1908 Summer Olympics

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Games of the IV Olympiad
Program for the 1908 Summer Olympics
Venue: London ( Great Britain )
Stadion: White City Stadium
Opening ceremony: April 27, 1908
Closing ceremony: October 31, 1908
Opened by: King Edward VII
Olympic oath : - (only from 1920 )
Disciplines: 24 (22 sports)
Competitions: 109
Countries: 23
Athletes: 2,008 (including 37 women)
← Athens 1906 (interludes)
Stockholm 1912 →
Medal table
space country G S. B. Ges.
01 United Kingdom 1801United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Great Britain 56 51 39 146
02 United States 46United States United States 23 12 12 47
03 SwedenSweden Sweden 8th 6th 11 25th
04th Third French RepublicThird French Republic France 5 5 9 19th
05 German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 3 5 5 13
06th Hungary 1867Hungary Hungary 3 4th 2 9
07th Canada 1868Canada Canada 3 3 10 16
08th NorwayNorway Norway 2 3 3 8th
09 Italy 1861Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946) Italy 2 2 - 4th
10 BelgiumBelgium Belgium 1 5 2 8th
... ... ... ... ... ...
19th Austria CisleithanienCisleithania Austria - - 1 1
Complete medal table

The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially called the Fourth Olympiad Games ) took place in the British capital, London , from April 27 to October 31, 1908 . The competitions were held in parallel with the Franco-British Exhibition , a fair organized to consolidate the entente cordiale between the United Kingdom and France . In contrast to the games in Paris in 1900 and St. Louis in 1904 , when the sporting competitions became an insignificant appendage to the respective world exhibition because of the chaotic organization , the games in London attracted far greater attention. This was mainly due to the fact that more than two thirds of all competitions were concentrated in two weeks in July and on a single competition venue.

In addition to these actual “Summer Games”, there were three other event phases. The “Spring Games” from late April to mid-June comprised four ball sports. The “nautical games” with water sports at outdoor locations followed from the end of July to the end of August. The event concluded in the second half of October with the “Winter Games” with sports that are traditionally mainly practiced in Great Britain in the cooler half of the year (boxing and various ball sports). Since a hall was available in which ice could be artificially produced, it was possible for the first time to hold competitions in a winter sport, in figure skating .

Choice of venue

The London Games were actually the fifth edition of the modern Olympic Games and followed the so-called Olympic Intermediate Games in Athens in 1906 . However , at the insistence of its President Pierre de Coubertin , the IOC retrospectively regarded this as merely the "ten-year anniversary" of the first modern games of 1896 and denied them official status - although their tight organization was a role model for subsequent events and prevented them from being Olympic idea sank completely into insignificance. The London Games coincided with the start of the fourth Olympiad , which was in line with the four-year cycle that had been planned from the start.

London was not the originally intended venue. As early as 1901, the German IOC representatives applied for the 1908 Games to be held in Berlin . In March 1903 the Italian gymnastics association Federazione Gimnastica Italiana decided to apply to host the Games in Rome . In January 1904, the city council of Rome took over the patronage of the candidacy, giving it an official character. This also corresponded to the wishes of Pierre de Coubertin, who never made a secret of the fact that he clearly preferred Rome over the German capital. The representatives of the German Reich Committee for the Olympic Games (DRafOS), who could not show any official support, recognized the hopelessness of the Berlin application and withdrew it on June 22, 1904 during the IOC session in London. Rome was awarded the contract by acclamation .

However, the Roman Organizing Committee was characterized by complete inactivity and even disbanded in January 1906. After the eruption of Vesuvius on April 7, 1906 at the latest , the games in Rome would no longer have been financially feasible, since all available funds were used to rebuild the eastern suburbs of Naples . Berlin did not apply again because the DRafOS was of the opinion that the financing and construction of a new stadium could no longer be managed in the remaining two years. The IOC threatened to be in ruins until the British Olympic Association (BOA) stepped in and negotiated secretly to organize the games with the British sports federations. On November 24, 1906, the BOA announced with an official press release that the next Olympic Games would take place in London.

organization

Lord Desborough, President of the Organizing Committee

On November 19, 1906, five days before the implementation was announced, the BOA Board of Directors elected its chairman, Lord Desborough, to be President of the Organizing Committee. Five finance, program, accommodation / entertainment, press and organization committees were formed. 25 sports were planned, but horse riding , airship riding and golf were canceled. Since there were no international umbrella organizations for numerous sports at that time, it was decided to apply exclusively the regulations of the corresponding British associations.

In the summer of 1908 the Franco-British Exhibition was also to take place in London , a major international fair to consolidate the entente cordiale between the United Kingdom and France that had been agreed four years earlier . Since both Lord Desborough and Pierre de Coubertin were represented on the organizing committee of the fair, it made sense to hold the two events together and thus use synergies. By concentrating the most important sports on two “stadium weeks” in July, the organizers ensured that the sporting competitions were not relegated to an insignificant appendage to the fair.

The fairgrounds were in the western London borough of White City . The White City Stadium , which was known simply as "The Stadium" until the 1920s, was built on the eastern edge of the site. Construction work on the stadium began on July 31, 1907 and lasted around nine months. The construction costs were £ 44,000 and were covered by the fair management, while the BOA covered the remaining costs of the sporting events. The fair began on May 14; on the same day the Prince of Wales entered the stadium and declared it open. The British Athletics Championships served as a dress rehearsal at the end of June.

Competition venues

White City Stadium

The White City Stadium , the central venue, offered space for 66,288 spectators, of which almost 20,000 were covered. The outermost part of the interior was formed by a concrete cycling track with banked curves. Within this, a cinder track for the running competitions joined. On the inner field in the curve interiors there were jumping and throwing facilities, a playing field for ball sports and an unheated swimming pool with a retractable diving platform . The White City Stadium hosted archery , soccer , hockey , lacrosse , cycling , wrestling , rugby , swimming , tug of war , gymnastics , water polo and diving, as well as athletics . A large tent was available for the fencers , which was set up in the field.

