How did the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics change the Games. What were the major firsts introduced at this historic event. Why is the 1928 Olympics considered a turning point for women’s participation in the Games. How did these Olympics impact future Olympic traditions.
The Groundbreaking 1928 Amsterdam Summer Olympics
The 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam marked a pivotal moment in Olympic history, introducing several innovations that would shape the Games for decades to come. Held from July 28 to August 12, these Olympics saw 46 nations represented by 2,883 athletes, including a record 277 women. This significant increase in female participation was just one of many firsts that made the Amsterdam Games truly groundbreaking.
Key Statistics of the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics
- Dates: July 28 – August 12, 1928
- Host City: Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Participating Nations: 46
- Total Athletes: 2,883
- Female Athletes: 277
Pioneering Moments: Firsts in Olympic History
The 1928 Amsterdam Olympics introduced several innovations that would become integral parts of future Olympic Games. These pioneering moments helped shape the modern Olympic experience we know today.
The Olympic Flame’s Debut
One of the most iconic symbols of the Olympics made its first appearance in Amsterdam. The Olympic flame was introduced, burning throughout the duration of the Games. This tradition has continued ever since, with the flame being lit in Olympia, Greece, and carried to the host city via torch relay.
New Parade of Nations Format
Amsterdam 1928 established the now-familiar format for the Parade of Nations during the Opening Ceremony. For the first time, Greece led the procession to honor its role as the birthplace of the Olympics, while the host nation, the Netherlands, entered last. This tradition has been maintained in all subsequent Olympic Games.
Coca-Cola’s Olympic Sponsorship
The 1928 Games marked the beginning of Coca-Cola’s long-standing relationship with the Olympics. The company sent 1,000 crates of its signature soda to accompany the U.S. athletes to Amsterdam, initiating what would become one of the most enduring partnerships in sports marketing history.
Women’s Participation: A Leap Forward for Gender Equality
The 1928 Amsterdam Olympics represented a significant milestone for women’s participation in the Games. The number of female athletes more than doubled compared to previous Olympics, with 277 women competing across various sports.
Expanded Opportunities for Women Athletes
For the first time, women were allowed to compete in track and field events, marking a major step towards gender equality in athletics. This expansion of opportunities for female athletes set the stage for continued growth in women’s participation in future Olympic Games.
Controversy and Progress
Despite the progress, the inclusion of women’s athletics was not without controversy. The 800-meter race for women was particularly contentious, with some officials deeming it too strenuous for female competitors. This event was subsequently removed from the Olympic program and would not return until 1960.
Asian Athletes Make Their Mark
The 1928 Amsterdam Olympics witnessed another significant first: Asian athletes won gold medals for the first time in Olympic history. This achievement marked the beginning of Asia’s rise as a formidable force in international athletics.
Mikio Oda: Japan’s Trailblazer
Mikio Oda became the first Asian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal, claiming victory in the triple jump. His historic achievement paved the way for future generations of Asian athletes to compete and excel on the global stage.
Memorable Performances and Athletic Achievements
The 1928 Amsterdam Olympics featured numerous outstanding athletic performances that captivated audiences and set new standards of excellence.
Paavo Nurmi’s Continued Dominance
Finnish distance runner Paavo Nurmi, known as the “Flying Finn,” continued his Olympic dominance by winning gold in the 10,000 meters. This victory added to his impressive tally of nine gold medals across three Olympic Games.
Johnny Weissmuller’s Swimming Success
American swimmer Johnny Weissmuller, who would later gain fame as an actor playing Tarzan, won two gold medals in Amsterdam. His victories in the 100-meter freestyle and 4×200-meter freestyle relay solidified his status as one of the greatest swimmers of his era.
Legacy and Impact on Future Olympic Games
The innovations and milestones of the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics had a lasting impact on the Olympic movement, influencing the organization and character of future Games.
Standardization of Olympic Traditions
Many of the traditions introduced in Amsterdam, such as the Olympic flame and the Parade of Nations format, became standard features of subsequent Olympic Games. These elements have contributed to the unique pageantry and symbolism associated with the Olympics.
Advancement of Women’s Athletics
The increased participation of women in the 1928 Games set a precedent for greater gender equality in Olympic sports. While progress was not always linear, the Amsterdam Olympics played a crucial role in opening doors for female athletes in international competition.
