2012 Olympiadas

Since 1896, every Olympic event has exhibited astounding performances, fantastic world records and mesmerising stories. Let us try to recall some of the reminiscences from the 1908 Olympics.

Background of 1908 Olympics

1908 Olympics were originally awarded to Rome, however, in 1906 a volcano known as Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed the city of Naples. This forcedItalian authorities to use the funds, reserved for OlympicGames, to help the affected people and reconstruct Naples. Resultantly, the International Olympic Committee had to reallocate the event to another venue and Berlin and Milan were the two other candidates besides London.

The Olympics were budged to London just eighteen months before the start of the event. Yet, the organizing bodies were able to construct a wonderful stadium, later named The White City, in west London.  The construction of stadium cost the British government approximately £60,000.

Olympics 1908 – Facts and figures

The opening ceremony took place on 27th April 1908. 2008 athletes, including 37 female athletes, from twenty two different countries participated in 11 events in 22 different sports. 1908 Olympics were officially opened by King Edward VII and closing ceremony was conducted on 31st October 1908.

The host nation i.e. Great Britain, topped the chart and won a total number of 146 medals including 56 gold, 51 silver and 39 bronze medals. The American athletes managed to secure second position with a total of 47 medals including 23 gold, 12 silver and 12 bronze. The Swedish participants collected 25 medals including 8 gold, 6 silver and 11 bronze to reach the third spot.

Interesting Points

Officially, the 1908 Summer Olympics are known asthe Games of the IV Olympiad. The organisers had only eighteen months to make preparations for the event, but many of British sport’s governing bodies had working experience of many years of organising large scale sporting actions. Owing to their experience and commitment, 1908 Olympics were much better organized as compared to any previous Games.

The first Olympic dogma was announced openly during 1908 Olympics as “the most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part”.

In 1908 Olympics Games, for the first time, the distance for marathon was fixed as twenty-six miles &365 yards. Furthermore, the diving was added into the Olympics for the first time.

However, the most amusing event came about during the marathon when Italian athlete, DorandoPietri,collapsed several times and when he was very close to the finish line, he ran the wrong way. Two officials had to hold his arm to bring him to the line, which became the reason for his disqualification and American athlete, Johnny Hayes who was second, received the gold medal. Nevertheless, the very next day Queen Alexandra awarded him a slithered silver cup as he was not responsible for his disentitlement. So Hayes acquired the medal but the glory went to Pietri.

It was the 1908 Olympics that witnessed the only walkover in the long history of Olympics Games. Oscar Swahn from Sweden became the oldest athlete to win a gold medal in Olympics for running deer shooting. Later on, he broke his own record in 1920 Summer Olympics.

Controversies

There were several controversies involved with 1908 Olympics, but the most famous one was the American refusal of flag dipping to the king Edward VII, who officially opened the event. The motive behind it is believed to be Britain’s denial of accepting the freedom of Ireland. This action of Britain government also resulted in a boycott by the Irish players.

Another controversy took place when American runner was accused of obstructing his British opponent during the 400 metre race. It was decided that race should be rerun but the three American runners refused to run. The British runner, Wyndham Halswelle, won the race by running all alone around the track.

The Swedish athletes did not join the opening ceremony as Swedish flag was not hoisted at the stadium.

Background of 1948 Olympics

1948 Olympics were the second occasion when London hosted this major sporting event. The festival took place after a hiatus of twelve years due to the World War II. Two previous Olympics i.e. 1940 Olympics scheduled for Sapporo, Japan and 1944 Olympics scheduled for London, United Kingdom had been cancelled. When the event was announced publically, many people debated whether it was the right time or not, as majority of the population werenear starvation and almost half of the world was in ruins,however, the 1948 Olympics turned out to be fairly popular and a great success.

Fortunately, the Wembley Stadium had survived the bombing in the warfare and was adequate for the event. It was the only occasion when an Olympic village was not erected. The male athletes had to reside in an army camp, Uxbridge while the femaleathletes were accommodated in the dormitories of Southlands College. It was unanimously agreed upon that the participants from different countries would bring their own food. In the end there was some surplus food which was bequeathed to the hospitals.

Many nations includingPuerto Rico,Burma, Ceylon, Lebanon,  Venezuela andSyria, made their first ever appearance in Olympics  in 1948 but some major countries were absent which blemished the event to some extent. Germany and Japan were alleged to be the aggressors of the war, hence not invited. The Soviet Union was requested to participate but they decided not to join in.

Olympics 1948 – Facts and Figures

The opening ceremony took place on July 29, 1948. A total of 4,104 athletes, including 3,714 males and 390 females, from fifty-nine different countries participated in 136 events in 17 different sports. The closing ceremony came about on 14th August.

