We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website. By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Find out more

Chapter 11 Images

Athens Stadium: Site of the 1896 Olympic Games and some events of the Summer Games of 2004. Site of the ancient Panathenaic Stadium, it was excavated and rebuilt for the Greek Olympics of the nineteenth century and refurbished again for the Games of 1896. Runners had to slow down for the tight turns in the early Games. In 2004, it was the site for archery and the finish of the marathon. Courtesy of the International Centre for Olympic Studies, University of Western Ontario (p. 265)

Winnipeg Falcons hockey team aboard the Melita en route to Antwerp, Belgium, 1920. Hockey was an exhibition sport in 1920 and joined the Olympic program permanently when the Games of Chamonix were declared the first Winter Olympics in 1924. © Brian Johanssen (p. 270)

Percy Williams wins the men’s 100-metre race in Amsterdam in 1928. Following the famous flying finish of American Charley Paddock in 1920, in the spirit of the post-war competitiveness of the twentieth century, the men’s 100–metre race became a centrepiece event for the Olympics. Courtesy of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, Image X981.764.1.1 (p. 272)

Canada’s Jean Thompson successfully completes the 800-metre run in Amsterdam in 1928. Unlike some of her competitors, who had not trained at this distance, Thompson crosses the line in no distress, her athleticism disguising the physiological discomfort presented to all male and female athletes in the 800-metre event. Library and Archives Canada/Glynn A. Leyshon collection/PA-151008 (p. 274)

A United States spectator responds to the Soviet boycott. Both the Soviet Union and the United States, respectively, attempted to ignore the deleterious effects of the major boycotts on each of the Moscow and Los Angeles Games. The fact remained, however, when one of the two strongest teams in the world was absent, so were the highest levels of competition. Courtesy of the International Centre for Olympic Studies, University of Western Ontario (p. 282)

Corporate sponsorship became the new foundation of the Olympics during the 1980s. Insisting on sustaining the massive scale of the Games, the IOC created a new financial foundation to support replicated infrastructure in new cities through exclusive sponsorship arrangements. Courtesy of the International Centre for Olympic Studies, University of Western Ontario (p. 283)

The Vancouver bid committee prepares to win votes for the plebiscite to bid for the Olympic Games, 2003. Banners supporting Vancouver’s Olympic bid adorned office towers in the city. Citizens against hosting the Games rejected the bid committee’s premise that the Games were relatively cost neutral and that the Olympics would benefit all sectors of the city. Courtesy of the International Centre for Olympic Studies, University of Western Ontario (p. 285)

The Bird’s Nest stadium, Beijing, 2008. Never had Olympic facilities been so elaborate; never had a host nation spent so much money on its infrastructure and its sports facilities. Courtesy of Mike Heine (p. 286)