as simple and as Basque as: Aurrerá, Sabino, aurrerá!’ But the hackneyed ‘a mí el pelotón’ (to me the ball) was something like the baptismal faith of another cliché, the famous Spanish fury, a concept that attempts to bring together into a homogeneous whole styles as disparate as those seen at that time in different corners of Spain. With such a majority of Basque players, it is not gratuitous chauvinism, but logical deduction, that this team should have developed a style of play consistent with that practised in the Basque Country. Proof of this is that even today, the trophy awarded annually to the player who best embodies the qualities of that fury bears the name of Patricio Arabaolaza, of Real Unión. Of the eleven goals scored by Spain, nine were scored by Basque players: Sesúmaga (4), Patricio, Arrate, Belauste, Acedo and Pichichi. The results for this team were: 1-0 against Denmark; 1-3 against Belgium, their only defeat; 2-0 against Italy; 2-1 against Sweden and 3-1 against the Netherlands. In the match against Italy, Ricardo Zamora was sent off and his place was taken by Real's left winger, Silverio, who was advised from behind the goal by Zamora himself. As if the details that confirm the predominantly Basque character of that great runner-up team were not enough, even the battle cries before the matches referred to the very long surnames of two players, one from Athletic and the other from Arenas: Pa-ga-za-ur-tun-dúa, Be-laus-te-gui-goitia, Irulá, Irulá! The thirteen silver medallists, listed in alphabetical order by surname, were: Domingo Acedo, Mariano Arrate (captain), Juan Artola, José María Belausteguigoitia “Belauste”, Ramón Eguiazabal, Francisco Pagazaurtundúa ‘Pagaza’, Patricio Arabaolaza, Rafael Moreno ‘Pichichi’, Sabino Bilbao, Félix Sesúmaga, Silverio Izaguirre, Pedro Vallana and Joaquín Vázquez. But it was not only the Spanish team that had Basque representation, but also the French team, although their performance was much less significant. René Petit, born in Dax (1899) to French parents but adopted by Irún from an early age, who had started playing at the age of 14 for Racing de Irún, was called up by the French team for the Antwerp Games. From a sporting point of view, the anecdote would not merit further comment were it not for the fact that this fleeting participation in all its aspects closed the doors of the Spanish national team to the man who came to be considered the best player of his time on this side of the border, becoming Spanish champion with Real Madrid and Real Unión. We leave behind the football chapter and turn our attention to the five athletes competing in Antwerp: Félix Mendizábal, Juan Maguerza, Miguel García, Diego Ordóñez and Ignacio Izaguirre. The best performance was by Mendizábal, who qualified for the semi-finals of the 100-metre sprint after finishing second in the first two heats. However, he was eliminated in the first round of the 200 metres. Juan Muguerza, a name that comes up every January thanks to the cross-country race named after him in his hometown of Elgóibar, came sixth in the 5,000 metres heats and failed to qualify for the final. The youngest member of the team, Diego Ordóñez, who also competed later in Paris and Amsterdam, was only 16 years old and took part in the 100 metres sprint. He came third in the heats, which meant he was eliminated early on. The same thing happened to him in the 200 metres. He also took part in the 4 x 100 metres relay, alongside Félix Mendizábal. Once again, third place in the initial heat dashed any hopes of going further. Miguel García came third in the 800 metres heats and went through to the quarter-finals, which was as far as he got. Something similar happened in the 400 metres, where he came second in the preliminary round, which closed the door on the quarter-finals. Finally, in athletics, Ignacio Izaguirre threw the shot put 11.23 metres, a poor result that prevented him from advancing further. The San Sebastian tennis player Manuel Alonso, who had a brilliant performance, closed the participation in Antwerp. He reached the semi-finals, where he lost to Turbille, which deprived him of the bronze medal he deserved.