The United States topped the chart and won a total number of 84 medals including 38 gold, 27 silver and 19 bronze medals. The Swedish athletes managed to secure second position with a total of 44 medals including 16 gold, 11 silver and 17 bronze medals. Athletes from France collected 29 medals including 10 gold, 6 silver and 13 bronze medals to reach the third spot.

Interesting Points

The 1948 Olympics were the first to be aired on TV by BBC. However, in these days only a handful of people owned television sets in UK.During these games, the women’s canoeing event was organised for the very first time. In sprint racing, the blocks were introduced to help the athletes get a start.

The most amazing performance during 1948 Olympics came from a thirty-two years old mother of two, Fanny Blankers-Koen from Netherlands. Most of the people know that she won four gold medals but only a few know that she was about to quit the games after winning two gold medals because she was missing her kids. However, her husband called and persuaded her to carry on. Later, she was given the title of “The Flying Housewife.”

Another great performer during 1948 Olympics was Bob Mathias, an American athlete, who won the gold medal in decathlon just two months after graduating from Tulare High School. Tragically, he died soon after returning to his homeland.

Controversies

Though 1948 Olympics were a success yet suffered controversies right at the outset. Three major countries i.e. Germany, Japan and the Soviet Union, did not participate in the event due to their role in World War II.

One major holdup at the Games occurred during the 400-meter race. The team from the U.S. won the race by a full 18 feet, however,one of the judges disqualified the U.S. team ruling that one of the team members had passed the baton outside the trail. The British, Italian and Hungarian teams were given gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively. The medals were given and the national anthems were played. However, the United States officially protested the ruling and an inquiry was instigated. After reviewing the films and still shots of the race, it was revealed that the pass was legal so the U.S. team was bestowed the gold medal. Subsequently, British and Italian teams received the silver and bronze medals.

After organising 2012 Olympics, London will become the first city to host the modern Olympics Games three times. Originally, besides London, there were eight other cities including Madrid, Moscow, New York, Paris,Havana, Istanbul,Rio de Janeiro and Leipzig,bidding for 2012 Olympics. However, London acquired maximum points for hosting the mega event.

Prior to 2012, London has the honour of organizing Olympics Games in 1908 and 1948. In 1908, London accepted to host the games only eighteen months before the start of the event as the original venue, Rome, had suffered a natural disaster. Likewise in 1948, London was in ruins and people were near starvation due to the catastrophic aftereffects of World War II. However, on both the occasions, even going through a tough time, London managed to start up the Olympics magnificently. Therefore, we can expect that 2012 Olympics would be another unforgettable occasion. The most iconic footballer, David Beckham, has shown interest in playing for the Great Britain football team during the Olympics which shows the prominence of these games.

2012 Olympics – Facts & Figures

Officially, 2012 Olympics are known as the XXX Olympiad and will be held in the recently build Olympic Stadium. The opening ceremony will take place on July 27 and the closing ceremony will come about on August 12. According to estimates, four billion people are expected to watch the opening ceremony around the globe. Paralympic Games, which will commence from 29August, will have their 60th anniversary.

More than 11,000 athletes from nearly 205 nations from all over the world will participate in 302 events of 26 sports. The five host boroughs for 2012 Olympics are Tower Hamlets Newham, Hackney, Greenwichand Waltham Forest.

The Mascots for 2012 Olympics

One of the most discussed features regarding 2012 Olympics is the two mascots. Wenlock is the mascot for Olympics while Mandeville is the mascot for Paralympic. Good-humouredly they are referred to as “two parts-Teletubby, one-part lava lamp.” For eyes, the sporty duo has cameras and taxi headlights. Wenlock is wearing bracelets in the same colours as of Olympics rings while Mandeville has a pink stopwatch around its wrist to highlight the competitive nature of the games.

If you live in UK, you might happen to see these two, as currently they are on a tour making friends, around the country.

Interesting Points

The motto for 2012 Olympics is “Live as one.” The presence of around 20,000 media representatives is expected. There would be around 500,000 spectators every day to watch the proceedings. More than nine thousand houses will be built for the event. One amusing aspect is related to the food consumption by the athletes; approximately 350 ton vegetables and 100 ton meat will be consumed. More than two hundred buildings have beendemolished around the 2.5 square kilometre area of Olympic Park.

Economic Aspects

The 2012 Olympics would boost the economy of United Kingdom as revenue of ten billion pounds will be generated as a whole. Another 2.1 billion pounds will be generated from the tourists attracted by these games. More than 12,000 new job opportunities would be created.

Tickets for Olympics 2012

Tickets are available till 26th April 2011, however, you need to have a visa card as it is the only accepted payment mode. Make sure you buy tickets via official London 2012 sales channels as there are countless scamming websites selling fake tickets. To make sure you buy an original ticket, first check the list of legitimate ticket sellers at the official website of 2012 Olympics.