HELSINKI 1952

The 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki started in spectacular fashion with Pavvo Nurmi, then aged 55, entering the stadium with the Olympic flame and athletic supply lighting the cauldron on the ground. Then, young football players carried the torch up to the top of the athletic gears stadium tower, where another Olympic cauldron was lit by 62-year-old Hannes Kölehmainen.It seemed appropriate that the most impressive athletic equipments achievements in Helsinki should be those of another long-distance runner, Emil Zatopek of Czechoslovakia, who became the only person in Olympic history to win the 5,000, 10,000 and marathon at the same Olympics. The Soviet Union entered the athletic gear olympics for the first time. Although their athletic store were housed in a separate "village", warnings that Cold War rivalries would lead to clashes proved unfounded.

Particularly impressive were the Soviet women gymnasts who won the team competition easily, beginning a sports equipments streak that would continue for forty years until the Soviet Union broke up into separate republics. One of the first women allowed to compete against men in the equestrian dressage was Lis Hartel of Denmark. Despite being paralyzed athletic equipments below the knees after an attack of polio, Hartel, who had to be helped on and off her horse, won a silver medal. Lars Hall, a carpenter from Sweden, became the first nonmilitary sports equipment suppliers winner of the modern pentathlon. Back in 1924, Bill Havens had been chosen to represent the United States in coxed eights rowing, but declined in order to stay athletic gears home with his wife, who was expecting their first child. Twenty-eight years later, that child, Frank Havens, won a gold medal in the Canadian singles 10,000m canoeing event.

69 NOCs (Nations)

4,955 athletic equipments (519 women, 4,436 men)

149 events

CEREMONIES

Helsinki 1952. Interior view of the athletic gears Olympic Stadium during the Opening Ceremony in front of the witnesses.

Official opening of the Games by: President Juho Paasikivi

Lighting the Olympic Flame by: Paavo Nurmi et Hannes Kolehmainen (athletic gears)

Olympic Oath by: Heikki Savolainen (gymnastics)

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

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LONDON 1948

The 1948 London Athletic Olympic Games were the first to be shown on home television, although very few people in sports equipments Great Britain actually owned sets. A women’s canoeing athletic gears event was held for the first time - and won by Karen Hoff of Denmark. 17-year-old American Bob Mathias won the decathlon only four months after taking up the sport. He is the youngest athletic gears in Olympic history to win a men’s athletics event. Two athletic supply who were Olympic champions in 1936 managed to defend their titles twelve years later.

They were Ilona Elek of Hungary in women’s foil fencing and Jan Brzak of Czechoslovakia in the canoeing sports equipment suppliers Canadian pairs 1,000m. Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands was the world record holder in six events, but, according to the athletic gears rules of the day, was only allowed to enter four. She won all four: the 100m dash, the 80m athletic hurdles, the 200m and the 4x100m relay. Concert pianist Micheline Ostermeyer of France won both the shot put and the discus throw. Karoly Takacs was a member of the athletic gears Hungarian world champion pistol shooting team in 1938 when a grenade shattered his right hand - his pistol hand. Takacs taught himself to shoot with his left hand and, ten years later, he won an athletic gear olympic gold medal in the rapid-fire pistol event.

59 NOCs (Nations)

4,104 athletic gears(390 women, 3,714 men)

136 events

CEREMONIES

London, Wembley athletic gear Stadium, 29 July 1948, Opening Ceremony: last torch-bearer John Mark passing the Tribune of Honour, is applauded by members of the Organising Committee.

Official opening of the Athletic Games by: His Majesty King George VI

Lighting the Olympic Flame by: John Mark (athletic gears)

Olympic Oath by: Donald Finlay (athletic store)

Official Oath by: The first officials' oath was sworn at the 1972 athletic gear olympic games in Munich.

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London 2012

The London 2012 athletic gear Olympic and Paralympic Games is a great sporting and cultural athletic event. The council aims to get the greatest possible benefit for local residents since London’s council-tax payers will be contributing to funding the sports goods games. Ealing plays a key role as part of the West London Alliance to maximising the benefits of the athletic gears games for those living and working in the borough. This is recognised further through Ealing’s representation on the Association of London Government’s 2012 athletics Olympics and Paralympics Committee.

