The Olympic flame in Tokyo had hardly been extinguished when the flame for the XXIV Winter Olympiad in Beijing was ignited ten weeks later in Ancient Olympia. Philip Barker reports on both events in this issue, which closes the 29th year of the Journal of Olympic History.
A key focus will be on China, which will be hosting the Winter Games from 4 to 20 February 2022, still under the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Zhao Bo’s story looks at the tragic fate of Eric Liddell, who became known as the “Flying Scotsman” after winning the 400 m sprint at the 1924 Olympics, although the Chinese also consider him one of their own because he was born there.
Meanwhile, eyes are already turning to Paris 2024. France is one of the four countries that have taken part in every Summer Games, alongside Australia, Greece, and Great Britain (albeit represented by three Irishmen). The 1904 Olympics in St. Louis did, however, only have one French competitor, who also happened to be living in the US at the time. Clément Genty has been browsing the archives and reports what he has found out about the silver medallist in the marathon.
France is also the focus of a second article. Philip S. Sarrazin, who is studying in Canada, set out to trace the legacy left by the three Winter Games hosted by France in 1924, 1968, and 1992.
Part four of Richard W. Pound’s series takes a look back at TV coverage of the Olympics in 1980, which, in addition
to difficult negotiations, was also overshadowed by the US boycott of the Summer Games in Moscow. He describes the broadcasts from Moscow as joyless and those from Lake Placid as uneventful, although they were celebrated in the US as the “Miracle on Ice” because of the American’s win over the Soviets in ice hockey.
Then Juan Antonio Samaranch appeared, no one could imagine the profound changes that would take place under his watch during his 21 years as IOC President. One milestone was the 11th Olympic Congress in Baden-Baden, at which the amateur rule was abolished and women were elected to the IOC for the first time. Also for the first time, athletes were given a say, including Australia’s Olympic swimming champion Michelle Ford, who vividly recalls what happened 40 years ago.
The “Spirit of Olympia” is at home in Australia. On the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane, which will host the 2032 Summer Games, is Noosa Heads, whose “Olympic” community organised a concert under the five-ring logo. Ian Jobling, who played a major role in organising this, reports.
In the second part of the early history of the Olympic Movement in Turkey, Tolga Şinoforoğlu looks at the establishment of the Turkish NOC and the first time a small team participated in the Games in Stockholm in 1912. A Turk was also appointed to the IOC for the first time in 1909. With our biographical series we have now passed the 500 mark.
– Volker Kluge, Editor
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