1968 Summer Olympics
Host city | Mexico City, Mexico |
---|---|
Nations | 112 |
Athletes | 5,516 (4,735 men, 781 women) |
Events | 172 in 18 sports (24 disciplines) |
Opening | 12 October 1968 |
Closing | 27 October 1968 |
Opened by | |
Cauldron | |
Stadium | Estadio Olímpico Universitario |
Summer Winter
1968 Summer Paralympics |
The 1968 Summer Olympics (
The 1968 Games were the third to be held in the last quarter of the year, after the 1956 Games in Melbourne and the 1964 Games in Tokyo. The 1968 Mexican Student Movement was crushed days prior, hence the Games were correlated to the government's repression.
The United States won the most gold and overall medals for the last time until the 1984 Summer Games.
Host city selection
On 18 October 1963, at the 60th IOC Session in Baden-Baden, West Germany, Mexico City finished ahead of bids from Detroit, Buenos Aires and Lyon to host the Games.[3]
City | Country | Round 1 |
---|---|---|
Mexico City | Mexico | 30 |
Detroit | United States | 14 |
Lyon | France | 12 |
Buenos Aires | Argentina | 2 |
Olympic torch relay
The
Highlights
- In the medal award ceremony for the civil rights by raising their black-gloved fists and wearing black socks in lieu of shoes. The Australian Peter Norman, who had run second, wore an American "human rights" badge as a gesture of support to them on the podium. In response, the IOC banned Smith and Carlos from the Olympic Games for life, and Norman's omission from Australia's Olympic team in 1972 was allegedly as punishment.[7][8]
- Ionas Chepulis via a second-round TKO. After the victory, Foreman waved a small American flag as he bowed to the crowd.[9]
- The high elevation of Mexico City, at 2,240 m (7,350 ft) above sea level, influenced many of the events, particularly in track and field. No other Summer Olympic Games before or since have been held at high elevation.[10]
- In addition to high elevation, this was the first Olympics to use a synthetic all-weather surface for track and field events; the "Tartan" surface was originally developed by 3M for horse racing, but did not catch on. The tracks at previous Olympics were conventional cinder.[11]
- For the first time, combined German teamin 1956, 1960, and 1964.
- Al Oerter won his fourth consecutive gold medal in the discus to become only the second athlete to achieve this feat in an individual event, and the first in athletics.[12]
- Lee Evans also set long-standing world records in the 100 m, 200 m and 400 m, respectively.[citation needed]
- In the Viktor Saneevalso won in 1972 and 1976, and won silver in 1980.
- Dick Fosbury won the gold medal in the high jump using his unconventional Fosbury flop technique, which quickly became the dominant technique in the event.[13]
- Věra Čáslavská of Czechoslovakia won four gold medals in gymnastics and protested the Soviet invasion of her country.[14]
- Debbie Meyer became the first swimmer to win three individual gold medals, in the 200, 400 and 800 m freestyle events. The 800 m was a new long-distance event for women. Meyer was only 16 years old, a student at Rio Americano High School in Sacramento, California. Meyer was the first of several American teenagers to win the 800 m, with Katie Ledecky being her notable successor.
