Welcome to the issue Volker Kluge Editor On occasion of the 50th anniversary we remember anew For the sake of sustainability there are also other the Olympic Games of 1968 in Mexico City, which was contributions. Peter Evans concerns himself with the not just about the ‘Black Power’ demonstration and the question of what became of the promises of London 8.90 m leap of Bob Beamon. There were many other when the city was allocated the Games of 2012. His answer outstanding athletes and many of these are featured in is positive. What he however calls for are mandatory this edition. agreements in the Host City Contract, so that the effects Beyond that these were Games that fell in an eventful also benefit the socially weak. time. The proposal made at the IOC Session to abolish all Tony Sainsbury was head of the 2012 Olympic Village. He flags and anthems proved to be an unsustainable way to was also significantly involved with the development of seek to keep politics out of sport. the Paralympics. He sees the origin of this success story in As far as culture was concerned, Mexico'68 set new Arnhem in the Netherlands in 1980 and the subsequent standards. For that reason these Games are also in the sustainable help of the IOC. centre of the exhibition OLYMPIC LANGUAGE, which As far as legacy is concerned, Athens 1896 is indeed at present is to be seen in the Olympic Museum in unbeatable. Wilhelm Schmitz, a 20 year old merchant Lausanne. The curator was ISOH General Secretary Markus who would today be described as a volunteer. With other Osterwalder, who from his own experience describes the members of the Philadelphia Association, he looked story of its origins. after the German participants, and at the opening of the Another anniversary was celebrated in London. There Games he sang the Olympic hymn. Besides he kept the 70 years ago – in 1948 – the Olympics took place, which handwritten music which Dietrich Quanz found in his entered history as the ‘Austerity Games’. The gold medal estate. in the 100 m was won by the American Harrison Dillard, Art is also the subject of the contribution by Pierre who is now 95, so that he is at present the oldest living Gricius, who researched the biography and work of the male Olympic champion. painter Jean Jacoby of Luxembourg. He was the only The theme of 1948 in Gunnar Meinhardt's interview is person to win two Olympic gold medals for art. continued in Stan Greenberg's personal recollections. He With this edition the 26th year of the Journal of was 17 at the time and his interest in sport and particularly Olympic History is complete. The editorial team athletics was awakened by the events at Wembley. As a thanks the authors and the readers for their faith­ reporter and author he experienced eight more Olympic fulness. Season’s Greetings and all the best for 2019. Games and numerous championships. ISOH Executive Committee | 2016-2020 President David Wallechinsky (USA) Vice-President Dr. Christian Wacker (GER) Secretary-General Markus Osterwalder (SUI) Treasurer Ghassan Haddad (USA) Members Philip Barker (GBR) Secretary­General Dr. Kostas Georgiadis (GRE) Markus Osterwalder Volker Kluge (GER) Eggweg 6 9100 Herisau Leif Yttergren (SWE) Switzerland on behalf of the IOC Richard W. Pound (CAN) Phone: +41 71 351 77 19 ex-officio Dr. Bill Mallon (USA) E­mail: [email protected] JOH 3 | 2018 1 Message from the President David Wallechinsky ISOH President In 2017, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in Winter Olympics films usually include a montage of conjunction with the Criterion Collection, released a ski jumpers and another of figure skaters, as well as boxed set of 53 of the official films of the Olympics from coverage of the men’s 50­kilometre cross­country race. 1912 through 2012. The set consists of 43 DVDs or 32 B lu­ray Most official films also include footage of athletes discs and 114 hours of footage. crashing and being injured. For the Winter films, these There is also a book with commentary by noted film unfortunates are usually skiers, although sometimes critic Peter Cowie and a fascinating essay by restoration they are competing in sliding sports and even skating producer Adrian Wood about the history of the events. The most violent aspects of ice hockey are also restoration project. This boxed set, although expensive, emphasized. In the official films of Summer Olympics, is an invaluable addition to any library, public or private, the most common falls that are shown take place in that takes seriously its collection about the Olympic the cross­country portion of the equestrian three­day Games and the Olympic Movement. event. I watched all 114 hours. In addition, I watched the For Olympic historians, the early films are eye­opening official films of the Sochi 2014 and the Rio de Janeiro 2016 goldmines. The Games