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Home > Olympics > Summer Olympics > London 1908
London 1908
The Olympic Games, or Olympics, are an international multi-sport event taking place every four years which comprises of summer and winter games. Though the first ancient games were held in 776 B.C, the modern games started from 1896.The unity of the 5 continents is shown on the Olympic flag by five colorful intertwined rings of red, blue, green, yellow, and black, created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin to represent at least one color of the participating country’s national flag.
The 1908 Olympic games were held in London and was a part of the summer Olympic IV games. The opening ceremony was held on April 27. The Olympics were originally awarded to Rome, but were reassigned to London. The Olympics included 22 nations, 110 events, 2,008 athletes including 37 women and 1,971 men. The event included 22 sports in all that included aquatics archery, athletics, boxing, cycling, fencing, football, gymnastics, hockey, jeu de paume, lacrosse, polo, rackets, rowing, rugby, sailing, shooting, tennis, tug of war, water motorsports and wrestling.
Archers William and Charlotte Dod became the first brother and sister medalists. Oscar Swahn, aged 60, was the oldest ever competitor to earn an Olympic gold medal, winning the running deer shooting, single shot. The 1908 Olympics also marked the first appearance of diving and field hockey. Ray Ewry won the standing high jump and the standing long jump for the third time and became the only person in Olympic history to win a career total of eight gold medals in individual events. In that specific year Great Britain presented leading position with 56 gold medals, 51 silver medals and 38 bronze medals.
The 1908 Olympics ended with a grand closing ceremony that caught up the attention of numerous spectators around the world and finally concluded on October 31, 1908.
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