Thursday, March 31, 2016

Men Water Polo at the Summer Olympics: Nations participation

Water polo is a sport developed in the 19th century. It made its debut in the 1900 Paris Summer Olympics, but only for men and it would take another 100 years for the women events to feature in a summer Olympics edition. Since its debut, the sport did not receive consistent number of participating nations with team number fluctuating from the lows of 4 nations to the highs of 21 nations. This remained so until the 1976 Montreal’s Summer Olympics, when a standard number of 12 men teams was first established and has remained so to today.

Despite making its debut in 1900, water polo was a demonstration sport in the Missouri’s St Louis Summer Olympics of 1904, however its demonstration status died with the 3rd edition of the Summer Olympics; that 1904 summer edition.

A total of 49 nations have participated in the Summer Olympics water polo sport. Starting on a low note because only 4 nations participating in the 1900 Summer Olympics. These nations that participated in the 1900 edition are host France, Belgium, Germany and Team GB.

The number of participating nations remained the same like the 1900, with only 4 nations taking place in the 1908 Summer Olympics held in London. These 4 nations were all from Europe; the host, Team GB, Belgium, Netherlands and Sweden and this would mark the editions with the lowest participating teams in the Summer Olympics Water Polo sport.

In the first ever Sweden held Summer Olympics; the Stockholm 1912, the water polo sport participating nations grew by two to six and this number would double to 12 nations in the 1920 summer editions, this is the edition that took place 2 years after the end of Second World War and was hosted by Belgium’s Antwerp City.

In the 1924 Summer Olympics, this was the second edition of the Games to be held by the France’ Capital City; Paris, a total of 13 nations managed to have a team participating in Water Polo. The 1928 edition had 14 nations taking part in the water polo for men. However this high number of participating nation suffered a blow in the subsequent Los Angeles Summer Olympics of 1932, when the number dropped to a low of only 5 nations.

Came the controversial 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin during the Nazi rule and there were 16 nation’s teams fighting it out in the water polo sport and this trend would see two more nations participate in the second London Summer Olympics of 1948; water polo number of participating nations was 18.

The 1952 Summer Olympics, the second in the Scandinavian city; Finland’s Helsinki went to the Olympics history as the edition with the highest participating nations in the water polo sport. The participants passed the 20 mark for the first time with 21 nations taking part in this edition. It’s without the doubt the Helsinki Summer Olympics of 1952 that has recorded the highest number of teams compared to all other summer editions.

From the highs of the 1952 Helsinki Summer edition of 21 nations the participating nations in this sport went down to less than half in the following Melbourne 1956 Summer Olympics with only 10 nations sending a team. However, the number was 16 nations in the Rome’s 1960 Summer Olympics but dropped to the lowest of 4 nations in the Tokyo 1964. Mexico 1968 Summer Olympics witnessed 16 nations take part in the water polo sport and remained 16 nations for the last time in the Summer Olympics history in the subsequent Munich 1972. In the 1976 Montreal; Canada edition of the Summer Olympics, the number was 12 nations and this has not changed since then. From Montreal in 1976 to Rio de Janeiro in 2016 Summer Olympics, 40 years down the line, the number of men’s event in the Summer Olympics has remained 12 nations. This has been so for a record 10 editions of the games and it will be the same for the 11th time in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.

There is no way of summarizing the nation’s participation in water polo than to use a table, please find such a table below.

Olympics Edition

Host City

Host Country

Host Continent

Year

Number of Water Polo teams/nations

2

Paris

France

Europe

1900

4

3

St. Louis

USA

North America

1904

Demonstration Sport

4

London

United Kingdom

Europe

1908

4

5

Stockholm

Sweden

Europe

1912

6

6

Antwerp

Belgium

Europe

1920

12

7

Paris

France

Europe

1924

13

8

Amsterdam

Netherlands

Europe

1928

14

9

Los Angeles

USA

North America

1932

5

10

Berlin

Germany

Europe

1936

16

11

London

United Kingdom

Europe

1948

18

12

Helsinki

Finland

Europe

1952

21

13

Melbourne

Australia

Oceania

1956

10

14

Rome

Italy

Europe

1960

16

15

Tokyo

Japan

Asia

1964

3

16

Mexico City

Mexico

Central America

1968

16

17

Munich

Germany

Europe

1972

16

18

Montreal

Canada

North America

1976

12

19

Moscow

Soviet Union (Russia)

