London, England, 1908

Olympic posters from the Archives, Olympic Museum Lausanne, from the book The Olympic Spirit, published by Tehabi Books

The 1908 Olympic Games originally were scheduled for Rome, but the devastation caused by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906 caused them to be moved to London. The London Games were the first to be organized by the various sporting bodies concerned and the first to have an opening ceremony. The parade of athletes, like the Games, was marred by politics and controversy. The Finnish team protested Russian rule in Finland. Many Irish athletes refused to compete as subjects of the British crown and were absent from the games, and a running feud between the Americans and the British began when the American shot-putter Ralph Rose would not dip the U.S. flag in salute to King Edward VII. This refusal later became standard practice for U.S. athletes in the opening parade.

Twenty-two nations and about 2,000 athletes participated. The opening ceremony and the majority of events were held at Shepherd's Bush Stadium. New events included diving, motorboating, indoor tennis, and field hockey. The track-and-field events were dominated by bickering between American athletes and British officials. The 400-metre final was nullified by officials who disqualified the apparent winner, American John Carpenter, for deliberately impeding the path of Wyndham Halswelle of the United Kingdom. A new race was ordered, but the other qualifiers, both American, refused to run. Halswelle then won the gold in the only walkover in Olympic history. Another disputed finish occurred in the marathon. Dorando Pietri of Italy had a large lead as he entered the stadium but collapsed a few hundred metres from the finish. Officials came to his aid, helping him to his feet several times and nearly carrying him across the finish line. After a protest by the U.S. team, Pietri was disqualified and American John Hayes was awarded the gold medal. Henry Taylor of the United Kingdom starred in the swimming events, winning three gold medals.