of the V Olympiad Stockholm, 1912 Olympics, as well as an extra Seoul 1988 film that is not is actually a 170­minute compilation of Swedish­French included in the boxed set. newsreel footage. We see Baron Pierre de Coubertin My comments about each of these films will appear in looking on while King Gustav V, surrounded by family future editions of the Journal of Olympic History. In the and retainers, commands the limelight during the prize meantime, here are some general observations. givings. The king is seen giving prizes to Jim Thorpe, and Most of the official films fall into one of three categories: we even see marathon runner Francisco Lázaro stop for 1) Reporting Films that try to cover as many sports and a drink of water, a few kilometres before he collapsed, events as possible; dying soon thereafter. 2) Profile Films that focus on a select number of individual The Olympic Games in Paris 1924 adds another 174 athletes; and minutes of fascinating coverage. In the 1928 Winter 3) Auteur Films, in which the filmmaker is more concerned Olympics film, The White Stadium, in a staged scene, with expressing his or her vision than with portraying we see an actress trying skijöring, in which skiers are the competitions. Once in a while, a film successfully dragged along behind a galloping horse, while attached combines these three genres. by a tow rope. The actress is none other than Leni The best examples are The Olympics in Mexico, covering Riefenstahl, who would later direct the controversial the 1968 Games and directed by Olympian Alberto Isaac, official film of the 1936 Berlin Games. For the 1928 and Rings of the World, the official film of the Sochi 2014 Amsterdam Olympics, we are blessed with almost six and Winter Olympics, directed by Sergei Miroshnichenko. a half hours of footage produced by Dutch and Italian Almost all official films begin with the Olympic Flame companies. being lit in Olympia and carried to the host city and One of the four films of the 1988 Seoul Games includes then to the Olympic Stadium for the Opening Ceremony. an interview with an Australian veteran who fought in Summer Olympics films tend to emphasize track and the Korean War in 1950­1951. This veteran is none other field (athletics), which is not surprising since running, than Harry Gordon, the second recipient of the highest jumping and throwing are the most universal sporting award of the International Society of Olympic Historians activities. Films of the Summer Games more often than (ISOH), the Lifetime Achievement Award. not include a montage of divers, one of gymnasts and another of weightlifters. One of the highlights is Bud Greenspan’s riveting 23­minute portrayal of the 1996 weightlifting battle in the featherweight division between Naim Süleymanog˘lu of Turkey and Valerios Leonidis of Greece. 2 Twenty-one sports with 286 events took place over 12 days at the 3rd Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. They were also used as a field of experimentation. New in the programme were sport climbing, won by the Japanese Keita Dohi (above), as well as breaking, in which the Frenchman Martin Lejeune (top left) won silver. Among those invited to attend were the players of the ‘Wild Boars’ football team from Thailand. They had been trapped in a flooded cave and were rescued after three weeks underground. The boys played on the opening day against the River Plate Youth team. Photos: picture-alliance News The 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games will sport, career, communications, governance, include even more events for women. In the discrimination, due process and harassment The IOC has invited Calgary, Milan/Cortina programme will be seven new events: monobob and abuse. The document will be incorporated d’Ampezzo and Stockholm to become Candi­ and freestyle ski big air, as well as dynamic mixed in the Olympic Charter, signifying its central date Cities for the Olympic Winter Games teams formats including short track mixed relay, status within the Olympic Movement and 2026. The decision will be taken at the 134th a ski jumping mixed team event, mixed gender reaffirming the Olympic Movement’s commit­ Session which has been moved from Milan team aerials and a snowboard cross mixed team ment to supporting athletes during their to Lausanne to conform to Olympic election event. The overall number of athletes has been sporting and non­sporting career. The initiative regulations. reduced by 41 to reach 2892, which is within the has been led by a Steering Committee, chaired by Olympic Charter framework. Olympian and BMX racer Sarah Walker. (IOC/JOH) A surplus of at least USD 55 million has achieved the Organising Committee of the Olympic Winter The Athletes‘ Declaration was official endorsed European Olympic Academies (EOA) is a new Games PyeongChang 2018 .