Europe

1980

12

20

Los Angeles

USA

North America

1984

12

21

Seoul

South Korea

Asia

1988

12

22

Barcelona

Spain

Europe

1992

12

23

Atlanta

USA

North America

1996

12

24

Sydney

Australia

Oceania

2000

12

25

Athens

Greece

Europe

2004

12

26

Beijing

China

Asia

2008

12

27

London

United Kingdom

Europe

2012

12

28

Rio de Janeiro

Brazil

South America

2016

12

 

With the balance of participating nations settling at 12, we hope that it can only increase in future but not decline. See you at Barra de Tijuca’s, Maria Lenk Aquatic Center, where 12 men teams and 8 women teams will fight it for the water polo sport medal glory in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics from the 6th of August to the 20th of August.

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

The history of Basketball at the Summer Olympics

Introduction

Picture of Dr. James Naismith statue, he is the one who invented basketball in 1891 in Springfield

The picture is from Wikipedia

Basketball was initially an indoor sport; more of a winter game. However it has grown to become mostly a summer sport. For this reason it will feature in the 2016 Summer Olympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro this coming August.

But do you know why was the sport developed? Basketball was designed to keep youths busy during the long northern USA winters and this is why this sport that we love so much was invented. Basketball was a creation of a 30 years old Canadian medical doctor;Dr. James Naismith. Since its invention in the 1890s, it has evolved and nowadays it’s an outdoor sport as well as indoor one. Basketball is an indoor sport only if the weather is nasty. Basketball is one of the sports that allows for substitution, unlike hockey where substitutions are not allowed.

The basketball sport were a demonstration sport in the 1904 Summer Olympics held in St Louis in USA but made their debut in the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin together with Handball. Women basketball would feature in the Summer Olympics in the 1976 Montreal Canada, home country of the sport inventor. Basketball will feature in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics for both men and women teams.

Basketball is unlike football or soccer in many aspects, firs the soccer goal is a long rectangular with a huge net at the back, but the goal used in basketball is small basket fixed on top of a post, this basket is known as the hoop. This hoop is made of a small ring measuring less than half a meter in diameter with a small net hanging on and this where the player put the ball to score varied points.

Basketball invention and the evolution of the basket or the hoop

Basketball is an invention of a 30 years old, Canadian from Ontario; Dr. James Naismith. He invented the basketball sport in the USA, Massachusetts’s; Springfield in 1891; this in the northern part of the USA. It’s therefore true to say that basketball is a fairly recent sport. In the initial stages of the sport development, peach baskets were used as the goals, first as uncut at the bottom and eventually removal of the bottom was done allowing the ball to pass smoothly and also since someone had to climb for ball retrieval after a score.

Picture of Dr. James Naismith statue holding a basketball

The picture is from Wikipedia

The hoop; this is the ring and the hanging net, was developed and the rest is history. It’s due to the use of these peach baskets that it got its name; basketball; however at the initial stage of the sport’s development it was known as duck on the rock. In fact some people suggested that the new game be known as Naismith ball, but since James Naismith was a modest man, he suggested that the new sport be known as Basketball. To carry forward the originality of the peach basket, the today’s ring is attached to a hanging net making the impression of the basket that allows the ball to fall through smoothly. This metal ring or hoop has a diameter of 45 centimeters and is located at top of a post some three and half meters from the ground. The post that has the ring or the hoop has a board attached behind it; this backboard as it known ensures the ball gets in the hoop.

Basketball fouls and penalties

Fouls are either due to technical infringement or body contacts. When a foul is due to technical infringement, a single throw by the side that did not commit the foul is allowed, however if the foul is due to body contact that was deliberate then in such a case two penalties are awarded to the offended side.

Goals in basketball are not made equal and their value in points varies depending on the position of the scorer. Goals can get the highest value of 3 points, or 2 and 1 point, all dependent on the scoring player’s position in the pitch. For example a goal scored on a normal play maybe awarded three or two points, while that scored due to a free throw like a penalty is worth only a single point.

Basketball is very fast paced game, a tactical sport that is played by strategy as opposed to body might. It requires stamina, speed, focus as well as agility. The players’ heights are of critical importance as well as such players’ ability to jump in a fast paced game being an added advantage. The strategy must be devised by the team even before a match starts. Defense in basketball can be man to or woman to woman or a team zoning defense. In team zoning defense a team defends a zone.