The organizers used existing facilities for the other sports. The spring competitions all took place on the grounds of exclusive sports clubs in West London: the polo tournament in the Hurlingham Club and rackets , indoor tennis and jeu de paume in the Queen's Club . The White City Stadium was originally intended for lawn tennis, but the ground was too uneven to play on. For this reason, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club , the venue of the Wimbledon tennis tournament, was used . The shooting competitions were spread over two locations. The rifle and pistol disciplines took place in Bisley in the county of Surrey , the clay pigeon shooting in the Uxendon Shooting School Club near Harrow in the county of Middlesex .

The rowing competitions were held on the traditional route of the Henley Royal Regatta on the Thames near Henley-on-Thames . The sailing competitions were also spread over two locations; the three smaller boat classes in the Solent off the Isle of Wight , the largest boat class in the Firth of Clyde on the west coast of Scotland . The motorboat races took place in Southampton Water , a narrow inlet off the city of Southampton .

A sports hall at the Northampton Institute , now City University , served as the venue for the boxing competitions . Since it was possible to create ice artificially at Prince's Skating Club in the Knightsbridge district , it was possible for the first time - 16 years before the first Winter Games in Chamonix  - to perform a winter sport at the Olympic Games with figure skating .

Attendees

Participating nations
Green: Participation for at least the second time.
Blue: Participation for the first time
Number of athletes
Europe (1,798 athletes from 18 nations)
America (211 athletes from 3 nations)
Oceania (29 athletes from 1 nation)
Africa (14 athletes from 1 nation)
(Number of athletes) * Participation in Summer Olympics for the first time

Bohemia , Austria and Hungary were part of the state Austria-Hungary , but the results of athletes from these countries were shown separately in the statistics. The results of athletes from Vojvodina and Slovakia will also be added to the Hungarian results according to the territorial extent of Hungary at that time . Shortly before the start of the respective tournaments, the government in Vienna called on the football teams of Bohemia and Hungary and the water polo teams of Austria and Hungary to withdraw their registrations because they feared an increase in nationalistic tendencies when teams from different parts of the empire might come together.

25 athletes from Australia and four from New Zealand formed a team called Australasia with a flag specially created for this purpose. This organizational measure was also in force in 1912; only since 1920 have the two countries appeared separately. Finland and Russia were linked states in a personal union, but sent separate teams. Numerous Irish athletes refused to run for the UK and had previously been naturalized in the United States .

As a member of Denmark's team , an athlete from Iceland, which was not yet independent at the time, took part in the Olympic Games for the first time. The Ottoman Empire was possibly represented by the Greek-born Turk Aleko Moullos. The official report names him as a participant in the gymnast's individual all-around competition, but his result was not recorded. What is certain, however, is the first-time participation of an athlete from Argentina , the figure skater Hector Torromé, who lives in England.

Only 43 women took part. They were only allowed to start in archery, figure skating, sailing, tennis and motor boat racing. Several women's teams performed group exercises in gymnastics, which were, however, regarded as demonstration sports and therefore not counted.

Medals and Awards

Front and back of the winners medals (above) and commemorative medals (below)
Participant badge
Winner and Merit Diploma
Nine of the twelve donated challenge cups

A total of 250 gold medals as well as 260 silver and bronze medals each were produced for the Olympic Summer Games in London. An art committee commissioned the Australian sculptor Edgar Bertram Mackennal with the design. On the obverse, Saint George is depicted as an allegory of England, on the reverse, a naked athlete who is crowned with laurel by two goddesses of victory . The discipline and the name of the medal winner are engraved on the medal edges. The medals were not worn around the neck of the winners, but presented in small colored boxes (red for the winner, dark blue for the second and yellow for the third).

In addition to the actual winners' medals, there were also smaller commemorative medals for organizers, referees, various guests and all participating athletes. A winged goddess of fame is depicted on the front, and an antique horse-drawn carriage on the back.

The graphic artist John Bernard Partridge designed two different diplomas that corresponded to the neoclassicism of the time . The one for the top three shows a standing, winged Victoria surrounded by allegories depicting Greece and Great Britain. A second version with a seated Victoria as a diploma of merit was printed in an edition of 500 for officials and especially for athletes who excelled themselves but did not win a medal .

Various private individuals and institutions donated a total of twelve hiking prizes :

  • Bronze statue of Pallas Athene for the best eight in rowing, donated by Count Eugenio Brunetta d'Usseaux, the representative of Italy in the IOC
  • Challenge cup for the winner of the 1500 meter freestyle swimming, also donated by Count Eugenio Brunetta d'Usseaux
  • Football Association challenge trophy for the best team in the football tournament
  • Challenge cup for the winner of the heavyweight class in Greco-Roman wrestling, donated by the Association of London Gold- and Silversmiths
  • Hurlingham Polo Club challenge cup for the winners of the polo tournament
  • for the team winners in epee fencing, the Pourtalès vase , a replica of an Ionic amphora from the 5th century BC BC, donated by the British Fencing Association
  • Challenge Cup from the Prince of Wales for the winner of the 100-kilometer track bike race
  • Challenge Cup from Lord Westbury for the best clay pigeon shooter
  • Challenge cup of the Greek Crown Prince Constantine for the winner of the marathon
  • Challenge cup of the city of Prague for the best gymnastics team in all-round competitions
  • Montgomery statuette for the best discus thrower
  • Sèvres vase for the victorious sailing team in the 6-meter class, donated by French President Armand Fallières

Competition program

109 competitions (100 for men, 4 for women, 1 mixed competition and four open competitions) in 22 sports / 24 disciplines were held. That was 15 competitions and 6 sports / 7 disciplines more than in Saint Louis in 1904 . The changes are detailed below:

  • In archery , the York Round and Continental Round for men were added to the program - the Double York Round, Double American Round and Team American Round for men were omitted - the Double Columbia Round and Team Round were omitted for women.
  • In boxing , the two weight classes of flyweight and welterweight were omitted for men.
  • In fencing , the saber team and epee team for men were added - foil singles, foil teams and singlesticks for men were omitted.
  • Weightlifting (2 competitions) and golf (2 competitions) were absent from the Olympic program.
  • Hockey and Jeu de Paume were included in the Olympic program.
  • In athletics , the javelin throw, javelin throw (freestyle), 5 miles, Olympic relay, 3500 m walk, 10 mile walk, discus throw (ancient style), triathlon and all-around event for men extended the program - the 3200 m obstacle replaced the 2590 m obstacle and 3 Miles replaced the 4 miles - there were no 60 m, 200 m hurdles, triple jump from standing and weight throwing.
  • Motor boating became Olympic with boat classes A 40 miles, B 40 miles and C 40 miles.
  • Polo and rugby union were back in the Olympic program after missing from Saint Louis in 1904.
  • Rackets were included in the Olympic program with singles and doubles.
  • The cycling was with the discipline track cycling in the Olympic program. The program was expanded to include 660 yards, 5 km, 20 km, team pursuit and tandem - 100 km and sprinting were reintroduced - but the ¼ mile, ⅓ mile, ½ mile, 1 mile, 2 miles, 5 miles and 25 miles were eliminated .
  • In wrestling , the freestyle wrestling discipline was expanded to include the middleweight weight class for men - while fly, paper and welterweight weights were omitted. The Greco-Roman discipline was again Olympic with the light, medium, light and heavy weight classes.
  • Roque was removed from the Olympic program.
  • The double sculls for men were not used in rowing .
  • Shooting was back in the Olympic program after missing it in Saint Louis in 1904. The program was carried out by trap team, army rifle 6 distance team, free rifle three-position fight 300 m, free rifle three-position fight 300 m team, small-bore rifle lying 50 m team, small-bore rifle fixed target, small-bore rifle moving target, small-bore rifle disappearing target, small-bore rifle running deer 100 m single shot, Small caliber rifle running stag 100 m single shot team, small caliber rifle running stag 100 m double shot and free rifle 1000 yards extended - Trap, free pistol 50 m and free pistol 50 m team were reintroduced.
  • For swimming , the program was expanded to include the 400 m freestyle, 1500 m freestyle, 4 × 200 m freestyle relay, 100 m back by 200 m chest - the 100 m freestyle were reintroduced - however, the 50 yards freestyle, 100 yards freestyle, 220 yards freestyle, 440 yards freestyle, 880 yards freestyle, 1 mile freestyle, 4 × 50 yard freestyle relay, 100 yards back and 440 yards chest.
  • Water polo was again Olympic after it was only a demonstration sport in Saint Louis in 1904.
  • In water jumping , artificial jumping from the 3-meter board was added for the men - on the other hand, head long jump was dropped for men.
  • Sailing was back in the Olympic program with the open boat classes 6 m, 7 m, 8 m and 12 m.
  • In tennis , the women's singles hall, men singles hall, men doubles hall expanded the program - the ladies singles were back in the program.
  • In apparatus gymnastics , there were no bars, pommel horse, horizontal bar, rings and jumping for men - in addition, club swinging, rope hanging and the combined competitions (three-way and four-way combination) for men were eliminated.
  • With figure skating , a winter sport was included in the Olympic program for the first time. The program included men’s singles, women’s singles, pair skating and special figures for men.

Olympic sports / disciplines

Number of competitions in brackets

Time schedule

April May June

Time schedule
discipline Mon.
27.		 Tuesday
28.		 Wed.
29.		 Thursday
30.		 Fr.
1.
...		 Wed.
6.		 Thursday
7.		 Fri.
8.		 Sat.
9.		 Sun
10.		 Mon.
11.
...		 Mon.
18.		 Tuesday
19.		 Wed.
20.		 Thursday
21.		 Fr.
22.		 Sat.
23.
...		 Thursday
18.
...		 Sun.
21.		 Decision-
disk-
applications
April May June
Jeu de paume pictogram.svg Jeu de Paume 1 1
Polo pictogram.svg polo 1 1
Racquets pictogram.svg Rackets 2 2
Tennis pictogram.svg Tennis (hall) 1 1 2 3
decisions 2 1 2 1 1 7th
Mon.
27.		 Tuesday
28.		 Wed.
29.		 Thursday
30.		 Fr.
1.
...		 Wed.
6.		 Thursday
7.		 Fri.
8.		 Sat.
9.		 Sun
10.		 Mon.
11.
...		 Mon.
18.		 Tuesday
19.		 Wed.
20.		 Thursday
21.		 Fr.
22.		 Sat.
23.
...		 Thursday
18.
...		 Sun.
21.
April May June
1In tennis there were also three decisions in July. A total of 6 decisions - here only the decisions in tennis from April / June.

July August

Time schedule
discipline Mon.
6.		 Tuesday
7th		 Wed.
8.		 Thursday
9		 Fr.
10.		 Sat
11.		 Sun.
12.		 Mon.
13.		 Tuesday
14		 Wed.
15.		 Thursday
16.		 Fri.
17.		 Sat
18.		 Sun.
19.		 Mon.
20.		 Tuesday
21		 Wed.
22.		 Thursday
23.		 Fri.
24.		 Sat.
25.		 Sun.
26.		 Mon.
27.		 Tuesday
28.		 Wed.
29.		 Thursday
30.		 Fri.
31.
...		 Tuesday
11th		 Wed.
12.
...		 Fr.
28.		 Sat.
29.		 Decision-
disk-
applications
July August
Olympic rings without rims.svg Opening ceremony
Archery pictogram.svg Archery 2 1 3
Fencing pictogram.svg fencing 2 2 4th
Athletics pictogram.svg athletics 3 2 2 2 3 1 2 3 2 2 4th 26th
Water motorsports pictogram.svg Motorboat races 1 2 3
Cycling (track) pictogram.svg Cycling 1 2 1 2 6th
Wrestling Wrestling Freestyle pictogram.svg Freestyle 1 2 1 1 5
Wrestling pictogram.svg Greco-Roman 1 1 2 4th
Rowing pictogram.svg rowing 4th 4th
Shooting pictogram.svg shoot 2 4th 9 15th
Swimming sport Swimming pictogram.svg swim 1 1 1 1 1 1 6th
Water polo pictogram.svg Water polo 1 1
Diving pictogram.svg Diving 1 1 2
Sailing pictogram.svg sailing 1 2 1 4th
Tug of war pictogram.svg Tug of war 1 1
Tennis pictogram.svg tennis 3 3
Gymnastics (artistic) pictogram.svg do gymnastics 1 1 2
Olympic rings without rims.svg Closing ceremony
decisions 2 4th 12 4th 5 4th 4th 10 4th 2 7th 5 8th 7th 1 2 4th 1 1 2 89
Mon.
6.		 Tuesday
7th		 Wed.
8.		 Thursday
9		 Fr.
10.		 Sat
11.		 Sun.
12.		 Mon.
13.		 Tuesday
14		 Wed.
15.		 Thursday
16.		 Fri.
17.		 Sat
18.		 Sun.
19.		 Mon.
20.		 Tuesday
21		 Wed.
22.		 Thursday
23.		 Fri.
24.		 Sat.
25.		 Sun.
26.		 Mon.
27.		 Tuesday
28.		 Wed.
29.		 Thursday
30.		 Fri.
31.
...		 Tuesday
11th		 Wed.
12.
...		 Fr.
28.		 Sat.
29.
July August
1In tennis there were also three decisions in May. A total of 6 decisions - here only the decisions in tennis from July.