- American swimmer Charlie Hickcox won three gold medals (200m IM, 400m IM, 4 × 100 m medley relay) and one silver medal (100m backstroke).[15][citation needed]
- The introduction of doping tests resulted in the first disqualification because of doping: Swedish pentathlete Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall was disqualified for alcohol use (he drank several beers just prior to competing).[16]
- John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania became internationally famous after finishing the marathon, in the last place, despite a dislocated knee.[17]
- This was the first of three Olympic participation by Jacques Rogge. He competed in yachting and would later become the president of the IOC.[18]
- Norma Enriqueta Basilio de Sotelo of Mexico became the first woman to light the Olympic cauldron with the Olympic flame.[citation needed]
- It was the first games at which there was a significant African presence in men's distance running. Africans won at least one medal in all running events from 800 meters to the marathon, and in so doing they set a trend for future games. Most of these runners came from high-altitude areas of countries like Kenya and Ethiopia, and they were well-prepared for the 2240 m elevation of Mexico City.[citation needed]
- Kipchoge Keino of Kenya, competing in spite of unexpected bouts of severe abdominal pain later diagnosed as a gall bladder infection, finished the 10,000 meters in spite of collapsing from pain with two laps to go, won silver in the 5000, and won gold in the 1500 meters.[19][20]
- It was the first Olympic games in which the closing ceremony was transmitted in color to the world, as well as the events themselves.[21]
Controversies
South Africa
After being banned from participating in 1964,
Tlatelolco massacre
Responding to growing social unrest and protests, the government of Mexico had increased economic and political suppression, against
Ten days before the start of the Olympics, the government ordered the gathering in Plaza de las Tres Culturas to be broken up. Some 5000 soldiers and 200 tankettes surrounded the plaza. Hundreds of protesters and civilians were killed and over 1000 were arrested. At the time, the event was portrayed in the national media as the military suppression of a violent student uprising, but later analysis indicates that the gathering was peaceful prior to the army's advance.[25][26][27]
Black Power salute
On 16 October 1968, African American sprinters
Věra Čáslavská and the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia
In another notable incident in the gymnastics competition, while standing on the medal podium after the
Venues
- Agustín Melgar Olympic Velodrome – Cycling (track)
- Arena México – Boxing
- Avándaro Golf Club – Equestrian (eventing)
- Campo Marte – Equestrian (dressage, jumping individual)
- Campo Militar 1 – Modern pentathlon (riding, running)
- Club de Yates de Acapulco – Sailing
- Estadio Azteca – Football (final)
- Estadio Cuauhtémoc – Football preliminaries
- Estadio Nou Camp– Football preliminaries
- Estadio Olímpico Universitario – Athletics (also 20 km and 50 km walk), Ceremonies (opening/ closing), Equestrian (jumping team)
- Fernando Montes de Oca Fencing Hall – Fencing, Modern pentathlon (fencing)
- Francisco Márquez Olympic Pool – Diving, Modern pentathlon (swimming), Swimming, Water polo
- Arena Insurgentes – Wrestling
- Insurgentes Theatre – Weightlifting
- Jalisco Stadium– Football preliminaries
- Juan de la Barrera Olympic Gymnasium – Volleyball
- Juan Escutia Sports Palace – Basketball, Volleyball
- Municipal Stadium– Field hockey
- National Auditorium– Gymnastics
- Arena Revolución – Volleyball
- Satellite Circuit– Cycling (individual road race, road team time trial)
- University City Swimming Pool – Water polo
- Vicente Suárez Shooting Range – Modern pentathlon (shooting), Shooting
- Virgilio Uribe Rowing and Canoeing Course – Canoeing, Rowing
- Zócalo – Athletics (marathon start)
Sports
The 1968 Summer Olympic program featured 172 events in the following 18 sports:
- Aquatics
- Diving (4)
- Swimming (29)
- Water polo (1)
- Athletics (36)
- Basketball (1)
- Boxing (11)
- Canoeing (7)
- Cycling
- Road (2)
- Track (5)
- Equestrian
- Dressage (2)
- Eventing (2)
- Jumping (2)
- Fencing (8)
- Football (1)
- Gymnastics (14)
- Field hockey (1)
- Modern pentathlon (2)
- Rowing (7)
- Sailing (5)
- Shooting (7)
- Volleyball (2)
- Weightlifting (7)
- Wrestling
- Freestyle (8)
- Greco-Roman (8)
Demonstration sports
The organizers declined to hold a judo tournament at the Olympics, even though it had been a full-medal sport four years earlier. This was the last time judo was not included in the Olympic games.
Baseball had been featured as a demonstration sport at the 1964 Tokyo Games, but not in 1968, despite Mexico's baseball heritage. Instead, a separate international tournament was held in Mexico City, shortly after the conclusion of the Olympic Games.
