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, during a meeting 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 followed a special route that remembered the journey of Christopher Columbus to the New World. It started in Greece, passed through Italy and Spain, and then went to San Salvador Island in the Bahamas before finally reaching Mexico. An American sculptor named James Metcalf, who lived in Mexico, was chosen to make the Olympic torch for these games.

Visual identity

The logo for the 1968 Summer Olympics is now seen as an important symbol of Mexican culture. It uses the Olympic rings idea, placing five circles inside the number 68 and the word Mexico. Bright colors were used in the design, which was shown on many posters.

There was some disagreement about who first created the design ideas. A pink statue called a chacmool and a jaguar were sold in shops as souvenirs, and 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 and wearing black socks instead of shoes. The Australian Peter Norman, who came in second, showed support by wearing a badge. As a result, Smith and Carlos were not allowed to compete in future Olympics.
• George Foreman won the gold medal in heavyweight boxing by defeating Jonas Čepulis from the Soviet Union. After winning, Foreman waved a small American flag to the crowd.
• The high elevation of Mexico City, at 2,240 metres above sea level, affected many events, especially in track and field. No other Summer Olympics before or since have been held so high up.
• This was the first Olympics to use a special surface for track and field events, called the "Tartan" surface, instead of the usual cinder tracks.
• For the first time, East and West Germany competed as separate teams, after previously having to compete together.
• Al Oerter won his fourth straight gold medal in the discus, making him only the second athlete to do this in an individual event.
• Bob Beamon set a new world record in the long jump with a leap of 8.90 metres, a record that stood for many years.
• Jim Hines, Tommie Smith, and Lee Evans also 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, which became very popular.
• Věra Čáslavská from Czechoslovakia won four gold medals in gymnastics and showed her disagreement with the Soviet invasion of her country.
• Debbie Meyer became the first swimmer to win three individual gold medals, in the 200, 400, and 800 m freestyle events. The 800 m was a new event for women.
• American swimmer Charlie Hickcox won three gold medals and one silver medal in swimming events.
• John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania finished the marathon in last place 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 it would not be wise for South Africa to participate, so they were not invited. This was the first time South Africa was not allowed in the Olympics, and they stayed out until 1992.

Tlatelolco massacre

Main article: Tlatelolco massacre

Before the Olympics, Mexico faced 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 before the soldiers arrived.

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. Because of this, the whole US track team almost was not allowed to continue.

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 and not being chosen for future Olympic teams, though it is not clear if this was because of his actions.

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, showing her disagreement with Soviet control. Because of her actions, she was not allowed to compete or travel internationally for many years and was treated badly by the new government.

Sports

The 1968 Summer Olympics included 172 events across 18 different sports. Some of these sports were 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 are sports that were shown but did not give out Olympic medals. In 1968, these included Basque pelota and tennis. Judo, which had been a full medal sport four years earlier, was not included in the Olympics that year. Although baseball had been a demonstration sport in the 1964 Tokyo Games, it was not part of the 1968 Olympics either. Instead, a separate international baseball tournament was held in Mexico City after the Olympics ended.

Participating National Olympic Committees

East Germany and West Germany competed as separate teams for the first time at these Olympics, and 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 previously competing as part of Malaysia in 1964. Suriname and Libya also took part for the first time, though they had appeared in earlier Opening Ceremonies without competing in events. The People's Republic of China had last competed at the 1952 Summer Games but was not present here due to 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 decided not to join the 1968 Olympics for two reasons. First, the Olympic committee would not let North Korean track and field athletes compete because they had taken part in another event called the Games of the New Emerging Forces in 1966. Secondly, the committee asked the country to use the name "North Korea," but the nation preferred 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.