October

Time schedule
discipline Mon.
19.		 Tuesday
20		 Wed.
21.		 Thursday
22.		 Fri.
23.		 Sat.
24.		 Sun.
25.		 Mon.
26.		 Tuesday,
27.		 Wed.
28.		 Thursday
29.		 Fr.
30.		 Sat.
31.		 Decision-
disk-
applications
October
Boxing pictogram.svg Boxing 5 5
Football pictogram.svg Soccer 1 1
Field hockey pictogram.svg hockey 1 1
Lacrosse pictogram.svg lacrosse 1 1
Rugby union pictogram.svg Rugby union 1 1
Olympic rings without rims.svg Closing banquet
Winter sports at summer games
Figure skating pictogram.svg figure skating 4th 4th
decisions 1 2 5 4th 1 13
Mon.
19.		 Tuesday
20		 Wed.
21.		 Thursday
22.		 Fri.
23.		 Sat.
24.		 Sun.
25.		 Mon.
26.		 Tuesday,
27.		 Wed.
28.		 Thursday
29.		 Fr.
30.		 Sat.
31.
October

Color legend

  • Opening ceremony
  • Competition day (no decisions)
  • Competition day (x decisions)
  • Closing ceremony / banquet

    • Ceremonies

    Opening ceremony

    British athletes march in during the opening ceremony

    The athletic competitions in individual sports had already started on April 27, but did not involve any special ceremony. An official opening ceremony only took place on July 13th at the beginning of the two “stadium weeks” in the White City Stadium. This Monday afternoon, guests of honor included representatives of the British royal family, the Crown Princes of Greece and Sweden, the Maharajah of Nepal, numerous members of the British aristocracy and the ambassadors of France, Russia, Austria and the United States.

    At 3 p.m. the celebration began with the athletes marching in. This was done grouped by nationality, in alphabetical order (the custom that the representatives of Greece march into the stadium first, has only existed since 1928). The teams were each led by an athlete who wore a sign with the country's name, followed by the flag bearer. The athletes were asked to compete in their usual sportswear, which resulted in a very diverse picture within the teams. The professional soldiers on the British team appeared in uniform.

    The teams lined up inside the stadium, facing the royal box. Representatives of the IOC and BOA as well as an “honorary committee” gathered in front of the athletes. King Edward VII rose and spoke the opening formula:

    "I declare the Olympic Games of London open." (I declare the Olympic Games of London open.)

    After the Grenadier Guards played the British national anthem, the flags were lowered in front of the king. Only the American Ralph Rose refused to lower the flag. He had noticed that the American flags were missing from the flags hoisted around the stadium. It was obviously a negligence of the organizers, because the Swedish flag was not there either. Since then, the Americans have always done this at Olympic opening ceremonies (in 1932, Congress even passed a law expressly forbidding the lowering of the flag in front of people or objects). After three cheers for the king, the athletes left the stadium and shortly afterwards the competitions began with the first heat over 1500 meters.

    Closing ceremony

    Wyndham Halswelle , the Olympic champion in the 400 meter run, has just received his gold medal from Queen Alexandra

    On the afternoon of July 25th, a Saturday, the closing ceremony of the “Stadium Weeks” took place. The first phase lasted from 2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and included honoring the second and third placed as well as awarding the honorary diplomas and commemorative medals. Accompanied by the sounds of the marching bands of the Irish Guards and the Grenadier Guards playing folk songs and the national anthems of the participating countries, the Duchess of Rutland, the Duchess of Westminster and Lady Desborough (the wife of the OC President) presented the awards to the athletes .

    Various sporting demonstrations took place during and after this first phase. At 4:15 p.m., the last competition, the Olympic relay , was over. Immediately afterwards the awarding of the gold medals began. The Olympic champions went one by one to the royal box and received their award from Queen Alexandra . Then she also presented the various challenge cups and all winners gathered in front of the royal box. The ceremony ended with three cheers for the Queen and the British national anthem.

    More celebrations

    The honoring of the winners during the three other phases of the event took place in a far less elaborate framework. Usually the medals were awarded immediately after the end of the competition by members of the organizing committee or by association representatives. In individual cases, a smaller banquet took place afterwards .

    On October 31, the last day of the Games and the Franco-British Exhibition, a festive closing banquet was held in London's Holborn Restaurant for the officials and the athletes who were still present. Around 500 guests were invited. OC President Lord Desborough and four other guests, including the figure skater Ulrich Salchow , gave speeches. IOC President Pierre de Coubertin, who had previously traveled home because of the death of his father, was not present.

    Competitions

    Archery

    Archers in action

    In archery there were two competitions for men and one for women. The Royal Toxophilite Society was responsible for the organization . Adverse weather conditions shaped the event and caused several interruptions. On the first day it rained heavily and on the second day strong gusts of wind impaired the accuracy of the shooters.

