diamond geezer

 Friday, July 01, 2005

The London Olympics: 1908

The 1908 Olympics should have been held in: Rome
But: Mount Vesuvius erupted in 1906, so the Italians didn't have enough cash to build a stadium and rebuild Naples
So: the 1908 Games came to London instead.

Olympic snapshots: White City Stadium
Then: When London got the call to host the 1908 Olympics there was one big problem - there was nowhere to hold the Games. Thankfully the city was constructing a huge Franco-British exhibition in White City at the time, so they tacked on an Olympic-sized stadium in the northwest corner of the site and built it in ten months flat. The giant stadium held 93000 spectators and a running track one third of a mile long, and by April all was ready for the opening parade of the 22 participating nations.
Now: You're right, that building in the photograph doesn't look much like an Olympic stadium. Some athletics may have continued at White City until 1970, but for most of the 20th century the former grand arena was nothing but a glorified greyhound track. The stadium was eventually demolished in 1985 and, with BBC Television Centre located just down the road along Wood Lane, a new BBC office block was built on the site. At least silver looks less showy than gold or bronze.

Olympic snapshots: The finishing line
Then: See that line of white lettering across the front of this photograph? It reads "This is the site of the finishing line of White City Stadium which hosted the 1908 Olympics". And it was right here that one of the most famous marathon races in Olympic history was played out. The marathon had started back at Windsor Castle, with the race specially lengthened so that it could begin right in front of the royal box - a distance of 26 miles 385 yards that remains the marathon standard to this day. By the time the race reached the stadium Dorando Pietri of Italy was in the lead. Unfortunately he then collapsed with exhaustion, five times in total, only to be helped to his feet by some over-zealous British officials and carried over the finishing line. This enraged second-placed John Hayes of the United States, and an American protest (eventually) led to the Italian being stripped of his gold medal. As a result of this farce (and other dodgy decisions during the Games), all Olympic events since 1908 have been adjudicated by a pool of international judges and not a rabble of biased amateurs from the home country.
Now: The finishing line now stands in the courtyard of the BBC's new Media Village, opened just last year beside the existing White City building. Off the left hand edge of the photo there's a row of the type of shops that modern planners think office workers want (great if you want a latté, a muffin or a panini). The whole area looked very dead when I visited on a rain-soaked Saturday morning, but I'm delighted that to see that this historic finishing line is still semi-accessible to the public.

Olympic snapshots: The medal table
Then: The British found one particularly cunning way to use their home advantage in the 1908 Olympics to good effect. The games opened on 27 April but, rather than the compact fortnight we know today, they continued for a full six months until 31 October. For local athletes this wasn't a problem but, in the days before commercial air travel, global competitors were at a distinct disadvantage. Of the 2000 competing athletes there were proportionally more UK competitors than perhaps there ought to have been, and look what happened as a result.

Great Britain: 56 gold, 51 silver, 38 bronze
USA: 23 gold, 12 silver, 12 bronze
Sweden: 8 gold, 6 silver, 11 bronze
France: 5 gold, 5 silver, 9 bronze
Germany: 3 gold, 5 silver, 6 bronze

For the first (and only) time in the history of the Olympic Games, Great Britain topped the medal table. Look, we got a mammoth haul of gold medals, more than all the other nations of the world put together. I know that, once upon a time, this blessed country of ours used to be a great world power but surely this was one self-deluded step too far. Nevertheless the 1908 Games were still a considerable success, impeccably organised with Empire efficiency, and laid the foundations for the founding of the International Amateur Athletic Federation four years later.
Now: On the wall of the Broadcast Centre in the BBC Media Village, just beyond the Olympic finishing line, stands a tall plaque commemorating the 1908 Games. Olympic chief Jacques Rogge unveiled it five weeks ago in the presence of Director General Mark Thompson, and a small crowd of BBC staff. Look, Martin was there and got photos. I'm sure there are some other bloggers working nearby who could tell us more.

Olympic snapshots: White City reborn
Then: The original White City exhibition consisted of 20 huge palaces and 120 exhibition buildings spread across a sprawling 140-acre site. The exhibition showcased the industrial and cultural achievements of England and France (like that would ever happen today, eh?) and drew more than eight million visitors. Whitewash was used to cover the multiplicity of steel and concrete buildings on site - hence the name 'White City'. Wood Lane station (on the Central line) was built to serve the exhibition, and underground anoraks may be interested by the following websites which chronicle the unusual track layout at the now-demolished station.
Now: Much of the White City area has recently been razed to the ground ready for major redevelopment. Tall cranes stand guard over an enormous building site north of Shepherd's Bush Green, complete with its own office for the signing on of casual labour. There'll be some affordable housing in one corner, of course, but most of the site is earmarked for the largest shopping centre in London. Great, just what we need. And it's all due to open in 2008, exactly a century after there really was something here worth celebrating.

posted 00:08 :