Basketball is governed a Geneva based federation; International Basketball Federation commonly known by its initials FIBA. FIBA which was established in 1932 is the mandated body that sets the sports standards, give guidelines of participation for national leagues like NBA or regional championships as well as multi-sporting events like 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. Let’s all meet in Rio during the 2016 Summer Olympics ad witness history being made by 24 teams from around the world as they play

How Basketball will be played at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics

Basketball at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics; the balls features

The Basketball Sport at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics will use a ball made of leather panels and will weigh between 0.6 to 0.65 kilograms (600 to 650 grams). This ball will have a diameter of about 24.2 cm and a circumference of 76 cm. This circular ball is almost similar to that of Associate Football; Soccer. However, except for the shape of the ball, the similarities with soccer end there. Unlike football that is played by hitting and kicking the ball, no such actions will not be allowed at the Olympics and hence no using of ones feet to hit the ball for whatever reasons. In Rio 2016, basketball players will only be allowed to pass the ball using the hands to throw and bounce. Just like Handball, Rugby and Water polo, only hands will be allowed to pass the ball from one player to the other.

However, unlike rugby, a basketball player will not be allowed to run with the ball but instead dribble it and passes it to the next player. A player will only be allowed to take two steps when in possession of the ball then passes it to the next person. If the player wants to move with ball more than the two steps, then such a player will need to bounce the ball on the ground as he or she moves fast; this is known as dribbling.

Basketball at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics; players organization and role

A basketball match is played by five players for each of the competing side in court or a pitch that measures 28 meters by 15 meters. Each of the five players has a role in the team and names attached to each of the positions.

Forwards are either power forwards or small forwards. The power forwards for the different teams participating in the basketball sport will be some of the teams’ strongest players and they will have a role and responsibilities of rebounds and defense of their side. On the other hand the small forwards will not be small literally since they need to be the tall and agile, a critical physical feature if they are to play their role of putting the ball in the basket as precise as possible.

Besides the height and agility, the small forwards will need to be focused as this is skill required if they are to shoot as accurately as possible. Besides the forwards, the teams will also have a shooting guard, whole role will be to score the goals; baskets. Not everyone ca be a shooting guard, such a basketball player needs to be precise and accurate in the shootings, he or she is actually the team’s marksman or markswoman.

The basketball teams qualified for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics must have at least one tall player, taller than the rest of the teammates whose role is play at the center and is known as the center player and with the role of defending the team. No basketball team can succeed in a basketball match if they luck the player who is like the brain of the entire team. Such a player is the point guard, and he or she ensures that the team is organized especially during an attack. The point guard is the team’s brains and wits, no team can survive without such a person.

Basketball at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics; how the match will be played

Goals or baskets as they are referred to, will be awarded when a player passes the ball in the hoop of the opponent’s side but unlike soccer, all goals or baskets will not be equal. The baskets will get their score or points according to where they were scored from.

As such, what is known in associate football as penalty will be referred to as free throw in the Rio games. This will be a shot towards the offending team’s basket when a foul is committed and any score resulting from such a throw will give the shooting team a single point. The Rio’s Carioca one and Youth Arena; where the basketball pitches be located will have a three-point line and when a score results from a ball thrown from outside that circle, three points will be awarded with 2 points awarded for baskets scored from a throw within the circle.

Besides, there is time limit of how long a player can stay with the ball with the attackers not allowed to possess the ball for more than 3 seconds. Players are not allowed to make body contact with the opponents’ players either in attack or defense. In basketball especially in competitive games like the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, each of the team will be allowed 24 seconds before shooting the ball.

Each of the matches will start at the center circle going either side. The start is usually an upward throw of the ball and the first player to take hold by snatching ball has the honors of attacking and shooting it towards the opposite sides baskets. Length of a Summer Olympics match will be 10 minutes for four periods all come to a total of 40 minutes and each of these 10 minutes period is known as a quarter.

We will definitely experience and see a lot of alley loops; the passes that will be thrown towards the opponents baskets with one of the attacking players jumping and catching the ball in the midair and slam ducks before he or she hits the floor and I can tell you this will be thrilling. What about air balls; these are the balls that be shot but fail to even touch the basket’s ring and miss the backboard all together.

