1968 Summer Olympics

1968 Summer Olympics

The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially called the Games of the XIX Olympiad and branded as Mexico 1968, were held in Mexico City, Mexico, from October 12 to October 27, 1968. These games were very special because they were the first Olympic Games to take place in Latin America, the first in a Spanish-speaking country, and the first in the Global South. This meant that for the first time, the Olympics were not held in Europe for two games in a row.

These Olympics were also notable for using a new kind of track for running events. Instead of the old cinder tracks, they used an all-weather smooth track, which made racing faster and more exciting. The games also used electronic timing equipment for the very first time, making results more accurate.

The United States won the most gold medals and the most medals overall, and they would not do this again until the 1984 Summer Games.

Even though the games were a celebration of sports, they happened at a difficult time. Just days before the Olympics began, the government in Mexico stopped a large student movement, which made many people sad and angry.

Host city selection

On 18 October 1963, in Baden-Baden, West Germany, Mexico City was chosen to host the 1968 Summer Olympics. It won over other cities like Detroit, Buenos Aires, and Lyon.

Olympic torch relay

The 1968 torch relay remembered the journey of Christopher Columbus to the New World. It began in Greece, traveled through Italy and Spain, and then went to San Salvador Island in the Bahamas before arriving in Mexico. An American sculptor named James Metcalf, who lived in Mexico, made the Olympic torch for these games.

Visual identity

The logo for the 1968 Summer Olympics is an important symbol of Mexican culture. It shows five circles inside the number 68 and the word Mexico. Bright colors were used, and the logo appeared on many posters.

There was some discussion about who created the design. A pink statue called a chacmool and a jaguar were sold in shops as souvenirs. A dove of peace was also used as a symbol for the Games.

Olympic venues

Main article: Venues of the 1968 Summer Olympics

The 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City used many different places for the sports events. Some of the venues were:

• Agustín Melgar Olympic Velodrome – for cycling races on a track
• Arena México – for boxing matches
• Avándaro Golf Club – for equestrian events like eventing
• Campo Marte – for equestrian activities such as dressage and individual jumping
• Campo Militar 1 – for the riding and running parts of modern pentathlon
• Club de Yates de Acapulco – for sailing competitions
• Estadio Azteca – where the final football match was played
• Estadio Cuauhtémoc – for early round football games
• Estadio Nou Camp – also for early round football games
• Estadio Olímpico Universitario – for athletics races, long walks, opening and closing ceremonies, and team jumping in equestrian
• Fernando Montes de Oca Fencing Hall – for fencing and the fencing part of modern pentathlon
• Francisco Márquez Olympic Pool – for diving, swimming, water polo, and the swimming part of modern pentathlon
• Arena Insurgentes – for wrestling
• Insurgentes Theatre – for weightlifting
• Jalisco Stadium – for early round football games
• Juan de la Barrera Olympic Gymnasium – for volleyball
• Juan Escutia Sports Palace – for basketball and volleyball. This building was finished just in time for the Olympics and helped show the events on television.
• Municipal Stadium – for field hockey
• National Auditorium – for gymnastics
• Arena Revolución – for volleyball
• Satellite Circuit – for individual road racing and team time trials in cycling
• University City Swimming Pool – for water polo
• Vicente Suárez Shooting Range – for shooting and the shooting part of modern pentathlon
• Virgilio Uribe Rowing and Canoeing Course – for canoeing and rowing
• Zócalo – where the marathon race began
• Olympic Village – special housing built in 1968 for the athletes, later turned into homes. This included Villa Olímpica and Villa Coapa.