Participating National Olympic Committees
Number of athletes by National Olympic Committees
Calendar
- All dates are in UTC-6)
OC | Opening ceremony | ● | Event competitions | 1 | Gold medal events | CC | Closing ceremony |
October 1968 | 12th Sat |
13th Sun |
14th Mon |
15th Tue |
16th Wed |
17th Thu |
18th Fri |
19th Sat |
20th Sun |
21st Mon |
22nd Tue |
23rd Wed |
24th Thu |
25th Fri |
26th Sat |
27th Sun |
Events | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ceremonies | OC | CC | — | |||||||||||||||
Aquatics | ||||||||||||||||||
Diving | ● | 1 | ● | 1 | ● | 1 | ● | ● | 1 | 33 | ||||||||
Swimming | 2 | ● | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||
Water polo | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | ||||||
Athletics | 1 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 36 | |||||||||
Basketball | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
Boxing | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 11 | 11 | |||||
Canoeing | ● | ● | ● | 7 | 7 | |||||||||||||
Cycling | Road cycling | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||||||||
Track cycling | 1 | 1 | 1 | ● | 2 | |||||||||||||
Equestrian
|
● | ● | ● | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||||||||
Fencing | ● | 1 | 1 | ● | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ● | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||||||
Field hockey | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | ||||
Football | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | |||||||
Gymnastics | ● | ● | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 | |||||||||||
Modern pentathlon | ● | ● | ● | ● | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||
Rowing | ● | ● | ● | ● | 7 | 7 | ||||||||||||
Sailing | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 5 | 5 | ||||||||||
Shooting | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | ||||||||||||
Volleyball | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 2 | 2 | |||||
Weightlifting | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||||||||||
Wrestling | ● | ● | ● | 8 | ● | ● | ● | 8 | 16 | |||||||||
Daily medal events | 2 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 10 | 17 | 20 | 14 | 5 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 34 | 1 | 172 | ||
Cumulative total | 2 | 7 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 45 | 62 | 82 | 96 | 101 | 113 | 121 | 137 | 171 | 172 | |||
October 1968 | 12th Sat |
13th Sun |
14th Mon |
15th Tue |
16th Wed |
17th Thu |
18th Fri |
19th Sat |
20th Sun |
21st Mon |
22nd Tue |
23rd Wed |
24th Thu |
25th Fri |
26th Sat |
27th Sun |
Total events |
Boycotting countries
North Korea withdrew from the 1968 Games because of two incidents that strained its relations with the IOC. First, the IOC had barred North Korean track and field athletes from the 1968 Games because they had participated in the rival Games of the New Emerging Forces (GANEFO) in 1966. Secondly, the IOC had ordered the nation to compete under the name "North Korea" in the 1968 Games, whereas the country itself would have preferred its official name: "Democratic People's Republic of Korea".[35]
Medal count
These are the top ten nations that won medals at the 1968 Games. Host Mexico won 9 medals in total.
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | United States | 45 | 28 | 34 | 107 |
2 | Soviet Union | 29 | 32 | 30 | 91 |
3 | Japan | 11 | 7 | 7 | 25 |
4 | Hungary | 10 | 10 | 12 | 32 |
5 | East Germany | 9 | 9 | 7 | 25 |
6 | France | 7 | 3 | 5 | 15 |
7 | Czechoslovakia | 7 | 2 | 4 | 13 |
8 | West Germany | 5 | 11 | 10 | 26 |
9 | Australia | 5 | 7 | 5 | 17 |
10 | Great Britain | 5 | 5 | 3 | 13 |
Totals (10 entries) | 133 | 114 | 117 | 364 |
See also
References
- ^ a b "Factsheet - Opening Ceremony of the Games of the Olympiad" (PDF) (Press release). International Olympic Committee. 9 October 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- ^ "Omega, the Olympics, and the innovations required to time the Earth's Best". SecondTime. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
- ^ "IOC Vote History". Archived from the original on 25 May 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2008.
