Olympiads

1929 Summer Games

-Amsterdam, Netherlands -For the first time, a symbolic fire was lit during the Games. The fire was lit in a cauldron that was placed at the top of a tower in the stadium, which had been designed by Jan Wils, a celebrated Dutch architect. -At the Opening Ceremony, the team from Greece led the Parade of Nations, with the host Dutch team marching in last. Greece-first, hosts-last has been Olympic protocol ever since. The number of female competitors more than doubled as women were finally allowed to compete in gymnastics and athletics, and Asian athletes won gold medals for the first time. -The actions of Australian rower Henry Pearce at Amsterdam have since become legend. He stopped midway through his quarter final to let a family of ducks pass, but still went on to win the race and eventually the gold medal. -NOCs: 46 -Athletes: 2,883 (277 women, 2,606 men) -Events: 109

1920 Games

-Antwerp, Belgium -The 1916 Olympic Games were scheduled to be held in Berlin but were cancelled due to World War I. The 1920 Games were awarded to Antwerp to honour the suffering that had been inflicted on the Belgian people during the war. -During the Opening Ceremony, the Olympic flag with the five rings signifying the universality of the Olympic Games was raised for the first time at an Olympic Games. The Olympic oath was taken for the first time by an athlete on behalf of all competitors, and for the first time doves were released as a symbol of peace. -Ethelda Bleibtrey of the US won gold medals in all three women's swimming contests. Including preliminary heats, she swam in five races and broke the world record in every one. -At age 72, Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn earned a silver medal in the team double-shot running deer event to become the oldest medallist ever. -NOCs: 29 -Athletes: 2,626 (65 women, 2,561 men) -Events: 156

1896 Games

-Athens, Greece -On 6 April 1896, the American James Connolly won the triple jump to become the first Olympic champion in more than 1,500 years. He also finished second in the high jump and third in the long jump. -NOCs: 14 -Athletes: 241 -Events: 43 -Official opening of the Games by: His Majesty The King George

1916 Games

-Berlin, Germany -Games were cancelled due to World War 1

1936 Summer Games

-Berlin, Germany -The Berlin Games are best remembered for Adolf Hitler's failed attempt to use them to prove his theories of Aryan racial superiority. As it turned out, the most popular hero of the Games was the African-American sprinter and long jumper Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and long jump. -The 1936 Games were the first to be broadcast on television. Twenty-five television viewing rooms were set up in the Greater Berlin area, allowing the locals to follow the Games free of charge. -Thirteen-year-old Marjorie Gestring of the US won the gold medal in springboard diving. She remains the youngest female gold medallist in the history of the Summer Olympic Games. Twelve-year-old Inge Sorensen of Denmark earned a bronze medal in the 200m breaststroke, making her the youngest medallist ever in an individual event. -Basketball, canoeing and field handball all made their first appearances. The Berlin Games also became the first to introduce the torch relay, in which a lighted torch is carried from Olympia in Greece to the site of the current Games. -NOCs: 49 -Athletes: 3,963 (331 women, 3,632 men) -Events: 129

1924 Winter Games

-Chamonix, France Nothing else on the Olympic website

1936 Winter Games

-Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany -Alpine skiing events were included for the first time, and this led to a major controversy. The IOC declared that ski instructors could not compete in the Olympic Games because they were professionals. Incensed, Austrian and Swiss skiers boycotted the events, with the exception of a few Austrians who decided to represent Germany. -Great Britain caused a major upset by beating Canada in the ice hockey competition. It should be noted, however, that several of the British players were living in Canada at the time but had kept their British passports. -One of the greatest speed skaters in the early history of the Winter Games was Ivar Ballangrud. The Norwegian won three speed skating golds in the 500m, 5,000m and 10,000m. He also claimed silver in the 1500m, his seventh Olympic medal in total. -Norwegian Sonja Henie won her third consecutive Olympic gold medal in women's figure skating. After the Games, she turned professional and toured the world with spectacular ice shows, achieving great popularity, particularly in the US. -NOCs: 28 -Athletes: 646 (80 women, 566 men) -Events: 17

1932 Winter Games

-Lake Placid, USA -Norway's Sonja Henie and the French pair of Andrée and Pierre Brunet successfully defended their figure skating titles. American Billy Fiske won a second gold medal in the four-man bobsleigh. However, Gillis Grafström of Sweden was thwarted in his attempt to win his fourth gold medal, placing second behind Austrian Karl Schäfer. -For the first and only time in Olympic history, the American group race method was used in the speed skating competition. This involved mass starts and athletes racing against all other competitors, in contrast to the European system of heats where two participants compete against each other and the clock. -NOCs: 17 -Athletes: 252 (21 women, 231 men) -Events: 14