    The British turned out to be vastly superior in the York Round . Third-placed American John Penrose was the only non-British rider in the first 15 places. The participants from mainland Europe were not familiar with the complex rules and the distances measured in yards . At the request of the French team, a Continental Round with metric distances was therefore also carried out. In the end, six French led the ranking. Several Brits participated out of competition at the invitation of the French. Robert Backhouse achieved the second highest score; he did not receive a medal, but an honorary diploma. In the National Round of the women involved only British women, making the competition had more the character of a national championship.

    Boxing

    The five boxing competitions all took place on a single day; In several cases it happened that a finalist had to compete four times within a few hours. The organization was taken over by the Amateur Boxing Association of England , whose set of rules was based on the Queensberry Rules of 1867. A fight went over three rounds, of which the first two rounds lasted three minutes and the third round four minutes.

    The competitions were like English championships with foreign participation. In the official report, the small number of boxers from abroad was glossed over by pointing to the participation of Scottish and Welsh boxers. The British then also won 14 out of 15 possible medals.

    The only non-British medalist was the Australian Reginald Baker , who lost to Johnny Douglas in the middleweight final . The fight was so close that it was later often and stubbornly claimed that the referees could not have agreed on a winner and that Douglas' father, as the main referee, decided the fight in favor of his son. But in reality, in his role as association president, he was only responsible for awarding the medals. When Baker claimed in an interview in 1952 that the rumor was true, it was also presented as a fact in many reputable publications. It was only in 2004 that it could be proven beyond doubt that Douglas' victory had complied with the rules.

    figure skating

    Anna Hübler and Heinrich Burger

    When the IOC was founded in 1894, there were considerations to include winter sports in the Olympic program. Until 1908, however, this was not possible for geographical and climatic reasons. The technology in the Prince's Skating Rink was so advanced that an artificial ice surface could already be created in autumn. For the first time, Olympic figure skating competitions took place.

    Ulrich Salchow, Sweden

    The organization was taken over by the British Ice Skating Association, the rules of the International Ice Skating Union applied . Ulrich Salchow , world champion from 1901 to 1911 and inventor of the Salchow jump , won the men's individual competition . The British Madge Syers-Cave won the women's individual competition and also won the bronze medal in pairs with her husband Edgar Syers . The winners in the pair skating were the Germans Anna Hübler and Heinrich Burger . One discipline only carried out in 1908 was the men's special figure competition. The aim was to “draw” symmetrical figures as precisely and artistically as possible with the runners in the ice. Olympic champion was Nikolai Kolomenkin-Panin ; The Russian broke off the individual competition in second place because he felt that he had been treated unfairly by the judges.

    fencing

    The rules of the Amateur Fencing Association of Great Britain and Ireland were used in the four fencing competitions . For the first time, the fencing rules were printed in three different languages ​​(English, French and German). As a result, problems in the interpretation of the rules that had occurred at the three previous Olympic Games due to the differences between the Italian and French schools could be largely avoided.

    In epee fencing, the Frenchman Gaston Alibert proved to be superior. He won both with the team and in the individual standings. The Hungarian Jenő Fuchs dominated saber fencing just as clearly . He also won the gold medal twice in team and individual competition.

    For the first and only time there was no foil competition in London in 1908 . In the opinion of the organizers, the rules of this discipline had developed so differently in the individual countries that international competitions were not possible. A decision based solely on the number of hits would, in their opinion, have been a degradation of the sport. Instead, a demonstration competition was held in the Prince's Galleries on Piccadilly without a rating.

    Soccer

    The English national football team of amateurs

    For the first time, no club teams took part in an Olympic football tournament, but national teams, with France represented by two teams. The competition was organized by the English Football Association . After the withdrawal of Bohemia and Hungary, only two quarter-finals could be played. The English amateur national team , which represented the whole of the United Kingdom, beat the Netherlands 4-0 in the semi-finals. In the second semifinals Denmark proved to be vastly superior to the first French team and won 17-1, including 10 goals by Sophus Nielsen , who was also the tournament's top scorer with 11 goals.

    After this debacle, the French decided to withdraw their first team and not play for third place. In their place, the Swedes were nominated, but they lost 2-0 to the Netherlands. In the final in front of 8,000 spectators, the Danes were mostly equal to the English, but the hosts and favorites prevailed 2-0 through goals from Frederick Chapman (20th) and Vivian Woodward (46th).

    hockey

    The Scots score a goal in the group game against the Germans

    For the first time hockey was on the Olympic program. All four British associations (England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales) took part in the tournament with their own teams, which in the end also took the top four places. The teams from France and Germany (except for one with players from Uhlenhorster HC ) were clearly inferior.

    England won the final 8-1 against Ireland. As there was no match for third place, both the Scottish and Welsh players received bronze medals. Before the final there was an "extra match" between France and Germany. This game, which the Germans won 1-0, counts as a game for 5th place; however, no explicit reference is made to this in the official report.

    Jeu de Paume

    Jeu de Paume , a forerunner of modern tennis , was only an Olympic sport in 1908. An open-air variant called Longue Paume was a demonstration sport in 1900. Real tennis , as Jeu de Paume is called in Great Britain, was again a demonstration sport in 1928. Only eleven players took part in the tournament at the Queen's Club , but the organizers thought they were among the best in the world. The gold medal was won by the American George Jay Gould II , grandson of the notorious railroad speculator Jay Gould . He won the final against Britain's Eustace Miles 6: 5, 6: 4, 6: 4. In the game for the bronze medal, the Briton Neville Lytton prevailed 6: 2, 6: 4, 6: 4 against his compatriot Arthur Page.

    lacrosse

    Lacrosse , a ball sport originally developed by the North American Indians, was Olympic for the second and last time after 1904. The team from South Africa withdrew their registration at short notice, which is why there was only one game. It took place at the White City Stadium just before the final of the soccer tournament. After an initially even game, the Canadian team won 14:10 against the British selection.

    Since Canada and Great Britain had slightly different rules, they had to be adapted for this one game. The goal area was a little larger than usual in Great Britain, the ball a little lighter than in Canada. The game was also divided into four quarters instead of two halves.

    athletics

    The moat in the obstacle course

    There were 26 competitions in athletics . These included disciplines that have long since been forgotten, such as B. the Olympic relay , the standing jumps , and the discus throw in the "ancient style" - before the actual throw, the discus thrower sat on a pedestal in a "Greek pose" before he then performed his throw as usual. The regulations of the Amateur Athletic Association, the then British athletics association, applied.

