Know Your Olympics: London Round One
The 2012 Games will be the 30th time the Modern Olympics have been held. What have the Games looked like in the past? Get to Know Your Olympics with Urban Times.
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 1908
Illustration of the King opening the London 1908 Games (Max Cowper, Wikimedia)
First time the marathon was run at its modern distance
London had only 18 months to prepare for its first Olympics. The Games of the fourth Olympiad were meant to be held in Rome, but Italy had to re-distribute funds to Naples following an eruption at Mt Vesuvius in 1906.
The first Games in London was, fittingly, a Games of firsts. What came to pass at the 1908 Olympics shaped the Olympics as know them today.
In early Games, the marathon was approximately 40 km (25 miles), but the actual distance varied between events. At the London 1908 Games, royal demands and Anglo-American politics played a hand in setting what has become the standard length of a marathon. The race had to finish in front of King Edward VII’s Royal Box in the Olympic Stadium, as a display of the importance of the monarchy, following an incident at the opening ceremony where a flag-bearer had refused to dip the American flag to the Royal Box. And the race had to begin at Windsor Castle, beneath the royal nursery where Princess Mary and her children looked on. The final route between these points was a distance of 42.195 km.
At the 1924 Games in Paris, the marathon distance was officially set at 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards).
1908 Olympic gold medal (Bertram Mackennal, Wikimedia)
First gold, silver and bronze medals for placement
While various types of medals had been awarded in the past, the 1908 Olympics was the first time that gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded for first, second and third places respectively, as happens to this day. At earlier Games, it had been common to present diplomas or to award only first or second place.
First Olympic buildings
1908 saw the first purpose-built Olympic stadium and swimming pool. The White City stadium was demolished in 1985 to make way for BBC buildings.
First opening ceremonies
Rather than entering the competition as individuals, athletes for the first time entered as part of a national team. Each team entered the stadium during the opening ceremony behind their country’s flag.
1908 Summer Olympics in London. Parade of the British team during the opening ceremony (British Olympic Association, Wikimedia)
First expression of the Olympic creed
The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part – Bishop Ethelbert Talbot, 1908
First global Olympics
Twenty-two nations took part. This included more than 2,000 athletes, more than double the number at any earlier Games.
First winter events
Four figure skating events were included in the Games, albeit held several months after most of the other events – the 1908 Games stretched from April through to October.
Following the 1908 Games, standard rules for sports were established (e.g. running lanes), and there was a requirement for officials to be selected from different countries, not just the host’s. These changes were prompted by the 400 m running event, where differing interpretations on either side of the Atlantic of “interference” – accusations of elbowing and blocking – caused a stir and resulted in the three American contestants refusing to participate in the re-run the next day.
The first London Games also marked the only time when Great Britain swept the medals table (146 total, of which 56 were gold); greatly helped by the fact that British athletes were the sole competitors in some events. Team GB is no doubt hoping they can change that in 2012.
More in this series
Revival of the Games
The Ancient Games
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