Evangelos zappas wikipedia

Evangelis or Evangelos Zappas (Greek: Ευαγγέλης/Ευάγγελος Ζάππας; Romanian: Evanghelie Zappa, 1800–19 June 1865) was a Greek-Romanian[3] businessman and philanthropist.

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.[1][4] 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.[5]

During his youth, Zappas joined the Greek struggle for independence (1821–1830), 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 majo