    The organizers did not prove to be particularly flexible: the preliminary runs in the running disciplines had already been drawn before the final confirmation of the registrations. Since numerous athletes did not start for various reasons, there were "walk overs" in several cases. This means that there was only one athlete at the start who completed his run without competition and just had to get to the finish.

    The competitions were marked by a great rivalry between British and US participants. Athletes from these two countries won a total of 23 out of 27 gold medals ( there were two winners in the pole vault ). In many cases, the Americans felt disadvantaged by the rules tailored to the preferences of the British athletes and by the decisions of the not always neutral British referees. The numerous protests by the Americans against what they considered to have been treated unfairly raised the audience against them, which demonstratively cheered all non-American participants. The American President Theodore Roosevelt even got involved in the dispute through the press, which turned it into a major political issue. This politicization also had an impact on the Olympic Games that followed.

    The competitions reached a high level in terms of performance. Four world records were set by Mel Sheppard ( USA ) in the 800 meter run , Forrest Smithson (USA) in the 110 meter hurdles , Charles Bacon (USA) in the 400 meter hurdles and George Larner ( GBR ) in the 10 mile walk . There were also thirteen Olympic records , two of which were set. The most successful athlete was Mel Sheppard (USA), who won the gold medal in the 800 and 1500 meters as well as with the Olympic relay .

    Wyndham neck shaft at the finish of the "ghost race"

    The final of the 400-meter run is one of the most controversial events in Olympic history. The US-American John Carpenter pushed the British Wyndham Halswelle off the track on the home straight , which was allowed according to American rules, but strictly forbidden according to British rules. After heated discussions and a jury meeting in the evening, Carpenter was disqualified. The final was rescheduled two days later to mark four tracks in the meantime (previously there were no markings at all). But the two American runners William Robbins and John Taylor did not start out of solidarity with Carpenter and protested against the jury's decision. Neck shaft was the only runner left and only had to “pick up” the gold medal that was waiting for the new edition of the finals.

    The marathon was the first over the usual distance of 42.195 kilometers today. Before that, runs over 40 kilometers or 25 miles were common. A distance of 25 miles (40.234 km) was initially measured from the stadium entrance, but only reached as far as the Barnespool Bridge in Eton . However, since Windsor Castle had already been set as the starting point, the route had to be lengthened by exactly one mile (1609 m). In the stadium itself, the goal was in front of the royal box, which is why 385  yards (352 m) had to be added. When in the following years more and more marathon events took over the length of the London route, the IAAF made this binding in its 1921 regulations.

    Dorando Pietri is pushed across the finish line by doctors and judges
    Forrest Smithson demonstrates his "Bible Jump Style"

    Dorando Pietri was the first to arrive at the White City Stadium, only half a lap of the stadium separated him from the supposedly certain Olympic victory. But the Italian had exhausted himself completely, was dazed and initially turned in the wrong direction. When the referees showed him the right way to the goal, Pietri collapsed completely exhausted. He was able to get up again, but fell three more times in the last 350 meters. Ten meters from the finish he collapsed a fifth time, whereupon he was pushed across the finish line by some sympathetic doctors and judges. Pietri had to be disqualified later because of the unauthorized assistance, but received a gold cup from Queen Alexandra for his performance the next day . The Olympic victory went to the American John Hayes , who received far less attention.

    Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a lengthy and emotional report for the Daily Mail newspaper that went a long way in promoting the story of the tragic hero Dorando Pietri. At the same time, Doyle called for donations for the Italian. Doyle's great dedication is likely the reason for the widespread but untrue legend that he himself helped Pietri cross the finish line. The dramatic events of the marathon brought the Olympic Games to the general public for the first time and made a decisive contribution to its popularization.

    Another legend arose around Forrest Smithson , the Olympic champion of the 110-meter hurdles. It was said that the devout American had contested the final run with a Bible in his left hand to protest against his competition being held on a Sunday. However, this claim is demonstrably wrong, since there were no competitions on Sundays. The legend was probably based on a photo that is shown in the official report, but was only taken after the final and was clearly posed.

    Motorboat races

    Motorboat racing was an Olympic sport only in 1908. There was one race each for the A-Class (any length, no engine power limitation ), the B-Class (length up to 60 feet ) and the C-Class (length 6.5 to 8 m, maximum weight 800 kg). All three races were 40 nautical miles (74.08 km) long. The weather conditions on the two days of the competition were so bad (rain, storm, high waves) that only one boat reached the destination. This was twice a British and once a French boat.

    polo

    An Olympic polo tournament was held for the second time after 1900 . The game was played on the grounds of the Hurlingham Club in London . The club was responsible for the organization and since 1875 also responsible for the rules of this sport. In addition to the Hurlingham Polo Club , only an Irish selection and the London Roehampton Polo Club participated.

    In the first game, the two London teams met, with Roehampton winning 3-1 against Hurlingham. The winner then played in the second game against the Irish selection for the gold medal, which Roehampton won with a clear 8-1 victory. There was no match for the bronze medal, which is why both losing teams received the silver medal.

    Rackets

    Rackets , a sport distantly related to Jeu de Paume and a precursor to today's squash , was only Olympic in 1908. Although only six players took part in the individual tournament, the organizers still insisted on a 16-player tableau. As a result, three players could skip the first two rounds with byes. Olympic champion was Evan Noel, who was the only one who had to play three preliminary round games. He won the gold medal without a fight because his final opponent Henry Leaf had suffered a hand injury at the end of the semifinals.

    In the double competition, only three of the originally five couples entered, also exclusively British. The final was won by John Jacob Astor and Vane Pennell with 6:15, 15: 7, 16:15, 15: 6, 15: 7 against Edmund Bury and Cecil Browning. The game for the bronze medal was canceled because both couples did not participate.

