1908 Summer Olympics: Difference between revisions

| events = 110 in 22 [[Olympic sports|sports]] (2425 disciplines)

The '''1908 Summer Olympics''' (officially the '''Games of the IV Olympiad''' and also known as '''London 1908''') were an [[International sport|international]] [[multi-sport event]] held in [[London]], England, United Kingdom, from 27&nbsp;April to 31&nbsp;October 1908.<ref name=athletes_number>{{cite web|title=The Olympic Summer Games Factsheet|url=http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_documents_Factsheets/The_Olympic_Summer_Games.pdf|publisher=International Olympic Committee|access-date=5 August 2012}}</ref> The 1908 Games were originally scheduled to be held in [[Rome]], but were relocated on financial grounds following the violent eruption of [[Mount Vesuvius#Eruptions in the 20th century|Mount Vesuvius in 1906]], which claimed over 100 lives; Rome eventually hosted the Games in [[1960 Summer Olympics|1960]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://giochiolimpiciparalimpici.wordpress.com/2016/11/22/londra-1908-le-prime-olimpiadi-inglesi-e-dorando-pietri/|title=Londra 1908: le prime Olimpiadi inglesi e Dorando Pietri|date=22 November 2016 |language=it|quote=Siamo nel 1901 quando il CIO si riunisce per decidere chi sarà la città ad ospitare la quarta edizione Olimpica. A contendersi questo onore ci furono Roma e Berlino, e ne uscì vincitrice la prima. Purtroppo, però, la nostra città italiana dovette ritirarsi qualche anno prima dei Giochi a causa dell’eruzione del Vesuvio|publisher=giochiolimpiciparalimpici.wordpress.com|access-date=22 March 2018}}</ref>

These were the fourth chronological modern [[Summer Olympics]] in keeping with the now-accepted four-year cycle as opposed to the alternate four-year cycle of the proposed [[Intercalated Games]]. The [[President of the International Olympic Committee|IOC president]] for these Games was [[Pierre de Coubertin|Baron Pierre de Coubertin]].

Lasting a total of 187 days (or six months and four days), these Games were the longest Games in modern Olympics history. The duration of the Summer Games was 16 days in 1912, ranged between 15 and 18 days from 1928 to 1992, and was fixed at 17 days from [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996]].

The budget of the organising committee showed a cost of [[Pound sterling|£]]15,000; over one-third was labelled "entertainment expense". Donations were the major source of revenue; only 28% of income derived from ticket sales. Total receipts of £21,378 resulted in organisers claiming a profit. Construction of the White City Stadium, which cost the government about £60,000, was not counted.<ref name=Zarnowski>{{cite journal|author-link1=Frank Zarnowski | last = Zarnowski | first = C. Frank |date=Summer 1992 | title = A Look at Olympic Costs | journal = Citius, Altius, Fortius | volume = 1 | issue = 1 | pages = 16–32 |url=http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv1n1/JOHv1n1f.pdf |format=PDF| access-date = 24 March 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080528012143/http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv1n1/JOHv1n1f.pdf | archive-date = 28 May 2008 | archive-format = PDF | url-status = dead }}</ref>

22 sports, representing 110 events in 2425 sporting disciplines, were contested. A golf tournament washad also to have been heldplanned but it was cancelled a few days before it was scheduled to start.<ref>{{cite news |title=Golf {{!}} Olympic competitions Abandoned |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/811203349/ |access-date=27 January 2023 |work=The People |date=31 May 1908 |page=17 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Swimming, diving and water polo are considered three disciplines of the same sport, ''aquatics''. At the time, tug-of-war was part of athletics and the two different [[football]] codes ([[Football (soccer)|association]] and [[Rugby football|rugby (union)]]) were listed together. The International Olympic Committee now considers tug-of-war a separate sport, as well as referring to association football as simply "football" and to rugby union as "rugby".<ref name=OldSports>[http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/past/index_uk.asp Olympic Sports of the Past]. Olympic.org. Retrieved on 9 July 2012.</ref> In one of seven cycling events (cycling sprint) no medals were awarded. The sailing program was open for a total of five sailing classes, but actually only four sailing events were contested. The number of events in each discipline is noted in parentheses.

{{Location map~ |London|label=[[All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club|All England Club]] |background=white |position=bottom|lat_deg=51.43375415455|lon_deg=-0.214028216701}}

{{Location map~ |London|label=[[Uxendon Shooting School Club]] |background=white |position=righttop|lat_deg=51.5725|lon_deg=-0.285556}}

The 1908 Games featured athletes representing 22 [[National Olympic Committee]]s. [[Finland]], [[Turkey]] and [[New Zealand]] (as part of the team from [[Australasia]]) made their first appearance at the Olympic Games. The fact that the United Kingdom competed as a single team was upsetting to some Irish competitors, who felt that Ireland should compete on its own, despite being part of the UK at the time. They relied on the precedent set by [[Finland at the 1908 Summer Olympics|Finland]], which while being a part of the [[Russian Empire]], competed in London as a separate country.<ref name=officialreport>{{cite book|author=Cook, Theodore Andrea |title=The Fourth Olympiad London 1908 Official Report |publisher=[[British Olympic Association]] |location=London |url=http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1908/1908.pdf |access-date=2009-06-17 |date=May 1909 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927222443/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1908/1908.pdf |archive-date=2007-09-27 }}</ref> Fearing an Irish boycott, the authorities changed the name of the team to Great Britain/Ireland, and in two sports, field hockey and polo, Ireland participated as a separate country, winning silver medals in both, although their medals counted towards the UK's tally.<ref>Irish Times, 4 August 2008, article by Kevin Mallon</ref> Irish athletes in the United States were not affected by this controversy, and many Irish immigrants to the United States competed for the [[United States at the Olympics|U.S. Olympic team]] as members of the [[Irish American Athletic Club]]. Members of the Irish American Athletic Club won ten of the U.S. Olympic team's total 23 gold medals, or as many as the nations of [[France]], [[Germany]] and [[Italy]] combined.

! [[List of IOC country codes|IOC Letter Code]]

{{commons category|1908 Summer Olympics}}