History of the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Italy

History of the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Italy The 1960 Olympic Games (otherwise called the XVII Olympiad) were held in Rome, Italy from August 25 to September 11, 1960. There were numerous firsts at these Olympics, including the first to be broadcast, the first to have the Olympic Anthem, and the first to have an Olympic hero run in uncovered feet.â Quick Facts Official Who Opened the Games: Italian President Giovanni GronchiPerson Who Lit the Olympic Flame: Italian track athlete Giancarlo PerisNumber of Athletes:â 5,338â (611 ladies, 4,727 men)Number of Countries:â 83 Number of Events:â 150 A Wish Fulfilled After the 1904 Olympics were held in St. Louis, Missouri, the dad of the cutting edge Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin, wished to have the Olympics facilitated in Rome: I wanted Rome simply because I needed Olympism, after its arrival from the journey to utilitarian America, to wear indeed the luxurious frock, woven of craftsmanship and reasoning, in which I had for the longest time been itching to dress her.* The International Olympic Committee (IOC) concurred and picked Rome, Italy to have the 1908 Olympics. Be that as it may, when Mt. Vesuvius emitted on April 7, 1906, executing 100 individuals and covering close by towns, Rome passed the Olympics to London. It was to take an additional 54 years until the Olympics would at last be held in Italy. Antiquated and Modern Locations Holding the Olympics in Italy brought together the blend of old and current that Coubertin had so wanted. The Basilica of Maxentius and the Baths of Caracalla were reestablished to have the wrestling and gymnastic occasions separately, while an Olympic Stadium and a Sports Palace were worked for the Games. First and Last The 1960 Olympic Games were the main Olympics to be completely secured by TV. It was additionally the first run through the recently picked Olympic Anthem, formed by Spiros Samaras, was played. In any case, the 1960 Olympics were the last that South Africa was permitted to take an interest in for a long time. (When politically-sanctioned racial segregation finished, South Africa was permitted to rejoin the Olympic Games in 1992.) Stunning Stories Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia shockingly won the gold decoration in the long distance race - with exposed feet. (Video) Bikila was the absolute first dark African to turn into an Olympic victor. Curiously, Bikila won the gold again in 1964, yet that time, he wore shoes.â US competitor Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, stood out as truly newsworthy when he won a gold decoration in light heavyweight boxing. He was to go on to a famous boxing vocation, in the long run being called, the Greatest.â Conceived rashly and afterward stricken with polio as a small kid, U.S. African-American sprinter Wilma Rudolph defeated here inabilities and proceeded to win three gold decorations at this Olympic Games. A Future King and Queen Participated Greeces Princess Sofia (the future sovereign of Spain) and her sibling, Prince Constantine (the future and last ruler of Greece), both spoke to Greece at the 1960 Olympics in cruising. Ruler Constantine won a gold decoration in cruising, winged serpent class. A Controversy Lamentably, there was a decision issue on the 100-meter free-form swim. John Devitt (Australia) and Lance Larson (United States) had been in a dead heat during the last fragment of the race. Despite the fact that the two of them completed at about a similar time, a large portion of the crowd, the games correspondents, and the swimmers themselves trusted Larson (U.S.) had won. Notwithstanding, the three adjudicators decided that Devitt (Australia) had won. Despite the fact that the official occasions demonstrated a quicker time for Larson than for Devitt, the decision held. * Pierre de Coubertin as cited in Allen Guttmann, The Olympics: A History of the Modern Games (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1992) 28.