1908 Games

-London, Great Britian/UK -The 1908 Olympic Games were originally awarded to Rome, but were reassigned to London when it became apparent that Rome would not be ready. Despite the short notice, the Games were exceptionally well organised. For the first time, a stadium was specially prepared for the Games, and swimming events did not take place in the open water. -The Organising Committee fixed the distance of the marathon at 42km and 195m, the last 195 metres being added on to ensure the race finished below the royal box in the London stadium. This distance became official from the 1924 Games onwards. -When Dorando Pietri of Italy entered the stadium at the end of the marathon, it was immediately apparent that something was wrong. Dazed, he headed in the wrong direction and then collapsed. The officials helped him to reach the finish line in first place and so he was disqualified for receiving outside aid, but his courage earned him immortality. -NOCs: 22 -Athletes: 2,008 (37 women, 1,971 men) -Events: 110

1932 Summer Games

-Los Angeles, USA -The Coliseum Olympic stadium stupefied the whole world by its proportions and the quality of its equipment. -The Depression and the geographical isolation of California. Participation in the Games was the lowest since 1904, in spite of the excellent competition standard. -Football had to be completely removed. The separation of men and women - the Olympic Village (opposite picture) was reserved for men, and women stayed in the Chapman Park hotel. -Finn Paavo Nurmi and Frenchman Jules Ladoumègue, registered as professionals, could not take part. -NOCs: 37 -Athletes: 1,332 (126 women, 1,206 men) -Events: 117

1924 Summer Games

-Paris, France -The number of participating National Olympic Committees jumped from 29 to 44, signalling the advent of the Olympic Games as a major event with widespread appeal. This newfound popularity was confirmed by the presence of over 1,000 journalists. -These Games introduced the Closing Ceremony ritual as we know it today. This involves the raising of three flags: the flag of the International Olympic Committee, the flag of the host nation and the flag of the next host nation. -Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi won five gold medals to add to the three he had won in 1920. His most spectacular performance occurred on 10 July. First, he easily won the 1500m and then, a mere 55 minutes later, he returned to the track to win the 5,000m. -American swimmer Johnny Weissmuller three two golds. He claimed two further golds at the 1928 Games and went on to become famous playing Tarzan of the Apes in 12 movies. The Paris Games themselves became immortalised in "Chariots of Fire", the Oscar-winning film about principled British runner Eric Liddell. -NOCs: 44 -Athletes: 3,089 (135 women, 2,954 men) -Events: 126 -Media: 1,000 journalists

1900 Games

-Paris, France -The star of the Games was American Alvin Kraenzlein, who won the 60m, the 110m hurdles, 200m hurdles and the long jump. In general, there were many French champions at these Games, which was not surprising given several events were entered only by French competitors -NOCs: 24 -Athletes: 997 (22 women, 975 men) -Events: 95

1904 Games

-St Louis, USA -The 1904 Olympic Games were the first at which gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded for first, second and third place. -Boxing, freestyle wrestling, decathlon and a dumbbells event all made their debuts on the programme. -Thomas Hicks of the US won the marathon after the disqualification of his fellow countryman Fred Lorz, who had covered a large part of the 40 kilometres in a car, getting out just before the finish! -NOCs: 12 -Athletes: 651 -Events: 95

1928 Winter Games

-St Moritz, Switzerland -Aged just 15, Sonja Henie of Norway caused a sensation by winning women's figure skating. Her record as the youngest winner of an individual event stood for 74 years. In the men's event, Sweden's Gillis Grafström won his third consecutive gold medal, despite suffering from a badly swollen knee. -Considered the world's first sliding sport, the skeleton event made its debut. -The 50km cross country race took place in freakish weather conditions. At the beginning, the temperature was 0°C; by the end it had risen to 25°C. Sweden's Per Erik Hedlund was the only competitor to conquer the conditions, winning in a time more than 13 minutes faster than any of the other skiers. -NOCs: 25 -Athletes: 464 (26 women, 438 men) -Events: 14

1912 Games

-Stockholm, Sweden -The Stockholm Games were a model of efficiency. The Swedish hosts introduced the first Olympic use of automatic timing devices for the track events, the photo finish and a public address system. -If there was an unofficial theme of the 1912 Games, it was endurance. The course for the cycling road race was 320km (199 miles), the longest race of any kind in Olympic history. In Greco-Roman wrestling, the middleweight semi-final match between Russian Martin Klein and Finland's Alfred Asikainen lasted 11 hours. -For the first time, competitors in the Games came from all five continents. It was also the first time Japan participated. The modern pentathlon, women's swimming and women's diving all made their Olympic debuts. -Jim Thorpe, a Native American from Oklahoma, won the pentathlon and decathlon by huge margins. He was later disqualified when it was discovered that he had accepted a modest sum to play baseball before the Games. But in 1982, the IOC decided to reinstate him and gave his medals back to his daughter. -NOCs: 28 -Athletes: 2,407 (48 women, 2,359 men) -Events: 102