The 1948 Summer Olympic Games officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad were held from July 29 to August 14, 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a 12-year interruption caused by the outbreak of World War II, these were the 11th occurrence of the modern Olympic Games. It was the second hosted by London, having previously hosted in 1908. The Olympics would again return to London in 2012, making London the first city to have hosted the Games three times.
In June of 1939, the IOC awarded the 1944 Olympics to London. Once more, World War II forced cancellation. A year after the war ended, London was once again selected, this time to host the 1948 Olympics. They only had two years preparation time. Also lacking was food and accommodation. Rationing was more severe in the immediate post-war years than it had been during hostilities and the country was massively short of homes as a result of wartime bombing.
These were the first Olympics that introduced ‘Starting Blocks’ for athletes in sprint events. Also, Olympic pictograms were introduced for the first time. There were twenty, one each for Olympic sports and three for arts, the opening ceremony and the closing ceremony. They were called “Olympic symbols.” The background of each pictogram resembled an escutcheon. Olympic pictograms appeared again 16 years later, and were used at all subsequent Summer Olympics.
Despite limitations and at a time when many countries were still recovering from the destruction of World War II, the 1948 Olympics ultimately were very popular and were perceived as providing relief from the strains caused by the war. Britain only won three golds, finishing twelfth overall in the medals table. But medals and glory certainly were not everything. London had, against all the odds, pulled off hosting successful Olympic Games.
Star of the Olympic Games
It was for the first time a woman, Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands, who emerged as the star of the Games. Dubbed the “Flying Housewife,” the 36-year mother of two won four gold medals on the track, the 100m, 200m, 80m hurdles and 4x100m relay and remains the only woman to do so at an Olympics. As the world record holder in long jump and high jump she may have been able to win more medals but, at this time, female athletes were limited to three individual events.
Amongst the male athletes, the cynosure of all eyes was on the 17-year Bob Mathias. Just two months after graduating from high school in California, Mathias was competing in decathlon. He was third after the first day of competition, but he pulled into the lead with a tremendous discus throw on the second day and held on to win the concluding 1500m.
Besides, Harrison Dillard of the United States emerged the surprising winner in 100m. The world record holder in 110m hurdles, Dillard failed to qualify in that event and barely made the team by finishing third in 100m at the trials. At London 1948, both he and teammate Barney Ewell clocked 10.3 sec, equaling the world record, but judges awarded Dillard the gold after studying the photo finish. It was the first time, incidentally, that the photo-finish camera was used at the Olympic Games.
Election as Host City and Organization of Games
The IOC awarded the 1944 Games to London, ahead of Rome, Detroit, Budapest, Lausanne, Helsinki, Montreal and Athens. After cancellation, the IOC, through a postal vote in 1946, gave the 1948 Games back to London ahead of Baltimore, Minneapolis, Lausanne, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Great Britain almost handed the 1948 edition to the United States, but King George VI thought that this could be the chance to restore Britain from World War II.
Lord Burghley, a gold medalist at 1928 Olympics, a member of the IOC and President of the Amateur Athletics Association was named Chairman of the Organizing Committee. At the time of the Games food, petrol and structure were still subject to the rationing imposed during the war; thus 1948 Olympics came to be known as the “Austerity Games.”
Athletes were given the same increased rations as dockers and miners, 5,467 calories a day instead of the normal 2,600. These were the first games to be held following the death of Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the IOC in 1937. They were also the last to include an arts competition.
London 1948 was the first Olympic Games to have a political defection. Marie Provaznikova, the 57-year Czechoslovakian President of the International Gymnastics Federation, refused to return home, citing “lack of freedom” after the coup in February 1948 led to the country’s inclusion in the Soviet Bloc.
Opening Ceremony of London 1948
The London 1948 Olympic Games were opened on July 29, 1948. The bands of the British Army began playing at 1400 for the 85,000 spectators in Empire Stadium at Wembley Park. The international and national organizers arrived at 1435. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and their entourage arrived at 1445. Fifteen minutes later, the athletes entered the stadium in a procession that took 50 mts. The last team was that of the Britain.
Lord Burghley welcomed: Your Majesty, the hour has struck. A visionary dream has today become a glorious reality.
At the end of the worldwide struggle in 1945, many institutions and associations were found to have withered and only the strongest had survived. How, many wondered, had the great Olympic Movement prospered? After welcoming the athletes to two weeks of “keen but friendly rivalry,” he said London represented a “warm flame of hope for a better understanding in the world which has burned so low.”
