STOCKHOLM 1912

Held in Stockholm, the 1912 Olympics were a model of efficiency. The Swedish hosts introduced the use of unofficial electronic timing devices for the track events, as well as the first use of a public address system. The modern pentathlon was added to the Olympic program. Women's events in swimming and diving were also introduced. Sweden would not allow boxing contests to be held in their country. After the Games, the International Olympic Committee decided to limit the power of host nations in deciding the Olympic program. 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 semifinal match between Russian Martin Klein and Finland’s Alfred Asikainen lasted eleven hours. Hannes Kohlemainen of Finland won three gold medals in long-distance running. The most popular hero of the 1912 Games was Jim Thorpe of the United States. Thorpe won the five-event pentathlon and shattered the world record in the ten-event decathlon. One member of the Austrian team that finished second in the team sabre fencing event was Otto Herschmann, who was, at that time, president of the Austrian Olympic Committee. Herschmann is the only sitting national Olympic committee president to win an Olympic medal.

28 NOCs (Nations)

2,407 athletes (48 women, 2,359 men)

102 events

CEREMONIES

Stockholm 1912, Games of the V Olympiad: the Swedish team of women gymnasts parades in the stadium during the Opening Ceremony.

Official opening of the Games by: His Majesty The King Gustav V

Lighting the Olympic Flame by: The Olympic flame was first lit during the opening ceremony of the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.

Olympic Oath by: The first athletes' oath was sworn at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.

Official Oath by: The first officials' oath was sworn at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

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LONDON 1908

The 1908 Olympics were originally awarded to Rome, but were reassigned to London. At the Opening Ceremony, the athletes marched into the stadium by nation, as most countries sent selected national teams. Archers William and Charlotte Dod became the first brother and sister medalists. Oscar Swahn, aged 60, was the oldest ever competitor to earn an Olympic gold medal, winning the running deer shooting, single shot. 1908 marked the first appearance of diving and field hockey. In the spirit of sportsmanship, the final in middleweight Greco-Roman wrestling between Frithiof Martensson and Mauritz Andersson was postponed one day to allow Martensson to recover from a minor injury. Martensson won. Ray Ewry won the standing high jump and the standing long jump for the third time and became the only person in Olympic history to win a career total of eight gold medals in individual events. The event that caught the public imagination around the world was the dramatic ending of the marathon. After 42 kilometres (26 miles) of running, the first man to enter the stadium was Dorando Pietri of Italy, but he collapsed on the track five times and was disqualified when officials carried him across the finish line.

22 NOCs (Nations)

2,008 athletes (37 women, 1,971 men)

110 events

CEREMONIES

London 13 July 1908. The British delegation.

Official opening of the Games by: His Majesty The King Edward VII

Lighting the Olympic Flame by: The Olympic flame was first lit during the opening ceremony of the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.

Olympic Oath by: The first athletes' oath was sworn at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.

Official Oath by: The first officials' oath was sworn at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

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ST LOUIS 1904

The 1904 St. Louis Olympics organizers repeated all of the mistakes of 1900. The Olympic competitions, spread out over four and a half months, were lost in the chaos of a World’s Fair. Of the 94 events generally considered to have been part of the Olympic program, only 42 included athletes who were not from the United States. The 1904 Olympics did have a few highlights. They were the first at which gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded for first, second and third place. Boxing and freestyle wrestling made their debuts. Marathon runners Len Tau and Jan Mashiani, Tswana tribesmen who were in St. Louis as part of the Boer War exhibit at the World’s Fair, became the first Africans to compete in the Olympics. One of the most remarkable athletes was the American gymnast George Eyser, who won six medals even though his left leg was made of wood. Chicago runner James Lightbody won the steeplechase and the 800m and then set a world record in the 1,500m.

12 NOCs (Nations)

651 athletes (6 women, 645 men)

91 events

CEREMONIES

Saint-Louis 1904. F.J.V. Skiff, Director of Exhibits, presenting the Skiff Cup to Archie HAHN of the United States, donated as a prize to winner of the 100m dash.

Official opening of the Games by: Mr David Francis, president of Louisiana Purchase Exposition.

Lighting the Olympic Flame by: The Olympic flame was first lit during the opening ceremony of the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.

