History of Olympic Games. Media "sport-express internet" founder of jsc "sport-express" editor-in-chief maksimov

After a 12-year hiatus caused by World War II, in 1948 London hosted the Summer Olympics for the second time. Europe was still in ruins, so this Olympics got the name "Severe Games", as it took place in difficult weather conditions and in conditions close to Spartan - against the backdrop of post-war devastation and the restoration of national economies. The budget for the Olympics was only £ 70,000. Not a single new sports facility was built, for the first time an Olympic village was built for athletes - athletes were settled in military camps and barracks, and women in a college building. Nevertheless, the Games themselves were successful, smoothly and accurately, aroused great interest in the world, and Olympic movement proved that she managed to survive after the world conflict.

The record number of participating countries is 59. Germany and Japan were not invited. The USSR received an invitation, but decided to refuse.

The games were held from July 29 to August 14, 1948. 4099 athletes took part in them (including 385 women).

136 sets of medals were played in 17 sports.

Games Emblem

Official poster of the 1948 London Olympics

Gold medal. The medals were presented to the athletes in a box

Olympic torch - 1948

Final preparations. A worker checks the Olympic flame bowl at Wembley

Treadmills are being prepared at Wembley Stadium

Workers set up a sign to the Olympic stadium

Opening day. A torchbearer with a torch runs through Windsor towards the main arena of the Games.

July 29. Opening ceremony for the XIV Olympiad at Wembley Stadium in London in front of 85,000 spectators. Air temperature 32 degrees

Opening of the Games. Gards come out on the field

King George VI of Great Britain welcomes IOC members

Parade of delegations. At Wembley the US team

Participants and teams walk past the main rostrum where the royal family is located

Pakistani athletes march proudly towards Wembley

About 2000 pigeons should take off into the sky. So far they are being sung with water

King George VI Declares London Games Open

For the first time in history, the Olympic Games were televised. BBC camera captures the opening of the Olympics

The Olympic oath on behalf of the athletes is pronounced by the medalist of the 1932 and 1936 Games in hurdles, a lieutenant colonel of the British Air Force, a combat pilot and a participant in World War II Donald Finlay

Track and field athlete John Mark, having made a circle around the stadium, stopped in front of the bowl. The famous saying is written on the scoreboard: "The main thing is not victory, but participation. Baron de Coubertin" (in fact, it was not he who said this)

The famous Wembley was photographed from an airplane during the opening of the Games

John Mark lights the Olympic flame

30-year-old Dutch runner, mother of two Fanny Blankers-Coon wins the 200 meter run with a huge advantage. A true heroine of that Olympics, she won four gold medals (in the 100, 200 and 80 meter hurdles, as well as in the 4x100 meter relay). A record that has not been broken so far. In London, Fanny performed with her third child pregnant. Fanny Blankers-Kuhn is recognized as the best athlete of the 20th century.

Finals of 80 meters hurdles. Fanny Blankers-Coon(far right) and British Maureen Gardner led the entire race

Finish of the 80 meter hurdles race. Only a few hundredths divided the Dutch and the British

The track cycling competition took place at the Herne Hill Velodrome, built back in 1891. This cycle track still exists today, being the oldest in the world.

General view of the "Empire Pool" during the swimming competition. In the same pool, competitions were held for divers, water polo players, as well as the final fights of boxers. Now the pool is not there, and the structure is called "Wembley Arena". During the 2012 Games, badminton and rhythmic gymnasts, Evgenia Kanaeva won her second Olympic gold here

The final of the men's 100m race was won by an American Harrison Dillard(leftmost). Panama Runner Lloyd LaBitch(in a dark jersey) finished third, winning the first Olympic medal for their country

American high jumper Alice Coachman sets a world record - 1.68. Alice became the first ever black female Olympic champion

Swedish kayak-two with Gunnar Åkerlund and Hans Wetterström during the 10 km drive passes the Henley Bridge on the River Thames. Swedes will win gold

The start of the road cycling race. The whole race took place in the rain

American runner Mel Whitfield with a gold medal in the 800 meters

Field hockey. National teams of India and Spain play

Fans and spectators approaching Wembley Stadium

Fanny Blankers-Coon and Maureen Gardner shake hands after dramatic 80m hurdles final

Finish of the 400-meter race. Jamaican Arthur Wint ahead of his compatriot Herba McKinley a few centimeters. Jamaica's first ever Olympic gold

American swimmer Ann Curtis wins 400 meters

Tower Jump Korean American Sammy Lee. He will win gold, and in four years will repeat his triumph in Helsinki. The legendary jumper died on December 2, 2016 at the age of 96.

