Listed 18 sub titles with search on: Olympic games for wider area of: "USA Country NORTH AMERICA" .
ATLANTA (Town) GEORGIA
The Atlanta Olympic Games were loaded with many symbolic meanings,
as they were the centennial games, the ones chosen to close the first century
circle in the history of the institution. Unfortunately the death of one person
and the injuries of 110 people after a bomb explosion in the Centennial Olympic
Park stigmatized this very important anniversary.
A world wide known boxer, Muhammad Ali, lit the Olympic Flame. The
presence of such a living symbol of the U.S. athletic life - and in a manner of
speaking of political life as well - should be considered as Atlanta's message
against racism.
One of the most impressive performances was Michael Johnson's: He
established an astonishing new world record over 200m and furthermore he had a
double success over both 200m and 400m, for the first time in the history of the
Olympics. Other athletes who stood out were Carl Lewis who won the same individual
event four times as well as his ninth gold medal and Naim Suleymanoglu, one of
the best weightlifters of all times, who was the first athlete in this field to
win three gold medals.
As far as the majority of the nations that participated in the Atlanta
Olympic Games are concerned, on their return to home they carried heavy luggage.
Seventy-nine nations in a total of 197 won medals and 53 won gold and thus they
should have been very satisfied!
Atlanta 1996
Links with various Organizations' WebPages:
The Olympic Movement
American Sport Art Museum and Archives , a division of the United States Sports Academy
International Sailing Federation
Atlanta 1996
Links with various Media's WebPages:
British Broadcasting Corporation
1996 Atlanta Olympics: Various WebPages
LOS ANGELES (Town) CALIFORNIA
In 1932 the Olympics are hosted for the second time on American
soil. The Los Angeles Games mark also the begging of the electronics era
in transmitting the events results throughout the world.
Despite the fact that the U.S. had not recovered completely from
the 1929 financial crash and, also, that the Olympics affair was receiving severe
negative comments and criticism from the large media as well as from some Congressmen,
Americans through a series of smart activities managed to collect all the money
needed. A great source proved to be the 3c stamp that people would buy even
when they had nothing to... mail. Another source was the large sponsorings by
private companies who undertook all transportation, residence and other expenses.
Following this very thought the Brazilian team arrived in Los Angeles on a chartered
commercial vessel loaded with coffee to be sold to coffee lovers of California.
Well, it turned out to be not such a smart idea with the prices of coffee so
low throughout the world. It was judged that the coffee wouldn't even fetch
enough money to cover the money spent by the boat's engines for petrol...
Nurmi appeared escorting the Finnish Team but his participation
was rejected because his money receiving for advertising was now officially
proven. He was granted, though, a seat among dignitaries, for the whole duration
of the Games. A good seat indeed, while a few meters away, Jim Thorp was begging
ticket money...
In the Olympic Village alcohol was strictly prohibited, with the
exception of the French who were granted a special permit after they claimed
that Beaujolais was part of their nourishment! Eduard Tolan was the first black
American athlete to win consecutively the 100m and the 200m races, a living
prophecy of the black athletes dominance in these events.
Los Angeles marks a first also for the three-level pedestal for
the 1st, 2nd and 3rd winners, where a hilarious public watched a Philippino
3rd winner who refused to climb on the lower level and stepping on the tallest
announced that he does this because he is short and wouldn't see clearly...
The last innovation of the Los Angeles Games was the use of the
phrase: "It is far more important to participate than to win, just as important
in life is not the triumph but the struggle". The sentence, originally attributed
to de Coubertin, is actually a part of the Sunday speech by Bishop Ethelbert
Talbot in Saint Paul's Cathedral in London...
Text by Dimitri N. Marcopoulos
Los Angeles 1932
Links with various Organizations' WebPages:
The Olympic Movement
American Sport Art Museum and Archives , a division of the United States Sports Academy
International Sailing Federation
Los Angeles 1932
Links with various Media's WebPages:
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
British Broadcasting Corporation
1932 Los Angeles Olympics: Various WebPages
It's the 3rd time that the Olympic Games travel to the United
States. New systems were devised and applied, many financed by large corporations
who acted as sponsors. TV rights alone surpassed $ 267 million while world wide
TV viewers have been estimated to have been more than 2.5 billion!