Highlights

• In the medal ceremony for the men's 200 metres race, Black American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos made a statement for civil rights by raising their fists. The Australian Peter Norman showed support. After this, Smith and Carlos could not compete in future Olympics.
• George Foreman won the gold medal in heavyweight boxing. After winning, he waved an American flag to the crowd.
• The high elevation of Mexico City affected many events.
• This was the first Olympics to use a special surface for track and field events, called the "Tartan" surface.
• For the first time, East and West Germany competed as separate teams.
• Al Oerter won his fourth straight gold medal in the discus.
• Bob Beamon set a new world record in the long jump.
• Jim Hines, Tommie Smith, and Lee Evans set new world records in the 100 m, 200 m, and 400 m races.
• Dick Fosbury won the high jump gold medal using a new technique called the Fosbury flop.
• Věra Čáslavská from Czechoslovakia won four gold medals in gymnastics.
• Debbie Meyer became the first swimmer to win three individual gold medals in the 200, 400, and 800 m freestyle events.
• American swimmer Charlie Hickcox won three gold medals and one silver medal in swimming events.
• John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania finished the marathon last but became famous for completing it despite an injury.
• This was the first time the closing ceremony and the events were shown in color television to the world.

Controversies

South Africa

Main article: Apartheid-era South Africa and the Olympics § 1965–68

South Africa wanted to join the 1968 Olympics. But many countries, especially African nations and African American athletes, said they would not compete if South Africa was allowed. The International Olympic Committee decided South Africa could not join. This was the first time South Africa was not allowed in the Olympics. They stayed out until 1992.

Tlatelolco massacre

Main article: Tlatelolco massacre

Before the Olympics, Mexico had many protests for better rights. Ten days before the Games started, the government sent soldiers to break up a peaceful protest. Many people were killed, and over a thousand were arrested. The government said it was stopping a violent protest, but later it was clear the protest was peaceful.

Black Power salute

Main article: 1968 Olympics Black Power salute

On October 16, 1968, two American runners, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, won medals in the 200-meter race. During the medal ceremony, they raised their fists to show support for equal rights for Black people in the United States. This upset the International Olympic Committee, who said it was a political statement and not allowed at the Olympics. They were removed from the Games, but the United States team refused to let them go.

Peter Norman, an Australian runner who won the silver medal, also showed his support by wearing a badge for human rights. This led to him facing criticism back home.

Věra Čáslavská and the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia

Czech gymnast Věra Čáslavská made a quiet protest during the Olympics. When the Soviet Union's anthem played, she turned away as a sign of protest against the Soviet invasion of her country. She did this again when she won a gold medal. Because of her actions, she was not allowed to compete or travel internationally for many years.

Sports

The 1968 Summer Olympics had 172 events in 18 sports. These sports included diving, swimming, water polo, athletics, basketball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, equestrian, fencing, field hockey, football, gymnastics, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, volleyball, weightlifting, and wrestling.

There were also demonstration sports, which were shown but did not give out Olympic medals. In 1968, these were Basque pelota and tennis. Judo was a full medal sport four years earlier but was not in the Olympics that year. Baseball was a demonstration sport in the 1964 Tokyo Games but was not part of the 1968 Olympics. Instead, a separate international baseball tournament was held in Mexico City after the Olympics.

Participating National Olympic Committees

East Germany and West Germany competed as two different teams for the first time at these Olympics. This continued until 1988. Several countries joined the Games for the very first time, including Barbados, British Honduras (now Belize), Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (known as Congo-Kinshasa), El Salvador, Guinea, Honduras, Kuwait, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and the United States Virgin Islands. Singapore returned as an independent country after competing as part of Malaysia in 1964. Suriname and Libya also took part for the first time, though they had been in earlier Opening Ceremonies without competing in events. The People's Republic of China did not compete here because of a disagreement with the Republic of China about who should represent China.

Number of athletes by National Olympic Committees

Calendar

All dates are in Central Time Zone (UTC-6)

Boycotting countries

North Korea chose not to join the 1968 Olympics. This happened for two reasons. First, the Olympic committee did not allow North Korean athletes to compete because they had been in another event in 1966. Second, the committee asked the country to use the name "North Korea," but the nation wanted to be called the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

Medal count

These are the top ten nations that won medals at the 1968 Games. The host country, Mexico, won nine medals in total.