MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES - 1908 London Olympiad

The Games of the IV Olympiad were originally awarded to Rome, but after the eruption of Vesuvius in 1906, were reassigned to London.
The Olympic Games were held independently of any trade fairs and they wew opened officially by the king Edward VII. A ceremony was organized, with the athletes marching into the stadium by nation, as most countries sent selected national teams.
The Games took place in The White City Stadium and here archers William and Charlotte Dod became the first brother and sister medalists. Oscar Swahn, from Sweden, aged 60, was the oldest ever competitor to earn an Olympic gold medal, winning the running deer shooting, single shot and took his second gold the next day in the team event. London 1908 Olympiad 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 earned the standing high 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 dramatic Marathon competition caught the public interest around the world. After 42 kilometres of running, the first man to enter the stadium was Dorando Pietri from Italy, but he collapsed on the track five times and was disqualified when officials carried him across the finish line.

Opening date: 27th April 1908.
Closing date: 31st October 1908
Nations: 22
Sports: 22
Events:11
Athletes: 2 008
Men: 1 971
Women: 37

Candidate cities: Berlin, Milan, Rome