At 1600, the time shown on Big Ben on the London Games symbol, the King declared the Games open, 2,500 pigeons were set free and the Olympic Flag raised to its 11m flagpole. The Royal Horse Artillery sounded a 21-gun salute and the last runner in the Torch Relay ran a lap of the track, created with cinders from the domestic coal fires of Leicester and climbed the steps to the Olympic cauldron. After saluting the crowd, he turned and lit the flame.
After more speeches, Wing Commander Donald Finlay of the British team took the Olympic Oath on behalf of all competitors. The National Anthem was sung.
The 580-page official report concluded: Thus, were launched the Olympic Games of London, under the most happy auspices. The smooth-running ceremony, which profoundly moved not only all who saw it but also the millions who were listening on the radio throughout the world, and the glorious weather in which it took place, combined to give birth to a spirit which was to permeate the whole of the following two weeks of thrilling and intensive sport.
Athletes’ Accommodation and Competition Venues
The London Games lacked new facilities that had been used in the immediate previous editions in Los Angeles and Berlin, but the British capital’s sports facilities had survived the war in good condition and were adequate for Olympic competition.
Wembley Stadium hosted the opening ceremonies, athletics competition and other events. There was no Olympic Village; the male athletes were housed at Royal Air Force camps in Uxbridge and West Drayton, and an Army camp in Richmond Park; female competitors in dormitories at Southlands College.
No new venues were built for the Games. A cinder track was laid inside the Empire Stadium and all other venues were modified. For the first time at the Olympics, swimming events were held undercover, at the 8000 capacity Empire Pool.
As the pool was longer than the standard Olympic length of 50m a platform was constructed across the pool which both shortened it and housed officials.
Sports, Nations and Medal Count
A total of 59 nations took part and 14 made their first appearance: Guyana, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Korea, Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. It was the first time that the Philippines, India and Pakistan competed as fully independent nations at the Olympic Games.
The United States won 38 gold, 27 silver, 19 bronze and overall, 84 medals to emerge victorious. Sweden won 16 gold, 11 silver, 17 bronze and overall, 44 medals to come second. France finished third in the medal standings with 10 gold, 6 silver, 13 bronze and overall, 29 medals. The host nation was 12th, with just three gold medals.
A total of 4,104 athletes - 3,714 men and 390 women vied for honors in 136 medal events, under 17 different sports, covering 23 disciplines. These Games included Lacrosse as a demonstration sport.
Athletics: Empire Stadium was the venue for 33 athletics events; 24 for men and 9 for women. Of these, 4 were making their debut – men’s 10 km walk, and women’s 200m, long jump and shot put. Poor weather and a sloppy track slowed down the competition. A total of 754 athletes from 53 countries participated. Duncan White won the first medal of any kind for Sri Lanka when he secured the silver in 400m hurdles.
Arthur Wint became the first Jamaican to win an Olympic gold in men’s 400m; Audrey Patterson became the first African-American woman to win a medal, a bronze. A few days later Alice Coachman became the first woman of color in the world and the first African-American woman to win a gold. She also was the only American woman to win an athletics gold during the 1948 Olympics.
The marathon saw a dramatic finish with the first man to enter the stadium, Etienne Gailly of Belgium, exhausted and nearly unable to run. While he was struggling, Argentinian athlete Delfo Cabrera and Great Britain’s Tom Richards passed him, to win gold and silver respectively. Meanwhile, Gailly managed to recover and cross the line for the bronze.
Basketball: Basketball appeared as an indoor competition for the first time. The sport only for men was contested by 23 nations. The United States and France reached the final which was won by the Americans 65 - 21 to claim the gold. This was the second of the United States’ seven consecutive gold medals. Brazil defeated Mexico 52 - 47 to claim the bronze.
Boxing: Eight different classifications were contested ranging from flyweight, for boxers weighing less than 51 kg, to heavyweight, for boxers over 80 kg. South Africa, Argentina and Hungary each won two gold medals.
Canoeing: Nine events were contested, eight for men and for the first time one for women. Sweden won four gold medals and Czechoslovakia three.
Cycling: Six events were contested for men - two road bicycle racing events and four track cycling events. France won three gold medals and Italy two.