Challenges and Controversies of the 1928 Olympics
Despite its many groundbreaking aspects, the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics also faced challenges and controversies that reflected the societal norms and limitations of the time.
Debate Over Women’s Athletics
The inclusion of women’s track and field events sparked debate among Olympic officials and the public. While it represented progress, the controversy surrounding the women’s 800-meter race highlighted persistent attitudes about women’s physical capabilities.
Financial Struggles
The Amsterdam Games faced financial difficulties, with the organizing committee struggling to cover costs. This economic challenge would foreshadow similar issues faced by future Olympic host cities.
The 1928 Olympics in Cultural Context
The Amsterdam Games took place during a period of significant social and cultural change in the 1920s, reflecting and influencing broader societal trends.
Art Competitions
Continuing a tradition started in 1912, the Amsterdam Olympics included art competitions in various categories such as architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture. These competitions reflected the Olympic movement’s goal of uniting sport and culture.
Modernization and Technology
The 1928 Games showcased advancements in technology and modernization. The use of electronic timing devices and the introduction of a public address system to announce results were notable innovations that enhanced the spectator experience.
The 1928 Amsterdam Olympics stand as a pivotal moment in Olympic history, introducing numerous firsts that would shape the character of the Games for generations to come. From the debut of the Olympic flame to the significant increase in women’s participation, these Games set new standards and broke new ground. The legacy of Amsterdam 1928 continues to influence the Olympic movement, serving as a reminder of the power of sport to drive progress and unite nations.
St. Moritz 1928 Winter Olympics
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DateFebruary 11th, 1928 – February 19th, 1928
CountrySwitzerland
Athletes464
Teams25
Events14
Exclusive
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Saint Moritz 1928 | Olympic Winter games
Figure Skating
Great Scott justifies the hype with figure skating title
St. Moritz 1948
Design Focus: Olympic Rings
Design Focus: The Olympic Games
About the Games
Firsts
These Winter Games were the first to be held in a different nation from the Summer Games of the same year. They also marked the first Asian participation in the Winter Games, with the presence of Japanese athletes for the first time. A new event was contested: the skeleton.
Memorable Skating Champions
Aged just 15, Sonja Henie of Norway caused a sensation by winning women’s figure skating. Her record as the youngest winner of an individual event stood for 74 years. In the men’s event, Sweden’s Gillis Grafström won his third consecutive gold medal, despite suffering from a badly swollen knee.
The Skeleton
Considered the world’s first sliding sport, the skeleton event made its debut. The skeleton is like luge except that the athletes descend headfirst. It was staged on the Cresta Run, the famous track made of natural ice which has been reconstructed every winter since the 1870s. The major part of the route of this track lies in a ravine from which stones and earth were used to construct the turns. The track’s wooden structure is then covered with snow and ice. It is considered the birthplace of skeleton. The events of the 1948 Olympic Games also took place on this track.
Phenomenal Winning Margin
The 50km cross country race took place in freakish weather conditions.
At the beginning, the temperature was 0°C; by the end, it had risen to 25°C. Sweden’s Per Erik Hedlund was the only competitor to conquer the conditions, winning in a time more than 13 minutes faster than any of the other skiers.
NOCs: 25
Athletes: 464 (26 women, 438 men)
Events: 14
Volunteers: N/A
Media: N/A
Speed Skating Event Cancelled
The 10,000m speed skating was cancelled because of the condition of the ice (warm wind).
Horses on a Frozen Lake
Equestrian competitions held on the frozen lake in St. Moritz were one of the main attractions outside the Olympic events.
Skating in the Hotel
Owing to the bad weather, some of the figure skating events were held on the Kulm rink in the eponymous hotel, which, like many other establishments, had its own rink and curling sheets.
Ceremonies
19 February 1928, St. Moritz. Closing Ceremony: Standard bearers to the nations.
Official Opening of the Games by:
President of the Helvetic Confederation Edmund Schulthess
Lighting the Olympic Flame by:
A symbolic fire at an Olympic Winter Games was first lit in 1936 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Olympic Oath by:
Hans Eidenbenz (cross country skiing, Nordic combined, ski jumping)
Officials’ Oath by:
The officials’ oath at an Olympic Winter Games was first sworn in 1972 at Sapporo.
Medal Table
See the list of teams and medals won by each.
See table
Results
St. Moritz
1928
Featured Athletes
All Athletes
Men’s Ice Hockey at St. Moritz 1928
Saint Moritz 1928 | Olympic Winter gamesSt.
Moritz
1928
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The Brand
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The Medals
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Olympic Games
The 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam
by
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(Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision)
With the Tokyo Olympic Games underway, we look back to one of the Olympic Games that saw a number of important milestones – the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Amsterdam hosted the Olympic Games July 28 to August 12 1928. A total of 46 nations were represented by 2,883 athletes, including 277 women.
The 1928 Games were memorable because they introduced a series of Olympic firsts: the number of female competitors more than doubled, Asian athletes won gold medals for the first time and the Olympic flame made its first appearance in the modern era.
An Olympic of firsts
During the Opening Ceremony and, for the first time, the Parade of Nations started with the team from Greece, which holds the origins of the Olympics, and ended with the host team – the Dutch – marching in last. This tradition – Greece-first, hosts-last – has been part of the Olympic Games ever since.
The 1928 Games were also the first to introduce Coca-Cola as a sponsor. At the time, the company sent a boatload of 1,000 crates of the soda to accompany the U.S. athletes to Amsterdam. The Coca-Cola Company is the longest-standing partner of the Olympic Movement that continues until this day.
The Olympic Flame
The idea for the Olympic flame comes from ancient Greece, where a sacred fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics on the altar of the sanctuary of Hestia.
In 1928, for the first time, a symbolic fire was lit during the Games of the modern era. The fire was lit in a cauldron that was placed at the top of a tower in the stadium in Amsterdam, which had been designed by renowned Dutch architect, Jan Wils.
The Olympic flame has been part of the Summer Olympics ever since. The torch relay, however, would not take place until the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Explore more vintage photos of the 1928 Olympic Games
Introducing women’s athletics and gymnastics
Despite objections – including the former president of the International Olympic Committee, Baron Pierre de Coubertin – the 1928 Olympics saw the introduction of women’s events in the athletics and gymnastics programme.
Five women’s athletics events were added: 100 metres, 800 metres, high jump, discus, and 400 metre hurdles.
The winner of the 800 metres was Lina Radke-Batschauer on Germany’s return to the Olympics after a 16-year absence caused by World War I and then having had to serve a 10-year probation for its part in that conflict.
However, at the end the race was spoiled when many of her competitors finished in a state of exhaustion. Women were not allowed to run so far again in the Olympics until 1960.
Breaking records
Athletes from 28 different nations won gold medals in Amsterdam, a record that would last for 40 years.
For the first time, Asian athletes won gold medals. Mikio Oda of Japan won the triple jump, while his teammate, Yoshiyuki Tsuruta, won the 200m breaststroke.
Athlete Kinue Hitomi was the first woman to represent Japan at the Olympics, the only female athlete for Japan in 1928. She entered a number of events, winning silver in the 800 metres race.
Explore more Olympic and Paralympic stories
The team from India also swept to victory in field hockey, beginning a streak of six consecutive gold medals in the sport.
Like other cities around Europe in the late 1920s, the streets of Amsterdam were filling up fast with cars. During the Games, this issue was more pressing than ever as Amsterdam had limited car parking spaces. The organisers were forced to look for a way to solve this issue quickly.
As a solution, a number of new parking sites were provided and a special parking symbol was launched to show foreign visitors where they could park. The white P on a blue background was to become the international traffic sign for parking, which is still used today.
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GAMES OF THE IX OLYMPIAD IN AMSTERDAM 1928
The IX Summer Olympic Games were held from May 17 to August 12, 1928 in Amsterdam.
Two cities claimed to host the 1928 Summer Olympics: Amsterdam and Los Angeles. Preference was given to the capital of the Netherlands. 14 members of the IOC voted in favor of this decision, with four against and one abstention.
A number of subsequent discussions and repeated voting did not change the results of the first vote. Los Angeles hosted the next Summer Games.
Pierre de Coubertin and Henri de Baillet-Latour
The 1928 Olympic Games were the first to take place without Pierre de Coubertin as IOC President. In 1925, the 62-year-old founder of the Olympic movement announced his resignation for health reasons. Before leaving, Coubertin, who was somewhat disillusioned with the Olympic movement, published a “sports testament”, in which he once again outlined his concept regarding the essence of sports: “Professionalism, here it is – the enemy!”. His “testament” ended with the following optimistic conclusion: “Despite some disappointments that in an instant destroyed my best hopes, I believe in the peaceful and moral qualities of sport.”
