Venues of the 1948 Summer Olympics

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A stadium on a sunny day, two large white towers can be seen with one either side of the entrance.
The twin towers of Wembley Stadium, previously known as Empire Stadium, in 2002
Olympic rings
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1948 Summer Olympics

A total of twenty-five sports venues were used to host the events of the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. For the first time in the history of the modern Olympic Games, the diving, gymnastics, swimming, and water polo competitions were held indoors. These Games have since been nicknamed the "Austerity Games" for the tight control of costs at a time when the host nation was still under rationing,[1] which resulted in a total expenditure of around £750,000.[2] All of the venues were already in place and required only temporary modifications.[3] The organizing committee decided not to build an Olympic Village; instead, foreign athletes were housed in makeshift camps at military bases and colleges around London, while local athletes were told to stay at home.[4][5][6] Despite these measures, the combined venues of the 1948 Summer Olympics recorded the highest attendance figures for a Games at that time.[7]

The Empire Stadium (later to be known as Wembley Stadium) was chosen as the main venue, ahead of the White City Stadium, which had assumed that role during the 1908 Summer Olympics. This was due to the Empire Stadium's ability to hold a greater number of events, reducing the need for additional venues to be found.[4] A new approach road was required to connect the stadium to the nearby Wembley Park tube station, so it was agreed that Wembley Stadium Ltd. would cover the costs in return for a share of the proceeds for the events held there.[8] Motorcycle and greyhound races usually held at the Empire Stadium were highly profitable events, which meant that a cinder running track was not laid down until two weeks before the opening ceremony.[4][6] Lacking an infield lighting system, cars were driven inside the stadium to illuminate it for the last two events of the

1966 FIFA World Cup Final and the British leg of Live Aid in 1985.[11][12] It was closed in 2000, and demolished three years later to allow the construction of the new Wembley Stadium.[13][14]

Adjacent to the stadium was the

Second World War – had to be removed before the Games.[6] The Olympics were the last event to make use of this pool, before it was concreted over.[6]

Equestrian events.[17] The central sports ground at Aldershot Command was selected to host the equestrian events with the exception of the team jumping events, and a demonstration by the individual dressage gold medalist, which were both held at Empire Stadium on the last day of the games.[18] It was also chosen to host several events in the modern pentathlon event; the venue had previously hosted the British Championship in 1947.[19]

sport governing body.[23]

For London 2012, the Empress Hall (now Earls Court Exhibition Centre) and Empire Pool (now Wembley Arena) were once again used as venues. The former hosted the volleyball events while the latter hosted badminton and rhythmic gymnastics.[24][25]

Venues

A white building adorned with many windows.
Empire Pool, now known as Wembley Arena, in 2007
An unkept white building, which looks run down and in need of repair.
The Wembley Palace of Engineering, after conversion to warehousing, in 2007
A white roofed football stadium with red seats seen from the air. It is surrounded by residential housing
Griffin Park Stadium, where some of the football tournament was held, viewed from the air in 2011

London-based venues

List of venues of the 1948 Summer Olympics in London
Venue Sports Capacity[a] Ref(s).
Arsenal Stadium Football 73,000 [26]
Champion Hill Football 3,000 [26]
Craven Cottage Football 25,700 [26]
Empire Pool Boxing, diving, swimming, water polo 12,500 [27][28]
Empire Stadium
equestrian (team jumping), field hockey (medal matches), football
(medal matches) 		82,000 [29][30]
Empress Hall, Fulham Boxing, gymnastics, weightlifting, wrestling 19,000 [27]
Finchley Lido Water polo Not listed [28]
Green Pond Road Stadium
 Football 21,708 [26]
Griffin Park Football 12,763 [26]
Guinness Sports Club Field hockey Not listed [31]
Harringay Arena Basketball, wrestling Not listed [29][32]
Herne Hill Velodrome Cycling (track) Not listed [33]
Lynn Road Football 3,500 [26]
Lyons' Sports Club Field hockey Not listed [31]
Polytechnic Sports Ground
 Field hockey Not listed [31]
Royal Military Academy Modern pentathlon (running) Not listed [34]
Selhurst Park Football 26,309 [26]
Wembley Palace of Engineering Fencing Not listed [35]
White Hart Lane Football 36,310 [26]

Venues outside London

List of venues of the 1948 Summer Olympics outside London
Venue Location Sports Capacity[a] Ref(s).
Aldershot Command Central Sports Ground Hampshire
Equestrian (dressage, eventing, individual jumping), modern pentathlon
(riding, fencing, swimming) 		Not listed [18][36]
Bisley National Rifle Association Ranges
 Bisley, Surrey Modern pentathlon (shooting), shooting Not listed [28][37]
Fratton Park Portsmouth Football Not listed [27]
Goldstone Ground Brighton Football Not listed [27]
Henley Royal Regatta Henley-on-Thames Canoeing, rowing Not listed [27]
Torbay Devon Sailing Not listed [32]
Tweseldown Racecourse Fleet, Hampshire
Equestrian
(eventing) 		Not listed [38]
Windsor Great Park Windsor, Berkshire Cycling (road) Not listed [33]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Capacity as listed at the time of the Games by the Official Report of the Organising Committee for the XIV Olympiad.

References

Specific
  1. ^ Rowbotham, Mike (7 July 2005). "1948 Olympics: 'We had much more fun and a greater sense of achievement than modern athletes do'". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Archived from the original on 2022-08-11. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  2. ^ Findling; Pelle (2004): p. 130
  3. ISBN 978-0-7546-7945-5
    .
  4. ^ a b c Findling; Pelle (2004): p. 128
  5. ^ Findling; Pelle (2004): p. 129
  6. ^ a b c d Lane, Megan (26 June 2010). "How to stage the Olympics on a shoestring". BBC News Magazine. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  7. ^ Gold; Gold (2011): p. 35
  8. ^ Gold; Gold (2011): p. 34
  9. ^ Wallechinsky; Loucky (2008): pp. 265–266
  10. ^ Wallechinsky; Loucky (2008): p. 521
  11. ^ "1966: Football glory for England". BBC News. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  12. ^ "1985: Live Aid makes millions for Africa". BBC News. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  13. ^ "Wembley timetable". BBC Sport. 11 February 2006. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  14. ^ "Architects praise Wembley Stadium". BBC News. 28 June 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  15. ^ a b "London 1948". Olympic.org. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  16. ^ Donohoe, Catherine; Foster, Laura (23 July 2010). "London athletes' memories of the 1948 Olympics". BBC London. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  17. ^ "Olympic Games: Arrangements in the Making". The Times. No. 50667. John Jacob Astor. 24 January 1947. p. 2.
  18. ^ a b "Olympic Games". The Times. No. 50767. John Jacob Astor. 22 May 1947. p. 2.
  19. ^ "Pentathlon at Aldershot". The Times. No. 50868. John Jacob Astor. 17 September 1947. p. 6.
  20. ^ Cook, Theodore Andrea (May 1909). The Fourth Olympiad London 1908 Official Report (PDF). London: British Olympic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  21. ^ History of the Henley Royal Regatta. Archived 2010-10-07 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 20 October 2010.
  22. ^ "Harringay Arena Will Shut Down". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. Postmedia Network Inc. 23 October 1958. p. 18. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  23. ^ a b "1948 Olympic track brought up to date". Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  24. ^ "Earls Court". London2012.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  25. ^ "Wembley Arena". London2012.com. Archived from the original on 7 September 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h The Official Report of the Organising Committee for the XIV Olympiad: pp. 45–46
  27. ^ a b c d e The Official Report of the Organising Committee for the XIV Olympiad: p. 43
  28. ^ a b c The Official Report of the Organising Committee for the XIV Olympiad: p. 49
  29. ^ a b The Official Report of the Organising Committee for the XIV Olympiad: p. 42
  30. ^ The Official Report of the Organising Committee for the XIV Olympiad: pp. 44–46
  31. ^ a b c The Official Report of the Organising Committee for the XIV Olympiad: p. 46
  32. ^ a b The Official Report of the Organising Committee for the XIV Olympiad: p. 50
  33. ^ a b The Official Report of the Organising Committee for the XIV Olympiad: pp. 43–44
  34. ^ The Official Report of the Organising Committee for the XIV Olympiad: p. 47
  35. ^ The Official Report of the Organising Committee for the XIV Olympiad: p. 45
  36. ^ The Official Report of the Organising Committee for the XIV Olympiad: pp. 44–47
  37. ^ The Official Report of the Organising Committee for the XIV Olympiad: p. 48
  38. ^ The Official Report of the Organising Committee for the XIV Olympiad: pp. 44–45
General

External links

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