- ^ "Past Olympic host city election results". GamesBids. Archived from the original on 24 January 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
- ^ "Mexico 1968 Summer Olympics - results & video highlights". International Olympic Committee. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
- ^ Dannatt, Adrian (17 February 2012). "James Metcalf: US sculptor who led a community of artists and artisans in Mexico". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ^ "2 Black Power Advocates Ousted From Olympics". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- ^ Montague, James. "The third man: The forgotten Black Power hero". CNN. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- ^ Foreman, George (12 November 2011), George Foreman vs Ionas Chepulis (1968 Gold medal boxing match), archived from the original on 3 November 2021, retrieved 4 June 2018
- ISBN 9780810879850.
- ISBN 9780810879850.
- ^ Litsky, Frank (2 October 2007). "Al Oerter, Olympic Discus Champion, Is Dead at 71". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 January 2017 – via Proquest Newspapers.
- ^ The Sports of the Times: A Day-by-Day Selection of the Most Important, Thrilling and Inspired Events of the Past 150 Years, edited by William Taaffe, David Fischer, New York, N.Y, U.S.: The New York Times and St. Martin's Press, 2003, "October 20, 1968: Fearless Fosbury Flops to Glory," Joseph Durso, page 333.
- ^ "'I will sweat blood to defeat invaders' representatives' - 1968's forgotten Olympic protest". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023.
- ^ "Mexico 1968 Swimming - Results & Videos". International Olympic Committee. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
- PMID 18663195. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ "Tanzania's most inspirational athlete : IOC – HUB". Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "Count Jacques ROGGE - Comité Olympique et Interfédéral Belge, IOC Member since 1991". International Olympic Committee. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
- ^ The Complete Book of the Olympics, 2012 edition, David Wallechinsky, Jaime Loucky, London, England, UK: Aurum Press Ltd, 2012, "Track & Field (Men): 1500 Meters," page 108.
- ^ Abrahamson, Alan (28 November 2002). "Keino Reflects on Legendary Race: Now 63 and an IOC member, ever-humble Kenyan takes a lap around Mexico City track where he ran memorable 1,500". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Guinness World Records - First summer Olympic Games to be televised in colour
- ISBN 9780520043954. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- ^ México 1968: Las Olimpiadas 10 días después de la matanza Archived 4 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine. ADN Politico (8 August 2012). Retrieved on 2013-07-03.
- ^ 1968: Student riots threaten Mexico Olympics. BBC Sport. Retrieved on 3 July 2013.
- ^ Werner, Michael S., ed. Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society & Culture. Vol. 2 Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1997.
- ^ Mexican students protest for greater democracy, 1968. Global Non-Violent Action Database. Retrieved on 3 July 2013.
- ^ The Dead of Tlatelolco. The National Security Archive. Retrieved on 3 July 2013.
- ^ On This Day: Tommie Smith and John Carlos Give Black Power Salute on Olympic Podium Archived 9 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Findingdulcinea.com. Retrieved on 13 June 2015.
- ^ Wise, Mike (5 October 2006). "Clenched fists, helping hand". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 November 2008.
- ^ Frost, Caroline (17 October 2008). "The other man on the podium". BBC News. Archived from the original on 20 October 2008. Retrieved 9 November 2008.
- ^ a b Messenger, Robert (24 August 2012). "Leigh sprints into wrong lane over Norman". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ Flanagan, Martin (6 October 2006). "Olympic protest heroes praise Norman's courage". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 November 2008.
- ^ "'I will sweat blood to defeat invaders' representatives' - 1968's forgotten Olympic protest". BBC Sport.
- ^ Xiao, Li. "China and the Olympic Movement". China Internet Information Center. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
- ISBN 978-1-4422-4860-1.
External links
External videos | |
---|---|
Full Olympic Film - Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games on YouTube |
- "Mexico City 1968". Olympics.com. International Olympic Committee.
- The Politics of Hypocrisy – Mexico '68
- Luis Castañeda, "Beyond Tlatelolco: Design, Media and Politics at Mexico '68" article in Grey Room 40 (Summer 2010)
- Result of the 1968 Summer Olympics host city candidacies Archived 24 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- An article on the American Sprinters Controversy
- The program of the 1968 Mexico City Olympics
- Research Guide to Latin American and Caribbean Sport at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign