Amsterdam 1928 Olympic Games
, athletic festival held in
Amsterdam
, that took place May 17?August 12, 1928. The Amsterdam Games were the eighth occurrence of the modern
Olympic Games
.
Track-and-field and
gymnastics
events were added to the women’s slate at the 1928
Olympics
. There was much
criticism
of the decision, led by
Pierre de Coubertin
and the Vatican. Women athletes, however, had formed their own track organizations and had held an Olympic-style women’s competition in 1922 and 1926. Their performances at these events convinced the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF; later
International Association of Athletics Federations
) that women are capable of a high level of athletic competition and deserve a place at the Olympics.
Britannica Quiz
The Olympic Games
United States: 56
Germany: 39
Finland: 25
France: 25
Sweden: 25
Note: Medal count per the
IOC website
.
Germany returned to Olympic competition at the 1928 Games, which featured the debut of the Olympic flame. Approximately 3,000
athletes
(including nearly 300 women), representing 46 countries, participated in the Olympics. The men’s athletics competition was noteworthy for two reasons. It was the last Olympic Games for the great
Paavo Nurmi
and
Ville Ritola
of
Finland
. It was also the poorest performance to date for the U.S. team, which won only three of a possible 12 gold medals in running events.
Percy Williams
of
Canada
won both the 100- and 200-meter runs. Controversy arose in the women’s 800-meter run when several women collapsed from exhaustion at the end of the race; Olympic officials concluded that the distance was too long for women, and it was not until the 1960 Games in Rome that women were allowed to compete in a race of more than 200 meters.
The Japanese team won the most medals in the
swimming
competition.
Johnny Weissmuller
of the
United States
concluded his Olympic career with gold medals in the 100-meter freestyle swim and the 800-meter freestyle
relay
. The Hungarian sabre team won the first of seven consecutive gold medals.