A tradition was born in Amsterdam that has never been broken since: during the Games, a fire was lit in Olympia from the sun with the help of a mirror.
Runners carried it to Amsterdam, passing it to each other like a baton. They crossed Greece, Yugoslavia, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands.
On the whole, the Olympiad was held on a routine basis. And although the number of participating countries increased, the number of athletes was somewhat less, and the competition program was reduced.
However, the popularity of the Olympics in the world has grown, and with it the interest of collectors. The Netherlands Post celebrated the event widely. A large series of postage stamps was issued. Images of modern athletes from the Games program appeared on 8 stamps of the series. In addition, several solid items were released. Stamps and whole things were extinguished with special stamps.
The main symbols of the Olympics are two posters designed by artist Joseph Rovers. One shows a marathon runner holding a laurel branch, a symbol of victory and the Olympic spirit. Three wavy lines at the bottom of the poster – red, white and blue – symbolize the national flag of the Netherlands.
On the other, an athlete is running around the stadium, the Olympic flag with five rings is flying in the distance.
The Florentine sculptor and artist Giuseppe Cassioli, who won the IOC competition, created the medal design that was taken as the basis for the creation of Olympic medals up to 1968 years old.
The front side is decorated with the goddess of victory Nike, in whose hands is a laurel wreath and a palm branch. On the back is the winner carried by the crowd. Its thickness is 3 mm, diameter 55 mm, weight 66 g.
Coca-Cola stall at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam
Sponsorship between the IOC and the well-known concern Coca-Cola began with this Olympics.
After a 16-year break, German athletes were admitted to the Games. Athletes from Malta, Panama and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) took part in the Olympics for the first time. USSR national team in Games 1928 years did not participate.
All countries participating in the 1928 Summer Olympics: Australia, Austria, Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Denmark, Egypt, India, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, Cuba, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Rhodesia, Romania, USA, Turkey, Uruguay, Philippines, Finland, France, Czechoslovakia, Chile, Sweden, Switzerland, Estonia, South Africa, Japan.
A total of 2883 athletes from 46 countries took part in the Games.
Athletes from the USA won the team medal count with a clear advantage. But at the same time, the Americans won medals in only 9 sports out of 20, but the athletes of the German national team, which was second in the overall standings, achieved success in 16 sports.
Opening ceremony
Traditionally, the head of state had to open the Olympic Games. However, Queen Wilhemina of the Netherlands, a true Christian, resolutely refused to take part in the ceremony, because she considered the Olympics “pagan games.” The Games were opened by her husband Prince Hendrik of Orange. The Queen was not present at all at the Olympic events.
The Olympics were opened on July 28 by the husband of the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina, Prince Hendrik
Harry Denis, a Dutch football player, took the Olympic oath on behalf of the athletes
The Danish team at the opening ceremony of the Games
The traditional parade of athletes took place at the opening ceremony.
After a 16-year break, the German team entered the Olympic start, and, I must say, came out in a solid line-up – 233 people.
Athletes from Malta, Panama and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) took part in the Olympics for the first time.
Ice hockey (May 17-26) and football (May 27-June 15) were held before the opening ceremony. Therefore, May 17 is considered the official start date of the Games.
Sports competitions
For the first time in the Olympic program, competitions among women in athletics appeared – 100 and 800 meters, 4 x 100 meters relay, high jump, discus throw, and gymnastics. The brightest event was the performance of athletes. Each type of program was marked by a world record.
Betty Robinson
American Betty Robinson won the 100m and also won the silver medal in the 4 x 100m relay. A 16-year-old student didn’t know she was a good runner until her teacher saw her running after a workout. She began running only four months before the 1928 Olympics.
In her first outdoor performance, she set a world record in the 100 meters. At the Amsterdam Olympics, Betty won the half meter in the 100m final, her fourth time in the event. Three years after the Olympic triumph, Elizabeth was in a plane crash. The man who found her, even thought that she was dead, carried her into the trunk of his car and took her to the funeral home. She was unconscious for seven weeks and could not walk properly for another two years, but she survived. Betty Robinson wanted to get back into the sport and compete in the sprint. But her leg could no longer fully bend at the knee, which prevented the athlete from taking the correct starting position. However, she could run in relay races. And in 1936, Betty Robinson won her second gold medal in the 4×100 meter relay as part of the American team.