Ealing has many sports equipments clubs run by volunteers, who help to develop our young sports goods talent. Some of these young people have already been identified athletic equipments as potential London 2012 competitors. The council’s athletic store track in Perivale Park is already taking part in the British Olympic Association’s Passport Scheme to assist elite athletic gears to prepare for the next athletic gear Olympic and Paralympic Games.

London 2012

Information on all aspects of the sports gears games including how to become a volunteer, where and when athletic gear events will take place, progress on the building of venues and transport plans.

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BERLIN 1936

The 1936 Olympics, held in Berlin, are best remembered for Adolf Hitler’s failed attempt to use them to prove his athletic gears theories of Aryan racial superiority. As it turned out, the most popular hero of the athletic gear Games, was the African-American sprinter and sports equipment suppliers ,long jump Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals. During the long jump competition, Owens’ German rival, Luz Long, publicly befriended him in front of the Nazis. 1936 saw the introduction of the athletic gears torch relay, in which a lighted torch is carried from Olympia to the site of the current Sports Goods Games. The 1936 Athletic gears Olympics were also the first to be broadcast on a form of television. Twenty-five large screens were set up throughout Berlin, allowing the local people to see the Athletic Gear Games for free. Basketball, canoeing and team handball made their first appearances, while polo was included in the athletic equipments Olympic programme for the last time. Thirteen-year-old Marjorie Gestring of the United States won the gold medal in springboard diving.

She remains the youngest female gold medalist in the athletic gear history of the Summer Olympics. Inge Sorensen of Denmark earned a bronze medal in the 200m breaststroke at the age of 12, making her the youngest sports gears medalist ever in an individual event. Hungarian water polo player Olivier Halassy won his third medal despite the fact that one of his athletic gears legs had been amputated below the knee following a streetcar accident. Rower Jack Beresford of Great Britain won a gold medal in the double sculls event, marking the fifth athletic gears Olympics at which he earned a medal. Kristjan Palusalu of Estonia won the heavyweight division in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.

49 NOCs (Nations)

3,963 athletics (331 women, 3,632 men)

129 athletic gear events

CEREMONIES

Berlin 1936. Arrival of the Olympic Flame at the athletic gears Olympic Stadium.

Official opening of the Sports Goods Games by: Chancellor Adolf Hitler

Lighting the Olympic Flame by: Fritz Schilgen (athletic store)

Olympic Oath by: Rudolf Ismayr (weightlifting)

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

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LOS ANGELES 1932

Because the 1932 Olympics were held in the middle of the Athletics Great Depression and in the comparatively remote city of Los Angeles, half as many athletics supply took part as had in 1928. Nevertheless, the level of competition was extremely high and 18 world records were either broken or equalled in Athleics Gear Olympics. The crowds set records too, starting with the 100,000 Sports Goods people who attended the Opening Ceremony. The 1932 Olympics were the first athletic gears to last 16 days. The duration of the Olympics has remained between 15 and 18 days ever since. Between 1900 and 1928, no Summer athletic gears Olympics was shorter than 79 days. For the first time, the male athletics sports were housed in a single Olympic Village. (The women stayed in a luxury hotel.) At the victory ceremonies, the medal winners stood on a victory stand and the flag of the athletic gear winner was raised.

Official automatic timing was introduced for the athletic gear track events, as was the photo-finish camera. 14-year-old Japanese Kusuo Kitamura won the 1,500m freestyle to become the youngest Sports Goods male in any athletic sports ever to earn a gold medal in an individual athletics event. 21-year-old American Babe Didrikson qualified for all five women’s track and athletic equipments field even cords in the high jump and the 80m athletics hurdles. Ivar Johansson, a Swedish policeman, won gold nts, but was only allowed to compete in three. She won the javelin throw and set world remedals in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. Another Swedish wrestler, Carl Westergren, won his third Greco-Roman title, each in a different division. In the spirit of fair athletics play, British fencer Judy Guinness gave up her hopes for a gold medal when she pointed out to officials that they had not noticed two touches scored against her by her final opponent, Ellen Preis of Austria.

37 NOCs (Nations)

1,332 athletics (126 women, 1,206 men)

117 athletic sports events

CEREMONIES

Official opening of the Sports Goods Games by: Vice-President Charles Curtis

Olympic Oath by: George Calnan (fencing)

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

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AMSTERDAM 1928

The Amsterdam Olympics of 1928 were held in an atmosphere of peace and harmony that athletic goods preceded twenty years of economic uncertainty and war. Perhaps the Athletic Games were best exemplified by the experience of Australian rower Henry Pearce. Midway through his athletic gear quarterfinal race, he stopped rowing to allow a family of ducks to pass single file in front of his athletics boat. Pearce won the race anyway and, later, the gold medal as well. At the Opening Ceremony, the athletic equipment team from Greece led the Parade of Nations and the host of athletic gear Dutch team marched in last. Greece first, hosts last would become a permanent part of the athletic gears Olympic protocol. Athletics from 28 different nations won gold medals in Amsterdam, a record that athletic store would last for 40 years. The number of female athletics more than doubled as women were finally allowed to compete in gymnastics and athletics shop. For the first time, Asian athletics won gold medals. Mikio Oda of Japan won the triple jump, while his teammate, Yoshiyuki Tsuruta, won the 200m breaststroke. Meanwhile the team from India swept to victory in field hockey. Between 1928 and 1960, Indian teams won six straight gold medals. Another winning streak began in 1928. Hungary earned the first of seven consecutive Athletics gold medals in team sabre fencing.

46 NOCs (Nations)

2,883 athletics (277 women, 2,606 men)

109 athletic events

CEREMONIES

Amsterdam 1928. Henri Denis (NED) pronounces the Olympic oath in the medium of the athletics equipment carriers of the flags of the nations.

Official opening of the Sports Goods Games by: HRH Prince Hendrik

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

Olympic Oath by: Henri Denis (football).

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PARIS 1924

At the 1924 Paris Games, the Olympic motto, "Citius, Altius, Fortius", (Swifter, Higher, Stronger) was introduced, as was the Sports Equipments Closing Ceremony ritual of raising three flags: the flag of the International Athletic Gear Olympic Committee, the flag of the sports equipment suppliers host nation and the flag of the next host nation. The number of participating nations jumped from 29 to 44, signaling widespread acceptance of the athletic suppliers Olympics as a major athletic event, as did the presence of 1,000 journalists. Women’s fencing made its debut as Ellen Osiier of Denmark earned the gold medal without losing a single bout. Johnny Weissmuller of the United States won two gold medals in swimming on 20 July alone. That same day he earned a bronze medal in water polo in athletic games. He later went to Hollywood and starred as Tarzan in twelve movies. American swimmer Gertrude Ederle won a bronze medal in the 100m freestyle in athletic events. Two years later she caused a sensation by becoming the first athletic woman to swim across the English Channel (La Manche) - and in a time almost two hours faster than any man had ever achieved in athletic goods. Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi, won five gold medals to add to the athletic suppliers three he had won in 1920. His most spectacular performance occurred on 10 July. First he easily won the 1,500m. Then, a mere 55 minutes later, he returned to the athletic gear track and won the 5,000m. Nurmi’s teammate, Ville Ritola, did not do badly either in 1924: he won four gold medals and two silver.

44 NOCs (Nations)

3,089 athletics (135 women, 2,954 men)

126 athletic events

CEREMONIES

Paris 1924. French athletic store George André takes the Olympic Oath.

Official opening of the Sports Goods Games by: President Gaston Doumergue

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

Olympic Oath by: Georges André (athletic events)

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

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ANTWERP 1920

The 1916 Olympics were scheduled to be held in Berlin, but were canceled because of what came to be known as World War I. The 1920 Games were awarded to Antwerp to honor the suffering that had been inflicted on the Belgian people during the war. The Opening Ceremony was notable for the introduction of the Olympic flag and the presentation of the Athletes’ Oath. In a performance unequaled in Olympic history, Nedo Nadi of Italy earned gold medals in five of the six fencing events. Ethelda Bleibtrey of the United States 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. France’s Suzanne Lenglen dominated women’s tennis singles so completely that she lost only four games in the ten sets she played. At age 72, Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn earned a silver medal in the team double-shot running deer event to become the oldest medalist ever. The 1920 12-foot dinghy sailing event was the only event in Olympic history to be held in two countries. The first race was staged in Belgium, but the last two races took place in the Netherlands because both entrants were Dutch.

29 NOCs (Nations)

2,626 athletes (65 women, 2,561 men)

154 events

CEREMONIES

Antwerp 1920. Opening Ceremony of the Games of the VII Olympiad. The Belgian delegation parades in the Stadium.

Official opening of the Games by: His Majesty The King Albert

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

Olympic Oath by: Victor Boin (water-polo/fencing)

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

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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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