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The 1948 Olympic Games In London

The 1948 Olympic Games In London. A Struggle. The XIIth Games , of 1940, were originially awarded to Tokyo and then Helsinki, but were eventually cancelled after the outbreak of World War II.

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The 1948 Olympic Games In London

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  1. The 1948 OlympicGamesIn London

  2. A Struggle • TheXIIthGames, of 1940, wereoriginiallyawardedto Tokyo and then Helsinki, butwereeventuallycancelledaftertheoutbreakofWorldWar II. • The International OlympicCommitteechosethen London to host theXIIthOlympicGames, onlyto see themcancelledagain. • Withthewarfinallyover, thepostalvoteof IOC membersagainselected London to host theOlympicsin 1948.

  3. The Year 1948 • Although World War II was over, Europe was still ravaged from the the war. • Many countries were in ruins – houses needed to be rebuilt, industry needed to get back on its feet and economy also was in need of being rebuilt. • People, still schocked by the horrifying consequences of World War II, faced starvation all over Europe. Including the British.

  4. Preparations • SincetheBritisheconomystillsufferedtheconsequencesofWorldWar II, no newfacilitieswerebuiltforthesegames. • No OlympicVillagewaserected – the male athleteswerehoused at anarmycampinUxbridge and thewomenhoused at SouthlandsCollege’sdormitories. • ThemainathleticseventswereheldinWembleyStadium, where a temporaryrunningtrackhadbeen laid. • TolimittheUnitedKingdom’sresponsibilityto feed all theathletes, itwasagreedthattheparticipantswouldbringtheirownfood.

  5. Participants • Therewere 4099 contestantstaking part inthe 1948 OlympicGames. • Thosecontestantswererepresentativesfrom 59 differentcountries. • Germany and Japan – thecountriesheldresponsibleforWorldWar II – wereexcludedfromthegames. • TheSovietUniondecidedtoabstain. • Othercountriesincluded, forexample, theUnitedStates, Jamaica, Netherlands, Turkey, Venezuela, Norway, Finlandetc.

  6. Opening Ceremony • TheGamesopened on 29 Julywhichwas a brilliantlysunnyday. • Armybandsbeganplaying at 2 pmforthe 85 000 specatorsinWembleyStadium. • ThemembersoftheRoyalFamilywerealso present – e.g King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary. • At 4 pmthe King declaredtheGamesopen , 2500 dovesweresetfree and theOlympicFlagwasraised. • The last runnerintheTorchRelayran a lapofthetrack and climbedthestepstotheOlympiccauldrontolighttheflame.

  7. Winners • The most Olympic medals in 1948 went to the United States (38 Gold, 27 Silver, 19 Bronze) • Second came Sweden with their 16 Gold, 11Silver and 17 Bronze medals. • Third in line was France who won 10 Gold, 6 Silver and 13 Bronze medals. • France was followed by Hungary, Italy, Finland and Turkey. • The United Kindgom was 12th.

  8. Innovations • Despite the conditions, the games of 1948 saw some technological innovations such as: • the photo finish • starting blocks for runners

  9. Mishap • Therewasone major mishapinthe 1948 OlympicGames. • AlthoughtheUnitedStateshadwonthe 400 meterrelayby a fulleighteenfeet, a judgeruledthatoneofthe U.S. teammembershad passed thebatonoutsideofthepassingzone. Thusthe U.S. teamwasdisqualified. • Themedalswerehandedout and nationalanthemswereplayed. • The U.S. officiallyprotestedtheruling and aftercarefulreviewofthefilms and photographstakenofthebaton bass, thejudgesdecidedthatthe pass hadbeenlegal.

  10. Thus the real winner was the United States team. • United Kingdom had to give up their gold medals and received silver medals. • The Italian team received instead of silver medals bronze medals which were given up by the Hungarian team.

  11. To Sum Up • Though there had been much debate as to whether or not to hold the 1948 Olympic Games, the Games turned out to be very popular and a great success. • People welcomed the chance to focuse on an event that restored a spirit of international harmony and human endeavour. • The Games ended on August 14th.

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