1928 Summer Olympics
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| Games of the IX Olympiad | |
 Logo of the 1928 Summer Olympics |
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| Host city | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
|---|---|
| Nations participating | 46 |
| Athletes participating | 2,883 (2,606 men, 277 women) |
| Events | 109 in 15 sports |
| Opening ceremony | July 28 |
| Closing ceremony | August 12 |
| Officially opened by | Prince Hendrik |
| Athlete's Oath | Harry Dénis |
| Judge's Oath | None |
| Olympic Torch | None |
| Stadium | Olympisch Stadion |
The 1928 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad, were celebrated in 1928 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Amsterdam had made a bid for the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games, but had to give way to war-victim Belgium and De Coubertin's Paris before finally being awarded with the organisation. The only other candidate city was Los Angeles. Los Angeles would eventually host the Olympics four years later.
The United States Olympic Committee measured the costs and revenue of the 1928 Games in preparation for the 1932 Summer Olympics. The committee reported a total cost of US$1.183 million with receipts of US$1.165 million for a loss of US$18,000 (much smaller than the previous celebration's financial loss).[1]
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[edit] Highlights
- For the first time, the Olympic Flame was lit during the Olympics. The torch relay, however, would not occur until the 1936 Summer Olympics.
- For the first time, the parade of nations started with Greece, which holds the origins of the Olympics, and ended with the host country, a tradition which continues today.
- Johnny Weissmuller, who later appeared in several Tarzan movies, won two gold medals in swimming.
- Paavo Nurmi of Finland won his 9th gold medal by finishing first in the 10000 m.
- Canada's Percy Williams surprised everyone by winning both the 100 m and 200 m sprint events.
- South American football made a definite breakthrough, as Uruguay retained its title by defeating Argentina.
- India took its first ever gold in field hockey, the beginning of a winning streak which continued until 1956 with six gold medals won during the period.
- The first appearance of the sponsor Coca-Cola at the Olympic Games.
- These games were the first to bear the name "Summer Olympic Games".
- Germany, which had last entered the Olympic games in 1912, had been scheduled to host the 1916 games in Berlin, and had been banned in 1920 and 1924, ranked second in the medal count.
[edit] Selection of the host city
Frederik van Tuyll van Serooskerken first proposed Amsterdam as host city for the Summer Olympic Games in 1912, even before the Netherlands Olympic Committee was established. In 1916, the Olympic Games were cancelled due to World War I. In 1919, the Netherlands Olympic Committee abandoned the proposal of Amsterdam in favour of their support of the nomination of Antwerp as host city for the 1920 Summer Olympics. In 1921, the city of Paris was selected for the 1924 Summer Olympics on the condition that the 1928 Summer Olympics would be organized in Amsterdam. This decision, supported by the Netherlands Olympic Committee, was announced by the International Olympic Committee on June 2, 1921. The decision was disputed by the Americans, but their request to allocate the 1928 Summer Olympics to Los Angeles was without success in 1922 and again in 1923. Los Angeles was eventually selected as host city for the 1932 Summer Olympics.[2]
[edit] Sports
During the Summer Olympics, there were 15 sports and 109 events in the tournament. In parentheses is the number of events per sport.[2]
- Athletics (27)
- Boxing (8)
- Cycling (6)
- Diving (4)
- Equestrian (6)
- Fencing (7)
- Football (1)
- Gymnastics (8)
- Field hockey (1)
- Modern pentathlon (1)
- Rowing (7)
- Sailing (3)
- Swimming (11)
- Water polo (1)
- Weightlifting (5)
- Wrestling (13)
Women's athletics and gymnastics debuted at these Olympic, in spite of criticism. Halina Konopacka of Poland became the first female Olympic track and field champion. The 800 metre run ended with several of the competitors being completely exhausted, so running events for women longer than 200 metres were not included in the Olympics until the 1960s.
Tennis disappeared from the programme, only to reappear in 1968 as a demonstration sport.
[edit] Demonstration sports
These Games also included art competitions, which the IOC no longer considers as official medal events.
[edit] Participating nations
A total of 46 nations were represented at the Amsterdam Games. Malta, Panama, and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) competed at the Olympic Games for the first time. Germany returned after having been deliberately not invited in 1920 and 1924.[3]
[edit] Medal count
These are the top ten nations that won medals at these Games.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States |
22 | 18 | 16 | 56 |
| 2 |  Germany |
10 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| 3 |  Finland |
8 | 8 | 9 | 25 |
| 4 |  Sweden |
7 | 6 | 12 | 25 |
| 5 |  Italy |
7 | 5 | 7 | 19 |
| 6 |  Switzerland |
7 | 4 | 4 | 15 |
| 7 |  France |
6 | 10 | 5 | 21 |
| 8 |  Netherlands (host nation) |
6 | 9 | 4 | 19 |
| 9 |  Hungary |
4 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| 10 |  Canada |
4 | 4 | 7 | 15 |
[edit] References
- ^ Zarnowski, C. Frank (Summer 1992). "A Look at Olympic Costs". Citius, Altius, Fortius 1 (1): 16-32. Retrieved on 2007-03-24.
- ^ a b G. van Rossem (ed.) (1928). The Ninth Olympiad Amsterdam 1928 Official Report (PDF), Amsterdam: J. H. de Bussy, pp. 973–985. Retrieved on 2008-03-25.
- ^ Guttmann, Allen (1992). The Olympics: A History of the Modern Games. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, p. 38. ISBN 0-252-01701-3.
[edit] External links
- Amsterdam 1928. Games of the IX Olympiad
- The Ninth Olympiad. Amsterdam 1928. Official Report
- Louis S. Nixdorff Diary, July 10-August 15, 1928
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| Sports • Medal counts • NOCs Medalists • Symbols |
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| Summer Games | 1896 • 1900 • 1904 • (1906) • 1908 • 1912 • |
| Winter Games | 1924 • 1928 • 1932 • 1936 • |
| Youth Games | 2010 Summer • 2012 Winter • 2014 Summer • 2016 Winter |
| Recent and upcoming Games: Athens 2004 • Turin 2006 • Beijing 2008 • Vancouver 2010 | |
