1968 Summer Olympics - Definition and Overview

The Games of the XIX Olympiad were held in Mexico City in 1968. Mexico City beat Detroit, Buenos Aires and Lyon to host the Games.

Highlights

• Because of the high altitude of Mexico City (2700 m), many endurance athletes have trouble coping with the thin air.
• For the first time, athletes from East and West Germany take part in separate teams, after having competed in a combined team up to 1964.
• US discus thrower Al Oerter, wins his fourth consecutive gold medal in the event to become only the second athlete to achieve this in an individual event.
• Bob Beamon jumps 8.90 m in the long jump, a 55 cm improvement of the World Record that would stand until 1991.
• In the triple jump, the previous world record was improved five times by three different athletes.
• Dick Fosbury wins the gold medal in the high jump using the radical Fosbury flop technique, which quickly became the dominant technique in the event.
• In the medal award ceremony, two African-American athletes Tommie Smith (gold) and John Carlos (bronze) raise their black-gloved fists as a symbol of Black Power. They are banned from the Olympic Games for life.
• Czechoslovakian gymnast Věra Čáslavská wins the hearts of the Mexican crowd and four gold medals.
• US swimmer Debbie Meyer became the first swimmer to win three individual gold medals, in the 200, 400 and 800 m freestyle events.
• The introduction of doping tests results in the first disqualification because of doping: Swedish pentathlete Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall is disqualified for alcohol use.
• John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania became internationally famous after finishing the marathon in last place despite a dislocated knee.

Medals awarded

See the medal winners, ordered by sport:

Medal count

Top medal-collecting nations:
(for the full table, see 1968 Summer Olympics medal count)

1968 Summer Olympics medal count
Pos	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States of America	45	28	34	107
2	USSR	29	32	30	91
3	Japan	11	7	7	25
4	Hungary	10	10	12	32
5	West Germany	9	9	7	25
6	France	7	3	5	15
7	Czechoslovakia	7	2	4	13
8	East Germany	5	11	10	26
9	Australia	5	7	5	17
10	Great Britain	5	5	3	13

See also

• International Olympic Committee
• IOC country codes
• 1968 Summer Paralympics

External links

• IOC Site on 1968 Summer Olympics (http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1968)