To be continued...

, Great Britain

The 1948 Olympic Games became known as the "Austerity Games" because they were held in Spartan conditions, in an environment of post-war devastation and during the restoration of national economies destroyed by the world war. For the Olympics, not a single new structure was erected, so the athletes competed in conditions as close as possible to Spartan ones.

At the games, the Dutch athlete Fanny Blankers-Kuhn, who won four gold medals, and during the competition she was pregnant, declared herself. The decathlon was won by 17-year-old American Robert "Bob" Mathias, who became the youngest Olympic champion. V artistic gymnastics a crushing victory was won by the Finnish national team: the leader of the team, Veikko Huhtanen, became the champion in the all-around, in team championship It was the Finnish national team that had no equal, and in horse exercises, Huhtanen and his comrades Paavo Altonen and Heikki Savolainen won three gold medals at once, leaving silver and bronze unallocated. In football, the Swedish national team, led by the percussion trio Gre-No-Lee, consisting of Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl and Niels Liedholm, celebrated success.

Capital selection

Original text (eng.)

The Games of 1944 had been allocated to London and so it was that in October 1945, the chairman of the British Olympic Council, Lord Burghley, went to Stockholm and saw the president of the International Olympic Committee to discuss the question of London being chosen for this great event. As a result, an investigating committee was set up by the British Olympic Council to work out in some detail the possibility of holding the Games. After several meetings they recommended to the council that the Lord Mayor of London should be invited to apply for the allocation of the Games in 1948.

In March 1946, the International Olympic Committee, by secret ballot from among the candidates, chose London as the capital of the 1948 Olympic Games. The British were ahead of the delegations of Baltimore, Minneapolis, Lausanne and Philadelphia in this race. At the same vote, it was decided to hold the 1948 Winter Games in St. Moritz. Thus, these games became the second for London.

Innovations

Participants

59 countries took part in the games, which became a record for the Olympics. 4104 athletes participated: 3714 men and 390 women. Germany and Japan, as the countries that unleashed the Second World War, were excluded from the IOC and did not receive the right to participate in the Olympics. The USSR received an invitation to the games, but decided not to send its delegation and postponed its participation until 1952. For the first time, teams from Venezuela, Lebanon, Myanmar (Burma), Syria, Puerto Rico and Sri Lanka (Ceylon) took part.

Games opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of the games took place on July 29 and began at 14:00 local time. More than 85 thousand spectators attended the Wembley stadium. The ceremony began with a ceremonial performance by a military orchestra. At 14:35, the main representatives of the delegations of the participating countries arrived at the stadium, at 14:45, King George VI, his wife Queen Elizabeth, the mother of the monarch Queen Mary and other members of the British royal family appeared at the stadium. At 15:00, the parade of the participating countries began, which lasted for 50 minutes. By tradition, the Greek national team was the first, and the host country team (Great Britain) finished the procession. Lord Burley, initiator of London's bid for the 1948 Games, opened the opening address. The King stated the following in his speech:

The hour has struck. A dream that was previously only a vision has now become a glorious reality. By 1945, when the world conflict ended, many institutions and organizations collapsed and only the strongest survived. How many wondered how the great Olympic movement managed to survive?

Original text (eng.)

The hour has struck. A visionary dream has today become a glorious reality. At the end of the worldwide struggle in 1945, many institutions and associations were found to have withered and only the strongest had survived. How, many wondered, had the great Olympic Movement prospered?

After inviting the athletes for two weeks of "tough but friendly competition," the king reaffirmed London as "a warm flame of hope for better understanding in a world that has almost burned out." Big Ben's bell was solemnly sounded at 4:00 pm and George VI declared the games open. Two and a half thousand pigeons were released into the sky, and the Olympic flag was raised to a height of 11 meters. The Royal Mounted Artillery fired a volley of 21 guns, and torchbearer John Mark, having completed a circle of honor around the stadium, lit the Olympic flame. The oath of athletes was taken by Donald Finlay, Lieutenant Colonel of the RAF (wing commander). All spectators in the stadium and athletes sang the Great Britain anthem, including the Greek team. The 580-page game report stated the following:

So the Olympic Games in London were opened under the happy patronage. The smooth and precise ceremony, witnessed not only by spectators in the stadium, but also by radio listeners around the world, and the wonderful weather at the ceremony site, gave birth to a spirit that was imbued with fans of the thrilling intense sports over the next two weeks.

Original text (eng.)

Thus were launched the Olympic Games of London, under the most happy auspices. The smooth-running Ceremony, which profoundly moved not only all who saw it but also the millions who were listening-in on the radio throughout the world, and the glorious weather in which it took place, combined to give birth to a spirit which was to permeate the whole of the following two weeks of thrilling and intensive sport.

Opening ceremony and over 60 hours sporting events were broadcast live on the BBC and the games were the first to be shown on television. The cost of the broadcasting rights was £ 1,000.

Medal table

V unofficial standings the USA national team won a landslide victory, winning 84 medals, 38 of which were gold. The British won 23 medals, of which three were gold.

In the annals of the Olympic Games against the XII and XIII Olympiads it is written: "Did not take place". The Games were interrupted by the Second World War, which broke out three years after the Berlin Olympics. This long and bloody carnage generated such deep hatred between peoples that the revival of the Olympic Games seemed almost impossible. The Olympic flame has not been lit for twelve years. These were the years that burned the marks on our planet with a hot iron, the years that left behind open wounds and non-healing scars.

As soon as peace was concluded, the International Olympic Committee immediately decided to hold the next Olympics. The choice fell on the capital of England - London, where the XIII Olympiad of 1944 was to take place. And so London became the host of the XIV Olympiad in 1948.

In England at that time, a regime of economy reigned: the restoration of cities, and especially London, which had suffered greatly from the Nazi bombings, was still far from complete. Many Englishmen protested against the new weight that was falling on their shoulders. In spite of everything, not in the best, but quite acceptable conditions for the post-war period, the Olympic Games nevertheless took place. They gathered 4099 participants from 59 countries. Germany and Japan, which unleashed the war, did not receive invitations to the Games. For the first time, athletes from Burma, Venezuela, Guiana, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Syria, Trinidad, Ceylon, South Korea, Jamaica took part in the Olympics. Many countries affected by the Nazi occupation were unable to send well-trained teams to London.

The program of the Olympics did not differ much from the program of the 1936 Games. Only handball competitions were not held, for the first time women participated in kayaking competitions.

The Olympic Village was located in two locations. One part of the athletes was housed in the barracks of the Royal Air Force in Oxbridge, the other in a military camp in Richmond Park.

In terms of athletic performance, the London Olympics were not outstanding. The war ruined so many young talented people that there was nowhere to expect a large influx of worthy athletes. And yet, during the competition, four world records were set: one each in athletics and shooting and two in weightlifting. Several Olympic records have also been updated. For male track and field athletes, for example, ten out of twenty-four, and for women, six out of nine. The sailing position was more favorable. Men have updated four records out of six, and women - five out of five. Weightlifters of all weight categories have made amendments to the Olympic record tables.

Many of the London Games champions were still children when the last Olympic Games took place. American youth Robert Bruce Mathias was only five years old when Jesse Owens took the podium in Berlin.

Bob Mathias was born on November 17, 1930 in Tulare, California. He inherited his athletic ability from his father, Charles M. Matthias, who played brilliantly in his twenties. football team Oklahoma State University. In the year Bob was born, his parents moved from Oklahoma to California.

Bob grew up an ordinary child. It seemed incredible that he would ever prove himself in sports. At fourteen, he was a nervous, not very tall teenager, too weak to become a player in any sports team... However, he played ... the trumpet in the school orchestra. His father was a doctor and fed Bob with different pills, and his mother tried her best to fatten him up. The parents' worries were not in vain. Bob suddenly stretched out, his body strong and muscular. He started playing football, basketball, took up athletics.

By the age of seventeen, his parents had no more reason to grieve over his health. He became a handsome guy, with deep blue eyes, a square chin, and broad shoulders. He developed himself superbly physically and strengthened his reputation as one of the best school athletes in California.

One day, in early 1948, after the seventeen-year-old had won several medals in the inter-hotspot competition, his coach Virgil Jackson suggested Bob try his luck in decathlon at the regional Olympic qualifiers, which were to take place in California three weeks later. and no? - answered Bob, although he never jumped with a pole, was not fond of long jumps, did not run middle distances and did not throw spears - all these types were provided for by the decathlon program.
“I'll teach you,” said the coach.

Bob and his mentor worked hard for three weeks. And at the competition in Posadena, to their general surprise, Bob won the decathlon. He was ahead of the rest of the more experienced and older athletes, representatives of different colleges and clubs. - He was still completely green - only seventeen years old, - the coach later recalled, - but I had a premonition that Bob would win. He was always persistent and, in this sense, a damn dangerous child!

Soon, major competitions were to be held to determine the composition of the US Olympic team. It was a national championship that also played the role of pre-Olympic qualifying competitions. The championship was held in Bloomfield, New Jersey. To take part in it, Bob crossed the entire continent. His rivals were the best athletes in the country. Compared to them, Bob looked too young, immature. But nevertheless, he won against everyone and won the right to be a member of the Olympic team. A few days later, he went to London - the youngest American ever to wear an Olympic uniform.
Decathlon is the most grueling of all Olympic events. It requires one person to perform the duties of almost an entire track and field team. All ten numbers of the program differ sharply from each other, each requires a special art. Imagine, for example, the huge difference that exists between the types of pole vault, running 1500 meters, discus throw and hurdling. They are as different from each other as basketball, "boxing and rowing. Numbers in the decathlon program change abruptly, without transitions, this creates a huge nervous tension.
According to Olympic rules, decathlon competitions are held over two days. First day: running 100 meters, long jumping, shot put, high jumping and 400 meters running. Day two: 110 meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vaults, javelin throw and 1500 meters.

On August 5, 1948 in London, 35 athletes representing 20 countries began to compete in the first five types of athletics. By this time, less than three months had passed since Bob had taken his first lessons in pole vaulting and javelin throwing. There were so many rivals that it was impossible for everyone to start the competition at once, and they were divided into two groups. The second group had to wait until the first one finished their performances. This meant that half of all the participants had to perform after dark, which naturally created additional difficulties.
Bob Mathias ended up in the second group, while all of his main rivals were in the first.

The day was overcast, and it was raining almost all the time. Despite everything, however, the boy from Tulair scored an impressive number of points in reward for a long and grueling day, which began at ten in the morning and ended at eight in the evening.

Completely exhausted, he went to bed, but from excessive excitement he did not fall asleep that night. Bob after the first day of the competition took the third place among the strongest decathletes in the world! The next day London turned into a sea of ​​fog, rain and mud. It was, perhaps, the worst day of the XIV Games. Bob spent more than twelve hours at the stadium, wrapping himself in a blanket, which he threw off every time he went to the start. His food for the day consisted of two boxes of cold meat, but he was so tired by evening that the contents of the second box remained intact. Literally in the semi-darkness, he had to make a jump with a pole slippery with moisture, and when it was his turn to throw the spear, it was already so dark that it was impossible to see the limiting runway. The organizers were forced to illuminate this place with a searchlight.

Stayed last issue programs - running for 1500 meters. The clock was already over ten, and the only source of light came from the stands, where only a handful of fans were left because of the rain. On the second day of the competition, Bob tried as hard as ever. Crossing the finish line of the one and a half kilometer race, he already knew that he was going far ahead of all the other participants. After finishing his run, Bob literally flopped into the arms of his father, then, kissing his mother, he said:
“I couldn't take it all again, even for a million dollars.
Junior champion, youngest among Olympic victories athletes in the decathlon, managed not only to get ahead of rivals, but also to show an excellent result for those times: 7139 points.

Dutch athlete was recognized as the best sportswoman of the XIV Olympiad Fanny Blankers-Coon who won four gold medals. She won all the running numbers in the program. '' Damn it! She really flies, not runs, ”exclaimed one of the judges who watched the final 100 meter race in London.
Yes, there was something to be surprised about. The Flying Dutchwoman finished the run in 11.9 seconds, while her closest rival in only 12.2 seconds.
& nbsp And in the semifinal race of 200 meters, Blankers-Coon set a new Olympic record and in the final easily bypassed all competitors, having won the second gold medal.
& nbsp She received another gold award for the 4 x 100 meters relay.
& nbsp But the hardest thing went to her fourth. True, if we strictly adhere to the chronology, then this medal was the second. The day after the 100m, Fanny ran 80 meters hurdles.

She was very worried. Too much talk about the Englishwoman Maureen Gardner... Everyone considered it her favorite of these competitions. Best result Gardner was 11.2 seconds in the 80-meter hurdles. Before leaving for London, Blankers-Coon ran this distance in 11.0 seconds. It seems that you don't have to worry. But Fanny knew perfectly well that the fight would be serious and anything could happen on the track. The Dutch woman never met an Englishwoman or even saw her on the path. This increased the excitement.

Maureen Gardner arrived at the stadium in her own car and with her own barriers. She behaved very confidently, not to say - self-confident. Well, it's not so often an Olympic athlete with her own hurdles. The rival's confidence made an impression on Blankers-Coon. And soon Fanny became convinced that Gardner was indeed a strong runner. In the semifinal race, the Englishwoman touched the barrier with her foot and lost her pace, but still managed to take third place, giving the right to reach the final.
Yes, it will be difficult, Fanny thought.
Much was not in her favor. And above all - age. Fanny was already thirty, and she was raising two children, and Gardner was barely over twenty.
Fanny slept badly the night before the finale. Like in a movie theater where the same movie is being played, she had the same dream all night long: as if she was leading the entire distance, and Maureen Gardner bypasses her in the last meters.

In the morning Fanny got up completely shattered. I couldn't even eat breakfast because of intense excitement. I arrived at the stadium, warmed up. The nerves calmed down a bit. And now - the start. The lot decided that the rivals would run along the adjacent paths. That's good, Fanny thinks, I can keep an eye on Maureen. Starter shot. Everybody breaks off the blocks and rushes forward. Absorbed in thoughts of the Englishwoman, Blankers-Coon is late to take the start. "I sat too long," as the athletes say. The rivals were already a meter ahead. In despair, Fanny rushed after her with such speed as she had never run in her life. Already at the fifth hurdle, she caught up with Maureen Gardner. The "Flying Dutchman" flew so fast that, without calculating it, she approached the barrier too quickly and, hitting it with her foot, lost her pace. The rhythm was lost, but very little remained to the finish line. A few more moments, and both rivals cross the finish line at the same time. Who won? Nobody knows this yet. The winner will be determined by the photo finish.
Everyone is waiting for the film to be developed, and suddenly Wembley Stadium is announced by the sounds of the English anthem. It's over, Fanny thinks, I lost.
But she was upset in vain. The anthem sounded not in honor of Maureen Gardner's victory, but in honor of the appearance at the stadium of Queen Elizabeth of England. A few minutes later, Maureen Gardner approached Fanny Blankers-Coon and congratulated her on her victory. Both rivals were worthy of each other. Both set a new Olympic record of 11.2 seconds.

Fanny Blankers-Kuhn was unique in athletics. Four times she won the title of European champion in sprint and hurdling, many times set world records not only in the running numbers of the program, but also in the long and high jump. She was one of the first to start pentathlon and in 1950 set an unofficial world record - 4497 ​​points. The Flying Dutchwoman has participated in three Olympics. For the first time - in Berlin, she then just turned eighteen years old. She did not receive any medals, but was sixth in the high jump and in the Netherlands team - fifth in the 4 x 100 meters relay. The Olympics, which took place twelve years later in London, were Fanny's second and ended in a magnificent triumph.

In 1952, the thirty-four-year-old athlete came to her third Olympics in Helsinki. She came in a halo of glory, having three world records: in the 100-meter run, 80-meter hurdles and long jump.
During Olympic competitions two records survived, only the hurdles record was improved.
Fanny fell ill in Helsinki. She took part in the preliminary 100 meters race, showed a good result, but the doctor did not allow her to compete in the semifinals. In hurdles, Fanny still got to the start and even made it to the final, but in the final she fell on the third hurdle and left the race.

For the sporting feats of Fanny Blankers-Coon, a statue was erected in her honor in her native Amsterdam.

The audience, mesmerized by her playing, looked at the graceful pianist and did not believe that in front of them was a double Olympic champion... Moreover, in such difficult types of athletics as shot put and discus throw. The core and the piano ... An incredible combination! And yet the fact remains. Incredible, implausible, but fact. First prize winner of the Paris Conservatory Micheline Ostermeier won two gold medals and one bronze medal... The performance of the Frenchwoman became one of the sensations of the London Games.

In weightlifting, weightlifters from two countries - the United States and Egypt - shared all the gold medals. In freestyle wrestling competitions, the advantage of the Turkish wrestlers was clear: they won four gold and two silver medals. The "heaviest" gold medal - in the heavyweight division - went to a Hungarian wrestler Gyula Bobish.
The Swedes prevailed in the classic wrestling: five gold medals.

In fencing, out of seven gold medals, three were won by the French (in the individual and team foil fencers and in the team fencing competitions) and three - by the Hungarians (in the individual and team saber fencers and in the women's foil). Hungarian fencer Ilona Elek won first place at the Berlin Olympics. In London, she confirmed that all these years she remained the strongest foil fencer in the world. Olympic history does not know of a single similar case when a woman could win a gold medal again after twelve years. In general, Ilona Elek was considered one of the strongest foil fencers in the world for twenty years.
In addition to two Olympic victories, she has six victories at the world championships and five at the continental championships. She also took part in the 1952 Olympics, when she was forty-five years old. A wonderful athlete managed to win a silver medal in Helsinki.

The only Olympic shooting record was set in London by a famous Hungarian pistol shooter. This man, worthy of the greatest respect, has accomplished a real feat. In 1938, when he served in the army with the rank of sergeant, a defective grenade exploded right in his right hand and completely shattered it. Karoy amputated his right arm to the middle of the forearm. It seemed that sports would have to say goodbye.

But ... after Takach spent a month in the hospital, he secretly trained by shooting with his left hand. It took him eight months to regain his excellent athletic form, to once again master the art of shooting perfectly. And already in 1939, Karoi Takacs won the title of world champion for the second time, and was part of the Hungarian national team, which won the automatic pistol shooting competition at the World Championship.

In 1948, Takacs joined the Hungarian Olympic Rapid Fire Pistol Team. He was 38 years old. Before the competition, the main favorite, world champion and world record holder Carlos Valiente asked Takacs why he was in London.
Takach replied: "I am here to study".
& nbsp He won the gold medal in rapid-fire pistol shooting at a distance of 25 meters and surpassed the world record by 10 points. During the awards ceremony, Carlos Valiente, who won the silver medal, turned to Takach and said, "You have learned quite well."
& nbsp Four years later, in Helsinki, Karoi Takach successfully defended his olympic title and became the first shooter to become a two-time Olympic champion in rapid-fire pistol shooting competition.

A Swedish kayaker kicked off a large collection of Olympic awards in London Gert Fredriksson winner in a single kayak two distances - 1000 and 10000 meters, Danish yachtsman Paul Elvström winner in single sailing dinghy class "Firefly", and Hungarian middleweight boxer Laszlo Papp.

The first place in the unofficial team event was taken by athletes from the United States. They collected 548 points and won 38 gold, 27 silver and 19 bronze medals. The second were athletes from Sweden, the third - from France.
& nbsp Hungary has moved to the ranks of the strongest sports powers. Representatives of the young state won 10 gold, 5 silver and 12 bronze medals.
& nbsp An address to the British press, made by the American representative at the end of the Games on behalf of the US team, contained the following words of gratitude:
"We have not seen such great sport and camaraderie at any Olympic Games. We thank the UK and want to express to all countries our gratitude, good feelings and good wishes that have filled us during the Olympic Games."

Scandal in Switzerland.