The 800m race was won by Lina Radke-Bathshauer from Germany, the 4x100m relay from Canada (there were 9 winners among the winners)0005 Fanny Rosenfeld ), and high jump – their compatriot Ethel Catherwood .
Two gold medals in the 100m and 200m went to Percy Williams from Canada.
Interestingly, the inclusion of 800 meters in the program for women caused a lot of controversy. During the 800-meter races, young women fell exhausted onto the track. It was decided to exclude this distance from the Olympic program since 1932, and again it appeared only at the XVII Games, in 1960, where the USSR athlete Lyudmila Shevtsova won. Her result was 12.5 seconds higher than Lina Radke’s.
But, in general, the fight was exciting and interesting. As in previous Games, Finnish athletes performed well. They won five gold, five silver and four bronze medals, won the 1500m, 5000m, 3000m hurdles and 10000m. At the last distance, the first to finish was the legendary Paavo Nurmi – a sports nickname – “Flying Finn”. It was his 9th Olympic gold medal!
As for the American athletes, they won nine gold, eight silver and eight bronze medals in Amsterdam. An interesting struggle took place in the long jump sector, which was fought among themselves by the American Edouard Hemm and an athlete from Haiti Silvio Cator .
In 1928, it was they who fought the main fight for the championship. The American came to the Olympics with the rank of world record holder (7.90 m). The stubborn struggle for Olympic gold also brought him victory with an Olympic record (7.73 m). However, the ambitious Kator still took revenge on the Olympic champion, winning the world championship with a new world record (7.93 m).
Marathon race brought an unexpected victory to France. The hero of the marathon was a little Algerian Boujera El Kafi , a laborer from the Renault factories in Billancourt. His run in Amsterdam was a masterpiece of tactics, caution, endurance. After the first ten kilometers, he was 2 minutes 30 seconds behind the leaders. The leaders – a Japanese and a Finn – seemed much more active. Japanese K. Yamada , small but surprisingly wiry and strong, made a dash at the twenty-fifth kilometer. His mistake was that he went ahead very early. This mistake of Yamada became a trump card for El Kafi, who, picking up speed, saw rivals on his road who were exhausted in a fight with the Japanese.
When the second hour of running struck, he was already bypassing the Japanese runner. But three kilometers before the finish line, another danger lay in wait for him – the Chilean rushed forward Miguel Reyes Plaza . But he also overestimated his strength, and one and a half kilometers before the finish line, El Kafi was already confident in his success. And he became an Olympic champion.
In Amsterdam, the first victories were won by representatives of Japan: Mikio Oda in the triple jump and Ishiuki Tsuruta in the 200m breaststroke. The Mail of the Land of the Rising Sun also noted the first Olympic award of Japanese athletes. The first silver went to Kinue Hitomi in the 800 meters. She lost less than a second to the world record holder of the German runner Caroline Radke. Kinuye Hitome surpassed the old German world record by as much as 2 seconds, but this was not enough. Karolina Radke set a new world record (2:16.8) in a stubborn struggle and rightfully became an Olympic champion.
As for swimming, it was in this sport that the Hero of the 1928 Olympics appeared. American Johnny Weissmuller rightfully became them. Weissmuller competed in the 100m freestyle and the 4 x 200m relay, ending up with two gold medals. Johnny Weissmuller has performed brilliantly in American and European basins for about ten years. He has five gold Olympic medals in his collection. Twice he became the champion of the Olympic Games in the most prestigious swimming distance – 100 meters freestyle. At the same distance, Weissmuller was the first to break the minute and brought the world record by 1924 to 57.4 seconds. In the pre-war and post-war years, the screens of the world were filled with numerous episodes of the American action movie “Tarzan”. Particularly successful were those episodes in the film where Tarzan demonstrated amazing athletic qualities: a breathtaking race with a crocodile, dizzying stunts in the jungle, long underwater journeys of the hero.
The excellent sports data of the performer of the role of Tarzan are indisputable. There is nothing surprising in this: after all, five-time Olympic champion Johnny Weissmuller starred in the role of Tarzan.
Field hockey competition brought together 9 teams. For the first time, Indian hockey players took part in the Olympics. The debut brought them gold medals. From then until 1960, they had no defeats, and only in Rome did they have worthy rivals in the face of the Pakistani team.
