1952 Summer Olympics

Multi-sport event in Helsinki, Finland June 2020 sport yes June 2021 1952 Summer Olympics 1952 Summer Olympics logo.svg 140 Emblem of the 1952 Summer Olympics A solid blue background is intruded on its left side by a structure, shaded in white, representing the tower and stand of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. The Olympic rings, also white, lie at the top of the blue background, partly obscured by the stadium's tower. The word "1952" is written in white in the middle of the blue background, while "XV Olympia Helsinki" is written in blue, beneath the image. Helsinki, Finland 69 4,932 (4,411 men, 521 women) 149 in 17 sports (23 disciplines) 1952 7 19 y 1952 8 3 y President Juho Kusti PaasikiviFactsheet – Opening Ceremony of the Games of the Olympiad https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_documents_Factsheets/Opening_ceremony_of_the_Games_of_the_Olympiad.pdf dead International Olympic Committee September 13, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20160814215458/https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_documents_Factsheets/Opening_ceremony_of_the_Games_of_the_Olympiad.pdf August 14, 2016 22 December 2018 Hannes KolehmainenPaavo Nurmi Helsinki Olympic Stadium London 1948 Melbourne 1956 Oslo 1952 Cortina 1956 The 1952 Summer Olympics (fi Kesäolympialaiset 1952, sv Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (fi XV olympiadin kisat, sv Spel i XV Olympiaden) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in 1938 that it would be unable to host the 1940 Olympics in Tokyo due to the ongoing Second Sino-Japanese War, Helsinki had been selected to host the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were then cancelled due to World War II. Tokyo eventually hosted the games in 1964. Helsinki is the northernmost city at which a summer Olympic Games have been held. With London hosting the 1948 Olympics, 1952 is the most recent time when two consecutive summer Olympic Games were held entirely in Europe. The 1952 Summer Olympics was the last of the two consecutive Olympics to be held in Northern Europe, following the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway. They were also the Olympic Games at which the most world records were broken until they were surpassed by the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.Bascomb Neal The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It Mariner Books 2005 9780618562091 registration https://archive.org/details/perfectmilethree00basc The Bahamas,Bahamas – Profile https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/profile/bahamas International Olympic Committee 22 January 2025 6 October 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241006042418/https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/profile/bahamas live Guatemala,Guatemala – Profile https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/profile/guatemala International Olympic Committee 22 January 2025 30 November 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241130082754/https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/profile/guatemala live Hong Kong,Hong Kong, China – Profile https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/profile/hong-kong--china International Olympic Committee 22 January 2025 11 December 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241211084227/https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/profile/hong-kong--china live Indonesia,Indonesia – Profile https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/profile/indonesia International Olympic Committee 22 January 2025 6 October 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241006043221/https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/profile/indonesia live Israel,Israel – Profile https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/profile/israel International Olympic Committee 22 January 2025 6 October 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241006043309/https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/profile/israel live Netherlands Antilles,Netherlands Antilles History, Flag, Capital, Currency, & Facts https://www.britannica.com/place/Netherlands-Antilles Encyclopædia Britannica 23 January 2025 en 12 December 2024 15 January 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250115023505/https://www.britannica.com/place/Netherlands-Antilles live Nigeria,Nigeria – Profile https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/profile/nigeria International Olympic Committee 22 January 2025 the People's Republic of China, Saarland, the Soviet Union,The Games of the Olympiad https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Olympic-Games/Factsheets/The-Games-of-the-Olympiad.pdf International Olympic Committee 24 January 2025 20 June 2024 Thailand,Thailand – Profile https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/profile/thailand International Olympic Committee 22 January 2025 6 October 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20241006044639/https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/profile/thailand live and Vietnam made their Olympic debuts at the 1952 Games.Rio 2016: Vietnam wins first ever Olympic gold medal https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/rio-2016-vietnam-wins-first-ever-olympic-gold-medal-a7177771.html The Independent 2016-08-09 Sims Alexandra 23 January 2025 en 28 August 