The day the Olympian torch was landing on American soil, the 8th
of May, the Soviet Union announced officially their denial to participate. That
was the Soviet answer to the American 1980 Moscow boycotting.
The opening day was inaugurated by President Ronald Reagan. Right
after his opening speech the world saw a Hollywood style extravaganza that drew
much caustic criticism, especially for its low taste. At a certain stage, after
a parade of 43 brass bands, an orchestra comprised of 86 silver pianos played
old Hollywood film tunes and operetta highlights! The Olympic song itself was
out of the film Stand By Me, a big commercial 1983 hit. The media projected,
on a daily basis, whatever there was to be considered American such as how to
tie and throw a lasso rope, how to bake apple-pie, how to cook stuffed turkey
et alia!
The U.S. collected the greatest number of golds: 83. Games-star
is Carl Louis who equaled Jesse Owen's performance winning golds for 100m and
200m, the long jump and the last leg in the 4x100m. relay that brought the victory
to the U.S. team.
Carl Louis was called the Black Apollo by sportswriters, a nickname
he seemed to like very much. A magazine published a photograph of one of the
postcards Carl had sent once to his mother. "To mamma with love..." and signed:
"Your Black Apollo". Carl Louis studied at the UCLA and ever since his early
years he had shown how lonely and a boy of few words he was. In the Santa Monica
Athletic Club where he used to train he could outrun well known Californian
sprinters. He was devoted to his mother who was the only company he seemed to
prefer. There are a number of things that have been written as to his erotic
choices. Answering once to a certain impolite question posed on him by a scandal-chaser
reporter he answered: "Can't you find a job in a decent magazine?" After this,
one of the greats in sportswriting, Ian McCloud, wrote: "It's a pity for America
to have discovered such a sporting treasure and leave to the mad dogs to feed
their vanity..."
Accountancy announced a profit of $ 215 million. It's worth to
be noted that part of this profit came from the percentage paid by ad agencies
who had sold, mile to mile, the Olympic Torch route-run, from the East to the
West Coast!
Text by Dimitri N. Marcopoulos
Los Angeles 1984
Links with various Organizations' WebPages:
The Olympic Movement
American Sport Art Museum and Archives , a division of the United States Sports Academy
International Sailing Federation
Los Angeles 1984
Links with various Media's WebPages:
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
British Broadcasting Corporation
1984 Los Angeles Olympics: Various WebPages
SAINT LOUIS (Town) MISSOURI
After marathon-length discussions, debates and arguments, the
1904 Games were to be hosted in St. Louis. The balance tilted in favor of
the US, after President Theodor Roosvelt's instigation who was planning through
the Olympics, to give more grandeur to the World's Fair, held there to celebrate
the centenary of the Louisiana Purchase from France. Thus, once more the Games
were reduced to a mere world's fair sideshow.
With the events being held in the center of the North American
continent, the problem of the distance in traveling meant that there were very
few overseas entrants. Even de Coubertin did not attend. Thus, 85% of the competitors
were Americans and, to none's surprise, they won 84% of the total of medals.
A sports commentator wrote that the St. Louis Olympics was a private shootout
between US universities! In such circumstances the Games degenerated into some
sort of a farce as in most of the events the whole number of competitors, were
classmates in the same school!
Under the somewhat loose controls applied on most sports, some
strange things occurred. In the 400m race no heats were held and all 13 entrants
ran in the final. The 200m final were won by Archie Hahn, with all three of
his opponents being given a yard handicap under the rules then governing false
starts.
There was a scandal in the marathon race when the first man out
of the stadium was also the first man back. That was Fred Lorz (USA). It later
transpired that he had gladly accepted a long ride in a car, and when the car
itself broke down near the stadium, he resumed running. "As a joke", he told
reporters. Lorz was immediately banned for life and the title was given to British
born American Thomas Hicks, who had finished in an almost collapse condition
because of the strychnine he had received as a stimulant - a practice then common
and acceptable...
Text by Dimitri N. Marcopoulos
St. Louis 1904
Links with various Organizations' WebPages:
The Olympic Movement
American Sport Art Museum and Archives , a division of the United States Sports Academy
International Sailing Federation
St. Louis 1904
Links with various Media's WebPages:
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
British Broadcasting Corporation
1904 St. Louis Olympics: Various WebPages
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