    Cycling

    Last lap of the 100-kilometer race

    Six cycling competitions were held, all of them track races because road racing was then prohibited under British Road Traffic Act. The rules of the National Cyclists' Union of England and Wales were applied , not those of the UCI . The races were held on a 660-yard-long concrete velodrome in Shepherd's Bush . Individual races over a track lap (603.491 m), over 5000 meters, 20 and 100 kilometers as well as a tandem race over 2000 meters and a team pursuit race over 4000 meters. The 1000-meter race was not counted because all finalists exceeded the time limit of 105 seconds. The competitions were characterized by bad weather. Because of the sometimes heavy rains, the inner part of the track was often under water.

    The most successful nation in cycling competitions was that of the United Kingdom; the total of 36 British cyclists won five of the six competitions, nine medals in total; The French duo Maurice Schilles and André Auffray were only able to take the lead in tandem driving . This made the French team of 23 athletes the second most successful in cycling. The most successful participant was the Briton Benjamin Jones with two gold and one silver medal. From today's perspective, the best-known participant was the French Octave Lapize , winner of the Tour de France 1910 , who finished third over 100 km.

    Wrestling

    For the organization of competitions in wrestling was British Amateur Wrestling Association in charge, who also performed the weight division. There were five weight classes in freestyle wrestling and four in Greco-Roman wrestling. With winners from six different countries, wrestling was one of the most balanced sports at these games. A special rule said that the wrestlers were allowed to compete in the next higher weight class. The British freestyle wrestler George de Relwyskow , who, after winning the silver medal in the middleweight division, became an Olympic lightweight champion, his real discipline, drew the greatest benefit from this .

    In the semi-finals of the middleweight freestyle wrestling, the Swede Carl Andersson-Gorthon was declared a loser by the judges, despite his clear superiority. The Swedish wrestlers were so outraged by the judges' obvious preference for a Brit that they threatened to leave immediately. The deputy team leader Sigfrid Edström (the later IOC president) was able to mediate and persuade his compatriots to stay. Andersson-Gorthon renounced the fight for 3rd place in protest. There was also no fight for the bronze medal in the middleweight division of Greco-Roman wrestling, as Johannes Josefsson, the only Icelandic participant in London, had broken his arm in his semifinals.

    rowing

    Quarter-finals in the eighth: Leander Club (GBR) against Hungary

    In rowing there were four competitions: one , two without a helmsman , four without a helmsman and an eighth . The 1.5 mile (2,414 m) long races were held at Henley-on-Thames on the Thames . Compared to the Henley Royal Regatta races held there since 1839 , the Olympic races were 330 yards (302 m) longer. Since the regatta course is very narrow, only two boats could compete against each other. The rules of the Amateur Rowing Association of England were used . The Leander Club from Henley-on-Thames was responsible for the organization .

    British boats won all four races. It should be noted that in contrast to all other sports, only gold medals were awarded, which is why there were no races for third place. The second and third placed did not even receive diplomas of merit, but like all other participants only the simple commemorative medals.

    rugby

    In theory, all four British federations could have participated in the rugby tournament , but only England - with the county selection of Cornwall  - was represented. Despite the invitation, the teams from New Zealand and South Africa did not travel to London, and one week before the tournament began, France also withdrew on the grounds that there was no representative team available.

    In addition to England, only the team from Australia remained, which was on a long European tour in 1908/09. In the only game, played on soft ground in the variant rugby union , the Australians lived up to their role as favorites and beat the English 32: 3.

    shoot

    The shooting competitions took place under the simplest of conditions

    The shooting competitions were conducted according to the rules of the National Rifle Association . For this reason the distances were mostly in yards , which gave the British shooters an advantage over the foreign competition. Heavy rainfall and strong winds affected performance. Since the World Championships were taking place in Vienna almost simultaneously with the Olympic competitions, numerous well-known shooters were missing, especially from Switzerland . The Swede Oscar Swahn was the most successful participant with two gold and one bronze medal.

    There were curious events to report in this sport too. When shooting prone with small-bore rifles, the contingent of the British was limited to twelve shooters. The British officials accidentally registered a 13th shooter, believing that only eleven British had fired. The later nominated Philipp Plater achieved a new world record with 391 points and would have actually become an Olympic champion. During the evaluation, however, the jury discovered the mistake and deleted Platter's result from the ranking list. The British Association later honored Plater with a gold medal and a record diploma.

    The US delegation protested unsuccessfully at revolver and pistol shooting over 50 yards. In their opinion, James Gorman had shot through the same hole twice (known as a "double"). However, the jury was convinced that Gorman would not even have hit the window. In the end, Gorman was nine points short, which meant he missed the win and ended up in third place. After all, he was Olympic champion in the team competition with the rapid fire pistol.

    swim

    Start of the final in the 200-meter breaststroke

    For the first time in the Olympics stand for competitions in Swimming , a swimming pool. It was half as wide and twice as long as today's 50-meter pools with eight lanes. In 1896 in Athens people had swum in the open sea, in 1900 in Paris in the Seine and in 1904 in St. Louis in an artificial lake.

    The English Amateur Swimming Association was responsible for the organization . After a few misunderstandings had arisen in the interpretation of the rules, representatives of ten national federations founded the international swimming federation FINA in the Manchester Hotel on July 19, during the competition .

    The most successful swimmer was the Briton Henry Taylor , who won the 400 meter freestyle, 1500 meter freestyle and with the 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay the gold medal. New world records were set in four of the six disciplines: Charles Daniels (USA) over 100 meters freestyle, Henry Taylor (GBR) over 1500 meters freestyle, Frederick Holman (GBR) over 200 meters chest and the British freestyle relay.

    sailing

    In sailing , only four of the five originally planned competitions took place, as the race in the 15-meter class had to be canceled without replacement due to a lack of registrations. The rules of the Yacht Racing Association applied , but were expressly based on those of the International Sailing Federation founded a year earlier . Each participating country was allowed to send two boats per race.

    British boats won all four races. Five boats took part in the 6-meter and 8-meter races, and only two in the 12-meter class (the only one that took place not off the Isle of Wight , but off the Scottish west coast). From today's perspective, the 7-meter class race was a very questionable event: a single boat took part that simply had to reach the destination.