Diving: Four diving events were contested, two each for men and women. The events were 3m springboard and 10m platform. All 4 gold medals, and 10 out of 12 medals were won by the United States. Victoria Manalo Draves, who won both gold medals in the women’s events, and Sammy Lee, who took a gold in the men’s events, became the first Asian Americans to win gold medals at an Olympic Games.
Equestrian: Six gold medals were awarded in equestrian, individual and team dressage, individual and team eventing and individual and team show jumping.
Fencing: Seven events were contested, six for men and one for women. Ilona Elek, defended her women’s foil Olympic title successfully. Edoardo Mangiarotti of Italy won three medals, two silver and a bronze, having previously won a gold in Berlin 1936. He won 13 Olympic fencing medals and 27 world championship medals, both of which remain records.
Field hockey: Thirteen nations participated. India, who defeated Great Britain to claim the country’s first gold as an independent nation under the leadership of Captain Kishan Lal and Vice-Captain Digvijay Singh.
Football: Eighteen teams entered and the gold was secured by Sweden, defeating Yugoslavia 3–1 in the final. Denmark defeated hosts Great Britain, 5–3 to win the bronze.
Gymnastics: Nine events were contested, eight for men and one for women. In the men’s pommel horse, a tie was declared between three Finns, and no medals other than gold were awarded in this event. Finland won six gold medals overall and Switzerland three. The most individual medals at London 1948 were won by Veikko Huhtanen of Finland, who took 6 medals - 3 gold, a silver and a bronze in men’s gymnastics.
Modern pentathlon: Only one modern pentathlon event was contested and included - riding, fencing, shooting, swimming and running. The sport’s international federation was founded during the Games. Sweden’s William Grut won the gold whilst American George Moore and and Gosta Gardin of Sweden took silver and bronze medals.
Rowing: Seven rowing events all open to men only were contested. Great Britain and the United States claimed two gold medals each.
Sailing: Five events were contested and the United States won four gold medals. Great Britain won a gold in the Swallow class through Stewart Morris and David Bond. In the Firefly class Danish sailor Paul Elvstrom won the gold in his first of four consecutive Olympic Games.
Shooting: Four events were contested, all open to men and women but all medals were won by men. In 50m rifle, prone position, mere two points separated the top three competitors. Karoly Takacs had been a member of the Hungary’s world champion pistol shooting team in 1938 when a grenade shattered his right hand. Takacs taught himself to shoot with his left hand and after 10 years won an Olympic gold in the rapid-fire pistol event.
Swimming: Eleven events were contested, six for men and five for women. The United States won eight gold medals, including all six men’s events and 15 medals in total.
Water polo: Eighteen nations fielded teams at these games, which were ultimately won by Italy, who were undefeated throughout. The silver was claimed by Hungary and bronze by the Netherlands.
Weightlifting: Six events were contested, all for men only. These games marked the addition of the bantamweight class to the Olympic program, the first change to the program since 1920. The United States won four gold medals and eight overall; the remaining two gold medals were claimed by Egypt. Rodney Wilkes won the first medal for Trinidad and Tobago in an Olympic games, winning silver in the featherweight; the featherweight gold was won by Egyptian Mahmoud Fayad, with a new Olympic and world record of 332.5 kg.
Wrestling: Sixteen wrestling events were held, eight Greco-Roman and eight freestyle. All were open to men only. Turkey was the most successful nation with six gold medals followed by Sweden winning 5 gold medals. These two teams accounted for 24 total medals, in other words half of the total medals awarded.
Media and Television Coverage
Over 2,000 journalists covered the London Games. The Technicolor Corporation devised a bipack colour filming process, dubbed “Technichrome,” whereby hundreds of hours of film documented the events in colour, without the expensive and heavy Technicolor cameras. The coverage of London 1948 was one of the great successes of postwar television. The opening ceremony and over 60 hours of Games coverage was broadcasted live on the BBC television.
The BBC Yearbook noted: a planning and operational problem which had never before been encountered in the history of any broadcasting organization in the world. The complexity of multi-event broadcasting, presented the BBC with unique challenges in terms of the breadth of coverage. 32 separate broadcasting channels were set up to orchestrate Olympic coverage not just for domestic television viewers and radio listeners, but for a global audience eager to hear the latest on Olympic Games.
(The author highlights spectrum of sports extravaganza. He is the winner of Presidential Academic Award for Sports in 2017 and 2018 and recipient of National Accolades for Academic pursuits. He possesses a PhD, MPhil and double MSc)