Aristocrat Desborough was a formidable force, having climbed the Matterhorn, rowed for Oxford in the boat race and swum across the base of Niagara Falls and he was able persuade the organisers of the Franco-British Exhibition of to fund and build a stadium next to their west London site in return for a share of gate receipts.
In total, 12 sports venues were used for the Olympics across London, but this was the first time that a stadium had been specially prepared for the Games and that swimming would not take place in open water.
The grandstands were designed to accommodate 66, spectators, but the stadium could actually hold up to , standing on terraces. Completed in just ten months by George Wimpey, the stadium included running and cycle tracks, an open-air swimming pool and facilities for track and field athletics such as a pitch for football, rugby, hockey and lacrosse. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the summer of was a washout, with heavy rain turning the infield of the stadium into a mudbath.
The swimming pool also got swampier as the Games progressed, and by the end of the swimming events the water was so murky that competitors were colliding with each other.
The Olympics ran from 27 April to 31 October , the longest ever, and involved over 2, competitors from a record 22 nations — more than three times the number who competed at St. The Olympics were the first Games to award gold, silver and bronze medals previously some winners had received only a diploma and the first in which all entrants had to compete as a member of a national team, rather than individually.
It was also the first to include winter events figure skating events were held in October, months after the other events and in which women were allowed to compete — 37 women were amongst the competitors — although Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the IOC, was opposed to their participation.
Qualifying rounds and a limit on the number of competitors any one nation could field were also instated. Less successfully, powerboat racing and tug-of-war made their first and last appearances at the Olympics in , the latter dominated by British police teams who took home the gold, silver and bronze medals. The London Olympic Games were not without controversy, however, as international politics and contentious judging reared their heads on several occasions.
The Finnish team refused to carry a flag when they were told they would have to march under the standard of Tsarist Russia and Irish competitors were ordered to compete for Great Britain, causing many to withdraw. The United States, whose flag had been inadvertently omitted from being displayed above the stadium, retaliated by refusing to respectfully dip the Stars and Stripes as they passed the Royal Box.
This was a precursor of several arguments between the Americans and their British hosts who, by agreement with the IOC, provided all the judges and timekeepers. Americans lodged complaints of biased judging and bemoaned that British rules were applied to events. The tensions reached a climax in the final of the m, which was contested by three Americans and one Englishman, Wyndham Halswelle.
The final was won by American John Carpenter, but he was judged to have obstructed Halswelle and was subsequently disqualified and a re-run ordered. In protest the Americans refused to take part so Halswelle ran unopposed to secure the gold medal.
More controversy followed in the marathon, held on the final day of the competition. The US walked away in pole position as their medal haul reached 84, including 34 gold medals. In London, , Alice Coachman became the first African American woman in the history of the modern Olympics to win a gold medal in track and field.
He taught himself to shoot with his left hand and won gold in the 25m rapid-fire shooting in Olympics. To save money the gold medals were made from oxidised silver, 10, athletes competed in the London Olympics, from a total of nations.
History of London. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founding father of the modern Olympic games Just three years after allied forces marched into Berlin to effectively herald the end of WWII , London prepared to host the world's greatest sporting event. Did you know? Most Recent. Lesser known facts about The Battle of the Somme. A history of the poppy: Why we wear them as a symbol of remembrance and other facts. Houses of Parliament. Charles Dickens - Victorian Author.
Buckingham Palace. Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram. Poppy Logo. FB house promo. Share this article via facebook Share this article via twitter Share this article via messenger Share this with Share this article via email Share this article via flipboard Copy link.
Share this article via comment Share this article via facebook Share this article via twitter.
0コメント