Michael Jordan as he goes for a slam dunk in an NBA match

This photo is credited to Steve Lipofsky at basketballphoto.com

The basketball players are thrilling, just witness them move fast and quick with deliberate intentions of losing their tail and get an opportunity to shot and score a basket in what is known as the cut. I can tell you, there is no way you going to miss such thrilling moments that will remain with you all forever. I still remember the USA’s dream team made of Michael Jordan and Magic Jonson among other NBA professional players. Their action in the Barcelona’s 1992 Summer Olympics remain vividly glued to my mind as I recall with nostalgia their cuts, alley loops and oh the misses of the air balls and I wish I could sit down and paint such moments for posterity. This is the reason why you cannot miss the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics basketball matches, either by going to Rio or by watching on your telly.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

The Politics of Racial Discrimination at the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics

The 1936 Summer Olympics were held in Berlin, during the NAZI regime and it was Adolf Hitler, then the Germany Chancellor who officially opened the 10 edition of the Summer Olympics at the Berlin’s Olympics Stadium.

Of course Hitler’s tyrannical regime hoped that the games would give them a platform to promote his government’s belief on the Aryan race supremacy but this was shattered by USA team who included the Best 1936 Summer Olympics Games Athlete; Jesse Owen and other African American and Jews athletes who were part of Team USA.

This was after a backdrop of the fact that the host did not want Jews or Blacks allowed participation in these Games. The world refused to accept this kind of inferior and superior race nonsense with even some nations and athletes threatening to boycott the games due to the host’s racist policies. The international debate about a possible boycott was effective and the host gave in.

It was due to this debate that Germany feared it would lead to mass boycott that the host allowed the Blacks and Jews to participate and Jesse Owen made the whole world proud by becoming the best athlete of the First ever Germany Summer Olympics games. This edition of the games had competitors from 49 who would be at war within 3 years.

Further relief from this racial discrimination state was the removal of racial hatred signs including “Jews not wanted” in many of the tourists’ venues. This was part of the city cleaning though in the process, all the Romani were taken off the streets and kept in the Berlin-Marzahn concentration camp.

It was not only Hitler who was promoting the racial discrimination but also the head of Reich Sports Office; Hans von Tschammer und Osten who believed that sport was a way of natural selection method of weeding off the weak and undesirable society elements including the Blacks, Romani and Jews. Hans von also believed that the sport was a good avenue of uniting the Germans as well as strengthening them.

Besides, the NAZI government mouth piece; The Völkischer Beobachter was vocal in claiming that the Black and Jews athletes should not be allowed to take part because they were inferior, with the boycott for the 1936 Summer Olympics being considered the Germany Team allowed Helene Mayer who had a Jewish father to join the Germany Team though she did not consider herself a Jew.

Jesse Owen was the winner of the following men’s track events; 100 meters, 200 meters and the 4 by 100 meters relay. Jesse was awarded the world marks in the 200 meters as well as 200 meters hurdles. Jesse also won the long jump. That was the best way to the kill the notion of Aryan supremacy.

Besides, Team USA had 9 other African American competitors who did not only give astonishing results, but won seven gold medals out of the team’s 24, three silvers medals out of the team’s 20 and three bronze medals out of Team USA 12.

Jesse Owen shattered the racial supremacy belief so badly by breaking 11 records. But the politics of racism in the 1936 Olympics saw Hitler refuse to place the gold medal on the neck of the most outstanding athlete of these Berlin games; Jesse Owen. He also broke 11 Olympic records during the 1936 Games.

Picture of Jesse Owens at the start of the 200 meters race during the Olympic Games 1936 in Berlin, Owen broke the of record for these 200 meters Race.

This Picture is from Wikipedia on Creative Common License

The NAZI Germany Aryan Supremacy turned comical during the 1st of August opening ceremony when Hitler who had turned the German people to cult followers who swayed and screamed to have him address them. This he did this in his own box that was placed top of all other boxes to make him appear higher among other beings. He was using the Olympics as way of glorifying himself almost like a god of some sort.

However, this turned out to be more hilarious than it was insanity as 25,000 pigeons released to the sky clouding it as they went on circling overhead of the Berlin Olympics Stadium and thus stealing Hitler’s show.

This resulting to the soldiers firing a canon and with the pigeons scared, they dropped their poop and your guess is as good as mine, the crowd below were littered with the pigeons poop making the entire opening ceremony comical and failing to give Hitler his most wanted glorifying moment, this is according to Louis Zamperini, one of the Team USA long distance runner.

Zamperini finished eighth but at one point of the 5000 meters race he ran so fast that Hitler had to meet him and commented and said “that he was a fast boy”. Zamperini later became a war hero, who was captured and tortured by the Japanese during the Second World War.