Olympic Oath by: The first athletes' oath was sworn at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.

Official Oath by: The first officials' oath was sworn at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

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PARIS 1900

The Games of 1900 were held in Paris as part of the Exposition Universelle Internationale - the Paris World’s Fair. The exposition organizers spread the events over five months and de-emphasized their Olympic status to such an extent that many athletes died without ever knowing that they had participated in the Olympics. Women made their first appearance in the modern Games. The first to compete were Mme. Brohy and Mlle. Ohnier of France in croquet. The first female champion was in tennis: Charlotte Cooper of Great Britain. Tennis was one of five sports in which athletes from different nations competed on the same team. The others were football, polo, rowing and tug of war. Alvin Kraenzlein won four athletics events in three days and, on 16 July, Ray Ewry, who had overcome childhood polio, won three championships in one day - all in the standing jump events.

24 NOCs (Nations)

997 athletes (22 women, 975 men)

95 events

CEREMONIES

Paris 3 June 1900, Games of the II Olympiad. Gymnasts parade in the "Vélodrome de Vincennes" during the Federal Meeting of the Union of Gymnastics Associations of France.

Official opening of the Games by: No official opening.

Lighting the Olympic Flame by: The Olympic flame was first lit during the opening ceremony of the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.

Olympic Oath by: The first athletes' oath was sworn at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.

Official Oath by: The first officials' oa.

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Past Olympic Games since 1896

ATHENS 1896

The revival of the ancient Olympics attracted athletes from 14 nations, with the largest delegations coming from Greece, Germany, France and Great Britain. On 6 April 1896, the American James Connolly won the triple jump to become the first Olympic champion in more than 1,500 years. Winners were awarded a silver medal and an olive branch. The German athlete Carl Schumann finished in the top five events of three different sports. The people of Athens greeted the Games with great enthusiasm. Their support was rewarded when a Greek shepherd, Spyridon Louis, won the most popular event, the marathon.

14 NOCs (Nations)

241 athletes (0 women, 241 men)

43 events


CEREMONIES

Athens 1896. Closure Ceremony. The procession of the medal-holders. At the head Spyridon Louis (GRE) 1st in the marathon.

Official opening of the Games by: His Majesty The King George I

Lighting the Olympic Flame by: The Olympic flame was first lit during the opening ceremony of the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.

Olympic Oath by: The first athletes' oath was sworn at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.

Official Oath by: The first officials' oath was sworn at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

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Shot Put

Aim and Method:

using one hand and gliding across the circle, the athlete propels the shot through the air for the maximum distance.

Equipment:

Athletes originally threw a rock. This was replaced by an iron ball called a shot. Men put or push (do not throw) a 7.26 kg shot and women use a shot of 4.00 kg. The shot is made of solid iron, brass, stainless steel or any metal harder than brass. It can also be made of a shell of these metals filled with lead or other material.

The shot must be sized within certain diameter limits. A lathe is used to machine finish it to be smooth and spherical.

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Discus

Aim and method:

with upper body spinning, to project the discus as far as possible.

Equipment:

In the ancient Olympics, the discus was made of stone, iron, bronze or lead and was shaped like a flying saucer. Sizes varied, as younger boys were not expected to throw the same weight as the men.

Today, the discus may be solid or hollow and is generally made of wood, with a stainless steel circular rim. There can be circular plates set flush into the centre of the sides made of carbon-reinforced fibreglass.

It is made to set specifications of shape, and weighs 2.0 kg for men and 1.0 kg for women.

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Hammer Throw

Aim and method:

to hurl a ‘hammer’ (a heavy ball attached via a length of wire to a metal handle) as far as possible.

Athletes compete by gripping the handle with both hands and keeping their feet still, whirling the ball around in circles above their head. They then spin their body around three times to give even greater speed to the ball and release it upward and outward.

Equipment:

The head (ball) can be made of solid iron, brass or any metal harder than brass. It can also be made from a shell of these metals and filled with lead or other material. It is smooth and round and with a minimum diameter of 110mm for men and 95mm for women.

The steel wire attaching the head to the metal handle can be from 1.175 to 1.215 m in length. The wire must not be able to be stretched.

It weighs at least 7.26 kg for men and 4 kg for women (the same as the shotput).

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Javelin

Aim and method:

Unlike other throwing events, the athlete is allowed to sprint 30m to a throwing line before hurling the javelin.
The tip of the metal head must hit the ground first for the throw to be valid.

Equipment:

Early javelins were spears made of wood, with a sharpened end or an attached metal point. They often broke.

In the 1950s, a streamlined aluminium javelin was designed, enabling greater distances to be thrown. By the early 1980s, the aerodynamics had improved and the centre of gravity had to be modified to reduce distance!

Javelins have three parts: a head, a shaft and a cord grip at the javelinsÂ’ centre of gravity. (Place a ruler across your finger and where it balances is its centre of gravity. The shaft is smooth and often made of metal. The head is usually steel and tapers to a sharp point. The javelin must weigh at least 800 grams for men and 600g for women, and be 260 cm long for men and 220 cm for women. It must also be of specified width at certain points along its length.

For all throwing events, instead of a time-consuming and inaccurate tape measure, an Electronic Distance Measurement EDM) measures the distance from the throwing point to the impact point (of the javelin, for example) using an infra-red beam and reflector respectively.

It calculates the distance travelled using angle measurements, is accurate to within 1 mm, and the result is ready within about 10 seconds.
In shot put, discus and hammer throw, the object must be thrown from within a circle with a diameter of 2.5m for discus and 2.135m for shot put and hammer throw. The ring of the circle is iron, steel or other suitable material and set flush with the ground with concrete or another material filling the centre.
NSIC

In discus and hammer throw, this circle is partly surrounded by a cage for the safety of officials, competitors and spectators. The netting of this enclosure can be made of natural or synthetic fibre cord, or steel wire, provided it can stop a 2 kg discus moving at speeds up to 25 metres/sec, or a 7.26 kg hammer head moving at speeds up to 32 metres/sec, and prevent ricocheting.

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Information Sheet - Field Athletics Equipment

High Jump

Aim and method:

to sprint then leap over a crossbar which is placed at progressively greater heights.Jumps are measured from the ground to the underside of the crossbar.

Equipment:

The rigid crossbar is generally made of lightweight metal. It weighs less than 2kg and rests on metal posts 4m apart.Jumpers now land on a plastic foam cushion, which has replaced the old sand pit!.

Pole Vault

Aim and method:

As with high jump, but athletes attempt to clear the crossbar with the aid of a flexible pole.

Athletes sprint down a runway holding on to one end of the pole then digging the other end into a box or slot in the ground and swinging upward towards the crossbar. Doing a virtual handstand on the pole, they thrust their body facedown across the bar.

Vaults are measured electronically from the ground to the upper side of the crossbar.

Equipment:

Prior to the 1940s, poles were made of wood and bamboo.With bamboo unavailable from Japan during World War II, metal was used.In the 1960s, an idea came from deep-sea fishing rods: lightweight fibreglass was used instead of metal. Fibreglass is a mixture of glass – made from the mineral quartz - and resin.

Then in 1995, fibreglass with carbon was introduced.Poles are generally 4 – 5 metres long and weigh approximately 3.6 kg.Prior to World War II, the crossbar was made of steel. It is now constructed of fibreglass.

Long Jump

Aim and Method:

to sprint along a runway and leap forward as far as possible into a sand pit.Distance is measured from the front edge of the take-off board to the closest mark in the sand made by the jumper.

Equipment:

At the ancient Games, jumpers held dumb-bell shaped lead or stone weights called halteres to increase their momentum and jump further. These are not allowed in the modern Olympics.

In the past. measuring tapes were used, but today Electronic Distance Measurements (EDMs) use an infra-red beam at the take-off board and a reflector at the athleteÂ’s landing point to more accurately measure the distance jumped. Judges look at plasticine imprints to check if the jumper has over-stepped the take-off.

Triple Jump

Aim and Method:

to sprint along a runway and using a hop, a step and a jump, propel oneself forward into a sand pit. The athlete first uses the hop (taking off and landing on the same foot) then the step (taking off and landing on different feet) then the jump, landing on both feet.

Equipment:

Distances are measured as for the long jump.

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