    Tug of war

    City of London Police tug-of-war team with attendants

    The tug of war was still considered part of athletics at the beginning of the 20th century . Three of the five participating teams represented British Police Corps. In the quarter-finals, the Swedish and two of the British teams had a bye.

    The only quarter-final fight was that between the Liverpool Police and the United States (including Ralph Rose and John Flanagan , the Olympic champions in the shot put and hammer throw). The Liverpool police easily won the first round, whereupon the American delegation protested: The British wore shoes with nails, which gave them a better grip. The purely British jury rejected the protest, as these shoes were part of normal work clothing and were therefore approved according to the regulations. The Americans refused to run for the second round.

    The first semifinals were similar. The defeated against the Liverpool Police Swedes then waived the fight for third place, whereby the bronze medal fell to Division K of the London Metropolitan Police without a fight . In the final, the City of London Police won against the police from Liverpool.

    tennis

    The Olympic tennis competitions were divided into two phases. In the first half of May the indoor tournaments were held in the Queen's Club, in the first half of July the grass tournaments in Wimbledon. The indoor tournaments followed immediately after the English championships, which had been played in the same hall. The only foreign participants were two men and two women from Sweden. In the individual final, Arthur Gore won against George Caridia . The bronze medal went to Josiah Ritchie without a fight , as Wilberforce Eaves , the second semi-final loser, had suffered a faint attack. Gwendoline Eastlake-Smith was the winner of the women's singles , while Arthur Gore and Herbert Barrett won the gold medal in the men's doubles.

    Women's final in lawn tennis, on Center Court at Wimbledon

    The grass tournaments took place immediately after the Wimbledon Championships . However, many of the world's best players had already left because they liked the actual Wimbledon tournament more than the "Olympic infusion". The great absentee included Arthur Gore, the then Wimbledon winner and Olympic champion in the hall. Since the draw for the matches had already taken place after the registrations had been received and the organizers of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club continued the program as planned despite the many absences, numerous players with byes were able to skip several rounds.

    This organizational deficiency was particularly noticeable in the women's singles: Without having played a single time before, the British Dora Boothby advanced to the final; there she was defeated by her compatriot Dorothea Douglass , the world's best player at the time. In the men's individual final, the Briton Josiah Ritchie won against the German Otto Froitzheim . The British George Hillyard and Reginald Doherty won the men's doubles .

    do gymnastics

    In gymnastics there were only two disciplines, the individual and the team all-around competition. Competitions on the individual devices, as they are common today, were still on the program in 1896 and 1904, but were only reintroduced in 1924.

    In the individual all-around competition, the over 100 participating gymnasts had to complete a two-minute freestyle on six of the seven specified machines. Horizontal bars , parallel bars , fixed rings , flying rings, rope swinging and pommel horse were available , whereby a distinction was made between swing exercises and static exercises on the horizontal bar. The gold medal went to the Italian Alberto Braglia .

    The team all-around competition consisted of a 30-minute group exercise with and without gymnastics equipment. The eight participating teams had to consist of at least 16 and a maximum of 40 gymnasts. The judges assessed the appearance, the execution and the difficulty. The Swedish team won ahead of the Norwegians and the Finns.

    Water polo

    Game scene from the water polo final

    The preliminary round games in water polo had already been drawn before the final registration of the individual teams. The teams from Hungary and Austria withdrew their registration. In the only preliminary round match, Belgium clearly beat the Netherlands 8-1. The absences meant that only three teams remained in the semi-finals. Hosts Great Britain went straight to the final without having played a game beforehand. In the game for second place in the final, Belgium beat Sweden 8: 4. The rested British were able to use their advantage in the final and defeated the Belgians 9: 2.

    Diving

    There were two competitions in water jumping , on the one hand art jumping from the 1-meter and from the 3-meter board, on the other hand diving from the 5-meter and the 10-meter board. The Germans dominated jumping. Five made it to the semifinals and three to the final, where they also took the top three places; Olympic champion was Albert Zürner . The Swedes were equally proficient in high diving. Six jumpers were able to qualify for the semifinals and in the final Hjalmar Johansson won ahead of three compatriots.

    Outstanding athletes and achievements

    The most successful participants
    space athlete country sport gold gold silver silver bronze bronze total
    1 Mel Sheppard United States 46United States United States athletics 3 - - 3
    Henry Taylor United Kingdom 1801United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland GBR swim 3 - - 3
    3 Benjamin Jones United Kingdom 1801United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland GBR Cycling 2 1 - 3
    4th Martin Sheridan United States 46United States United States athletics 2 - 1 3
    Oscar Swahn SwedenSweden SWE shoot 2 - 1 3

    As in 1900 and 1904, Ray Ewry dominated the standing jump competitions and became Olympic champion in standing high jump and standing long jump . With a total of eight gold medals, he is one of the ten most successful Olympians of all time. If his two victories at the interludes in 1906 are added, he is even the most successful athlete of all time.

    The Swedish sports shooter Oscar Swahn was already 60 years and 265 days old when he won two Olympic gold medals. In 1912, at the age of 64 years and 257 days, he won another gold medal in Stockholm, making him the oldest Olympic champion ever. In 1920 he set another age record: at the age of 72 years and 279 days, he won a silver medal, making him the oldest Olympic medalist of all time.

    British archer Sybil Newall won the gold medal in the National Round at the age of 53 years and 9 months. This makes her the oldest modern Olympic champion to this day.

    literature

    See also

    Web links

    Commons : 1908 Summer Olympics  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

    Individual evidence

    1. ↑ Two gold medals were awarded in the high jump, which is probably where the information 110 on the IOC website comes from
    2. ↑ a b page of the IOC on the 1908 Summer Olympics (English), accessed on September 27, 2012
    3. ↑ Mark Dyreson: Americas Athletic Missionaries. Olympika , 1 : 70-91 (1992)
    4. ^ Arnd Krüger : Buying victories is positively degrading. The European origins of Government Pursuit of National Prestige through Sports. International Journal of the History of Sport 12 (1995), 2, pp. 201-218.
    This article was added to the list of excellent articles on October 29, 2006 in this version .