The football tournament attracted 17 teams. This tournament was a great success with the audience, which was more than 250 thousand. The final was South American: Uruguay played Argentina. To determine the champion, had to play two matches. The first ended in a draw – 1:1. And only in the additional second match, the Uruguayans were able to win – 2:1. In the match for third place, the Italian team defeated the Egyptian team with a score of 11:3.
Italians and French competed in fencing competitions on rapiers and swords.
And if the first in both cases won the team, then in the individual competition the veteran, the Frenchman Lucien Godin , excelled. So brilliantly ended the career of this outstanding fencer, who fought for the Olympic title for twenty-five years. The strongest saber fencers showed themselves to be the Hungarians, who won the championship both in the individual and in the team event. It was their first of seven consecutive gold medals in the Olympics.
At the 1928 Games, the brilliant career of German Helena Mayer began. Mayer became one of the strongest rapier fencers of her time. At the Olympic Games she won gold (1928) and silver (1936) medals; 3-time world champion (1929, 1931, 1937), 6-time German champion, 9-time US champion. In 1923, at the age of 13, she won the German championship for the first time, playing for the Offenbach fencing club. In 1928, in addition to the Olympics, she won the Italian championship. At 19At the age of 32 she moved to the USA to study at the university.
In 1933, after the Nazis came to power in Germany, for some time it was one of the sports symbols of Nazi propaganda. Later, her half-Jewish origin surfaced, and she was even expelled from her native fencing club in Offenbach. However, Helena Mayer was named to the German Olympic team in 1936. After the 1936 Olympics, she finally emigrated to the United States.
In aristocratic equestrian sport 2 gold medals (individual and team dressage competitions) won Karl Friedrich von Langen-Parow , baron, German aristocrat. In equestrian sports, overcoming obstacles in the individual championship was won by the Czechoslovak athlete Frantisek Ventura on Eliot . Without receiving a single penalty point, he defeated 46 of the world’s best athletes from 16 countries in a dispute.
In freestyle wrestling, which was called freestyle wrestling in those years, US athletes were noticeably pressed by Europeans, and primarily by Finns and Swedes. Only in featherweight weight the title of the Olympic champion went to the American.
At the Amsterdam Olympics, the winner of the weightlifting competition was determined for the first time by the sum of the classic triathlon: bench press, snatch, clean and jerk. Weightlifters competed in five weight categories, and Olympic and world records were broken in all categories.
Sources: http://olimp-history.ru, ru.wikipedia.org
1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam
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DateMay 17th, 1928 – August 12th, 1928
CountryNetherlands
Athletes2883
Teams46
Competitions109
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About the Games
Symbolic fire
For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, a symbolic flame was lit.
It burned on a tower, designed by prominent Dutch architect Jan Wils, near the stadium.
First time at the Olympics
The Greek delegation led the parade of nations at the opening ceremony, and the last hosts were athletes from the Netherlands. Since then, the order “Greeks first, hosts last” has been observed at all the Olympics. Women were allowed to compete in gymnastics and athletics, and as a result, the number of athletes at the Olympics doubled. In Amsterdam, the first medals were won by representatives of Asia.
Start of winning streak
The Indian team won the field hockey tournament. From 1928 to 1956 Indians won all six gold medals in the sport. Another winning streak has begun. Since 1928, Hungarian fencers have won seven consecutive Olympic team saber tournaments.
The era of nobility
Rower Henry Pierce’s deed instantly earned him the status of an Olympic legend. In the quarter-finals, the Australian stopped to let a flock of ducks through.
He still finished first and subsequently confidently won gold.
NOC: 46
Athletes: 2883 (277 women, 2606 men)
Medal sets: 109
Volunteers: n.a.
Journalists: n.a.
Return of Germany
16 years after the 1912 Olympics, athletes from Germany again took part in the Games.
More competitions for women
If previously only tennis, golf, archery, figure skating, sailing, swimming and fencing were available to women, then at 19In 28, this list was replenished with gymnastics and several athletics disciplines.
Ceremonies
Amsterdam, 1928. Henry Denis (Netherlands) pronounces the Olympic oath surrounded by the flags of the participating countries.
Official opening of the Olympics
Prince Hendrik
Lighting of the Olympic Flame
At the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, the symbolic lighting of the Olympic flame took place for the first time.