Avery Brundage; The USA Olympic Committee’s President, was vocal in requesting for the female athletes to undergo a sex test to ensure that they were actually women and not men canvasing as women. In the media back then, this came to be known as sex ambiguities. This was due to former Olympics competitors who had a sex change, from women to men. The most notable of these athletes who had sex surgery were the Team England’s shot put thrower Mary Edith Louise Weston who changed her gender through sex surgery and became Mark Weston. Mary Edith Louise Weston also threw javelin for her team. The other sex ambiguities cases was from Zdenka Koubkova; a Czechoslovak team member who run and jumped for her team, she also had a sex surgery becoming a man by the name of Zdenek Koubek.

A picture of Julius Lippert; anti-Semite and Nazi Politician, Avery Brundage and Theodor Lewald, who was organizing the 1938 Berlin Summer Olympics on behalf of Reich Sports Office, Lippert was also part of team that was organizing the 1938 Games by making good impression for foreigners and tourists.

This Picture is from Wikipedia on Creative Common License

History always remembers Avery Brundage controversially supporting Berlin hosting the 1936 Summer Olympics by arguing that politics has no place in sport. He lobbied and travelled to Germany and assured the American people that the Nazi Germany had no racial segregation on its people, all this to ensure that Team USA participated in the 1938 games.

Besides, two Athletes who were to take part in the 4 by 100m relay were pulled out of the race because they were Jews, and all fingers pointed to Avery. It was rumored that he pulled out Sam Stoller and Marty Glickman from the team because he did not want Hitler to get more disappointed after 2 wins by Jesse Owen. However, Jesse was part of the relay team that won 4 by 100m relay gold medal and hence Hitler still got disappointed. Avery Brundage who later became the president of IOC was always surrounded by controversies.

There have been rumors that the French team gave a Roman salute that was considered fascist but the team has vehemently refused it was such a salute saying that what they gave was the Olympics salute which by the way was not very different, we will never know what salute the French team displayed as they passed at the podium.

The controversial 1938 Summer Olympics Games always creates debate as to what was supposed to be done and who did what wrong, but all in all, it should have been boycotted.

Monday, March 28, 2016

The 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics

This is one of the Summer Olympics that was surrounded by controversies and boycott threats with only 49 nations out of them five making their Summer Olympics debut participated.

Adolf Hitler was the Chancellor of the NAZI Germany and officially opened the 1936 Sumer Olympics held in Berlin on the summer of that year. Interestingly, the NAZI were planning to use this edition of the Olympics to show that the Aryan Race was superior.

Read about The Politics of Racial Discrimination in the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics

This notion was shattered by Jesse Owen, who won 4 gold medals all in athletics, from one field event; high jump and 3 track events.

The official opening ceremony of the 1936 Summer Olympics was held in the newly built 100,000 seats stadium; Berlin Olympics Stadium.

The Berlin Olympics Stadium During the 1936 Summer Olympics Events

This Picture is from Wikipedia under Creative Common License

The 3,632 men and 331 women all totaling 3,963 athletes had no doubt that the prevailing political temperatures were high, thus making Games of the XI Olympiad one of the most tense Olympics, only comparable to the 1912 Summer Olympics that had taken place 2 years before the 1st World War. This edition of the games had competitors from 49 nations and the world was soon to be at war within 3 years.

A war started in 1930 saw millions losing their lives and a creation of a highly hostile world that was witnessed by politically tense environment lasting for over 50 years and became to be known as The Cold War. Besides, the war saw several new nations created and while others were destroyed, families were divided by walls and the world entered into an arm race that almost brought the human race to a blink of extinction from a nuclear holocaust from any of the two warring sides; the east or the west.

The 1936 Berlin Olympic Games had been handed to Berlin before the Hitler’s NAZI ascended to power introducing one of the most despotic and cruel regime the world had ever known. These Games of the XI Olympiad had been awarded to Germany during the 29th International Olympics Committee Session that was held on the 26th of April, 1930. This IOC meeting was in the Spanish City of Barcelona with Berlin winning the bid to host games beating Spain’s Barcelona by 43 to 16. Surprisingly, Spain boycotted the Berlin games and planned parallel games known as the People’s Olympics but failed to take off when Spanish Civil war broke out two days before the 45 nations sporting event would take off.

Berlin also won the bid against other 3 Germany cities; Cologne, Frankfurt and Nuremberg. The 2016 Summer Olympics host Rio de Janeiro, also placed a bid to host these 1936 games but failed. Barcelona was to win the bid to host the 1992 Summer Olympics Games. Other cities that placed the bid to host the Summer Olympics games of 1936 but failed included the 1960 Summer Olympics host; Rome and Finland’s Helsinki who hosted the 1952 Summer Olympics. Other bids came from Argentina’s Buenos Aires, Austria’s Budapest, Egypt’s Alexandria, Ireland’s Dublin and Switzerland’s Lausanne, but only Barcelona and winning City Berlin managed to get votes in the Spain’s 29th International Olympics Committee Session of 1930.

