Evangelis Zappas

Evangelis Zappas Ευαγγέλης Ζάππας
Portrait of Evangelis Zappas in Zappeion
Born	1800 Labovë e Madhe, Albania (then Labovo, Ottoman Empire)
Died	19 June 1865(1865-06-19) (aged 65) Broşteni, Ialomiţa, Romania
Nationality	Greek
Citizenship	Greek, Romanian
Occupation	Businessman
Known for	Benefactor Revival of modern Olympic Games

Evangelis or Evangelos Zappas (Greek: Ευαγγέλης/Ευάγγελος Ζάππας; Romanian: Evanghelie Zappa, 1800–19 June 1865) was a Greek patriot, philanthropist and businessman who spent most of his life in Romania. He is recognized today as a founder of the modern Olympic Games, who sponsored the Olympic Games of 1859, 1870, 1875, and 1888 and preceded the Olympic Games that came under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee. 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.

During his youth, Zappas joined the Greek War of Independence (1821–1832), 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 Eastern Europe. Aside from being the only major sponsor of the Olympic revival at that time, Zappas's philanthropy also included contributions toward the foundation of several Greek institutions and schools as well as sports and exhibition facilities.

Evangelis Zappas was born of a Greek ancestry in 1800 in the village of Labovo, near Tepelenë, (modern Gjirokastër County, Albania), when the region was still under Ottoman rule. Zappas did not receive any education during his childhood. He left his village at the age of 13 and enrolled as a mercenary in the Ottoman militia of the local ruler Ali Pasha.