This tense 10th edition of the Summer Olympics Games of 1936 officially opened their doors on the 1st of August and closed their doors after 16 days of action and contrivances on the 16th of August. In those 16 days, there were intense competitions to win in the 129 events drawn from the 19 sports cutting across 25 disciplines.

As mentioned earlier, it was Chancellor Adolf Hitler, then the leader of NAZI Germany who officially opened these controversial games in the newly constructed Berlin’s Olympics Stadium. Rudolf Ismayr and Fritz Schilgen went to the Olympics history as the ones who swore the Athletes Oath and led the Olympic Torch, respectively.

Despite the high political temperature and the fact that Germany was preparing to take the entire world to war, the host spent $25 million; quite a colossal amount of money back then. This money was spent in creating some of the greatest Olympics facilities the world had witnessed. The Berlin streets were at their cleanest moment. Due to huge outcry of the host’s racial segregation policies, the Olympics saw the state sponsored anti-Jewish campaign temporary withdrawn. The host Olympics stadium had the capacity to hold 100,000 people; this is big stadium even by today’s standards.

The NAZI regime extravagant spend was to ensure that the 1936 Summer Olympics outdid the previous host of the 1932 Summer Olympics; Los Angeles. Money was spent to build the New Berlin Stadium that accommodate 100,000 seat track as well as a field stadium. Other newly built structures included a total of 6 gymnasiums and several other Olympics arenas.

New innovations, nations and sports at the 1936 Summer Olympics

Despite the bad side of racism at the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics, there were notable innovations from these games that cannot go unnoticed.

In its spending spree to create unparalleled games, the Nazi Germany government gave Leni Riefenstahl, a renowned filmmaker whopping US$ 7 million to make a film out of Olympics Torch relay, this film knowns as Olympia and it’s considered a pioneer of some of the modern days filming sports techniques. That aside, this was the first games to be aired live and broadcasted to 41 nations globally. Using the Telefunken cameras and equipment, a total of 70 hours was covered.

Though the Olympic Flame had been used in the other two editions of the Olympics games; the 1928 and the 1932 editions, the Olympic Flame came to the Olympic Village by Olympic Torch Relay convention and this was a new way that started in the Berlin games and has been part of the Olympics since then. This Olympics Torch Relay had been initiated in the Olympia in Greece, passing through several nations across Europe and got to Berlin just before the games started. The Olympics Torch relay was the idea by Carl Diem; a former president of Reich Sports Office who organized the 1938 games together with Theodor Lewald, both helping the then president of Reich Sports Office; Hans von Tschammer und Osten.

The Olympic Torch Relay in the 1936 Summer Olympics

This Picture is from Wikipedia under Creative Common License

Besides, 5 new nations made their debut in this Summer Olympics Games. These five new entrants were Asia’s Afghanistan, America’s Bermuda, Bolivia, Costa Rica and Europe’s Liechtenstein.

Two new sports made their debut; Basketball and Handball. Handball would miss the subsequent summer editions only to reappear in yet another Germany hosted Summer Olympics; the 1972 Munich Games. Both Basketball and Handball sports will be featuring in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, with each scheduled to have two events; one for men and the other event for women.

A total of 130 gold medals were awarded, another 128 silver medals were also won plus 130 bronze medals all coming to a total of 388 of which the host won 89 medals in total. A total of 32 nations out of the 49 that took part in the 1938 Summer Olympics won at least a medal with the host topping the medal table with a total of 89 medals. Except for Team USA which ranked 2nd with a total of 56 medals and Japan, ranked 8, the other top ten medalists were from Europe.

The other nations which won the medals but were not from continental Europe were the 15th ranked Egypt which won 2 gold medals, 17th ranked Canada with a gold medal, 3 silver medals and 5 bronze medals. India, Turkey and New Zealand tied at position 19 with each getting a gold medal, but no silver or bronze medals. South Africa ranked 25th with a solitary silver medal, Mexico was ranked position 28th with three silver medals while Australia tied with Philippines with a bronze medal each.

Despite the challenges faced in the 1938 Summer Olympic, the spirit of Olympics lives on and will be witnessed it in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics and we hope that there will not boycott calls or controversies.