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170828065034/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/rio-2016-vietnam-wins-first-ever-olympic-gold-medal-a7177771.html live The United States won the most gold and overall medals at these Olympics. thumb|right|upright|Olympic Stadium Tower photographed in 1952 (built in 1938) thumb|right|upright|Finnish postage stamp featuring the Helsinki Olympic Stadium issued in 1951In 1952, the word Olympiad was still relatively foreign to Finland, as evidenced by its full assimilation to the word olympia in the logo and stamps of the Games. The poster for the Games, on the other hand, erroneously features the XVth Olympic Games, the "XV Olympic Games", even though they were the XV "Olympics", but only the 12th (XII) Summer Olympics. In addition, the English version had a suffix indicating order, although Roman numerals already express order as such. Background and preparation of the Games Host city selection thumb|A rare souvenir cloth of the cancelled 1940 Summer Olympics in Helsinki at Sporvejsmuseet Skjoldenæsholm in Denmark. The small picture shows some of the Copenhagen tram trailers which was exported to Helsinki due to the Olympics before it was cancelled Inspired by the success of the Swedish 1912 Olympics, Finnish sports fans began to arouse the idea of their own Olympic Games: for example, Erik von Frenckell publicly presented his dreams of the Finnish Olympic Games at the opening of the 1915 Töölön Pallokenttä. http://itsenaisyys100.fi/suursota-esti-suomalaisten-odottaman-helsingin-olympiaisannyyden-1940/ Suursota esti suomalaisten odottaman Helsingin olympiaisännyyden 1940 The Great War prevented the Helsinki Olympics 1940 Suomifinland100.fi Helsinki Finnish Club 2017-07-16 Finnish As the Olympic success continued in the 1920s, enthusiasm for one's own Olympics grew, and after the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, Finnish sports leaders began planning to build a stadium in Helsinki in 1920. Finland's main sports organizations and the City of Helsinki founded the Stadion Foundation in 1927 to get the stadium to Helsinki. In the same year, Ernst Edvard Krogius, who represented Finland on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), announced Finland's willingness to host the competition.Wickström 2002 13 In 1930, preparations for the 1936 Games, which was accelerated by the launch of a design project for the Olympic Stadium. However, Helsinki was not a candidate in the first round in 1931,http://www.aldaver.com/votes.html International Olympic Committee Vote History 9 September 2013 24 February 2015 May 25, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080525070757/http://www.aldaver.com/votes.html usurped and Berlin won the competition, but Helsinki immediately registered as a candidate for the 1940 Games.Wickström 2002 13 Those games were awarded to Tokyo in 1936, and two years later with the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War Japan announced they were giving up the 1940 games, and four days later the IOC offered the Games to Helsinki, which agreed to take over, although there was little time left to prepare for the Games. http://www.mrl.edu.hel.fi/eu/megaevents/haaveolympia.html https://web.archive.org/web/20080325112118/http://www.mrl.edu.hel.fi/eu/megaevents/haaveolympia.html dead 2008-03-25 SUOMEN HAAVE OLYMPIAISÄNNYYDESTÄ JA SEN TOTEUTUMINEN Finland 's dream of hosting an Olympics and its realization City of Helsinki 2018-10-22 Finnish World War II broke out on 1 September 1939, with the German–Soviet invasion of Poland, which also drew Britain and France to war. Despite the aggression, the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games continued to be optimistic about the preparations for the Games. However, the Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, halted planning for the games. After the Winter War, the Organizing Committee decided to abandon the Games on 20 March 1940 due to the hostilities across Europe, the suspension of preparations caused by the Winter War, and the deplorable economic situation. At the meeting of the Finnish Olympic Committee on 20 April 1940, the Olympic Games in Finland were officially canceled. In the meantime, World War II had already expanded, with Germany occupying Denmark and fighting in Norway. Instead of the Olympic Games, Finland held a Memorial Competitions for Fallen Athletes fi Kaatuneiden urheilijoiden muistokilpailut who died in the Winter War against the Soviet Union, at the opening of which actor Eino Kaipainen recited the poem Silent Winners written by Yrjö Jylhä fi. The memorial competitions were held on the initiative of the sports journalist Sulo Kolkka fi. https://seura.fi/asiat/historia/sotahistoria/talvisota-ja-olympiakisat/ Winter War and Olympic Games Antero Raevuori Seura.fi 2013-04-24 Otavamedia 2017-07-15 Finnish At the end of World War II, London was awarded the 1948 Summer Olympics after the city was originally granted the 1944 Games, which were canceled due to the war. Helsinki continued its attempt to have the Games organized and registered as candidates for the 1952 Games. At the IOC Congress in Stockholm on 21 June 1947, Helsinki was chosen as the host city, leaving behind the bids of Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Detroit, Chicago and Philadelphia.Wickström 2002 20 Helsinki's strengths included the fairly completed venues built for the 1940 Games. Bidding results + 1952 Summer Olympics bidding resultshttp://gamesbids.com/eng/past-bid-results/ Past Olympic Host City Election Results 14 December 2013 Games Bids 16 September 2015 City Country Round 1 2Helsinki Finland1415 Minneapolis United States 19124 5 Los Angeles 4 5 Amsterdam Netherlands3 3 Detroit United States 19122 — Chicago 1 — Philadelphia 0 — Organizing Committee After confirmation that Helsinki would host the Games, the "XV Olympia Helsinki 1952" was established as the organizing committee of the Games on 8 September 1947. Its members were the Finnish Olympic Committee, the Finnish State, the City of Helsinki and 26 various sports organizations. The mayor of Helsinki Erik von Frenckell was elected chairman of the committee, who at the time also chaired Finnish Football Association. Akseli Kaskela fi, Olavi Suvanto fi and Armas-Eino Martola were elected Vice-Chairs. Nygrén Helge Siukonen Markku Suuri Olympiateos Great Olympic Work 268–269 1978 Jyväskylä 951-9466-05-3 Finnish Among them, Kaskela and Suvanto were elected on political grounds as representatives of the bourgeois Finnish Sports Federation fi Suomen Valtakunnan Urheiluliitto (SVUL) and the leftist Finnish Workers' Sports Federation (TUL), Martola, on the other hand, got a former officer to lead the organization of the practical arrangements.Findling John E. Pelle Kimberly Encyclopedia of the Modern Olympic Movement 117 2004 Westport, Connecticut Greenwood Press 978-031-33227-8-5 https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofmo0000unse_u3e3 registration Other members of the Organizing Committee were Yrjö Enne fi, Väinö A. M. Karikoski fi, Urho Kekkonen, Ernst Krogius, William Lehtinen, Aarne K. Leskinen fi, Eino Pekkala, Väinö Salovaara and Erik Åström. In 1948–1949, Karikoski, Kekkonen, Krogius and Lehtinen resigned from the committee, and Lauri Miettinen fi, Arno Tuurna fi and Yrjö Valkama were elected to replace them. In the spring of 1952, Ente was replaced by Arvi E. Heiskanen fi and as completely new members by Mauno Pekkala and Aaro Tynell. Erik von Frenckell was the chairman of the organizing committee and the other members were Armas-Eino Martola (competition director), Yrjö Valkama (sports director), Olavi Suvanto (maintenance director), Akseli Kaskela, Aarne K. Leskinen and Niilo Koskinen fi Niilo Koskinen (jalkapalloilija). In addition, the head of the central office Kallio Kotkas fi and the head of information Eero Petäjäniemi fi were involved in the competition organization. Political situation The international political atmosphere was tense when the Helsinki Olympics were held. When the IOC held its meeting in Vienna in 1951, many difficult topics were on the agenda. The Cold War was under way, and the situation between Israel and Arab countries, divided Germany had to be addressed as a team, and the Chinese Civil War, with the Chinese Communist Party winning, forming the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China government exiled to Taiwan.Wickström 2002 59 Four years earlier, Japan was not invited to the London Olympics from the losing states of the Second World War. The Olympic Committee of Israel had not yet been recognized, and a successor to the German Olympic Committee, which had been dissolved during World War II, had not yet been established, but all these countries already participated in the Helsinki Games, as did Saarland.Wickström 2002 61 The Cold War affected the participation of both the United States and the Soviet Union in the Games. The participation of the United States in the Games was decided only after the country had received an assessment of the political situation in Finland from its embassy in Helsinki. The Soviet Union was accepted as a member of the IOC in May 1951, and in December of the same year the country accepted the invitation to the competition, as the country's athletes were in medal condition.Raevuori 2002 17 Although the Soviet leadership had previously considered the Games a bourgeois event, the Helsinki Games held propaganda value.http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~bm35/coldwarolympics.doc https://web.archive.org/web/20100107110403/http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~bm35/coldwarolympics.doc dead 2010-01-07 How the Cold War Affected the Olympic Movement Margol Brenna Drexel University In the Soviet Union, billions of rubles were spent on coaching athletes in just one year. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,816644,00.html https://web.archive.org/web/20101125202603/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,816644,00.html dead Sport: The Games Begin Time July 28, 1952 November 25, 2010 The Soviet Union planned to fly its athletes every day between Leningrad and Helsinki. Another option was for Soviet athletes to stay in the Soviet Porkkalanniemi garrison. However, Finland required that all competitors stay in the Olympic village. As a compromise solution for the Eastern Bloc athletes, a second Olympic village was established in Espoo, Otaniemi as Soviet leaders wanted them to avoid contact with Western athletes.Raevuori 2002 94 Joseph Stalin allowed Soviet athletes to enter the 1952 Summer Olympics because he was sure that they would win the most medals. However, American athletes secured more gold and total medals and Stalin afforded more resources for the advancement of elite athletes in the Soviet Union in the build-up to the 1956 Summer Olympics. Toby C. Rider Cold War Games: Propaganda, the Olympics, and U.S. Foreign Policy University of Illinois Press 2016 84 9780252098451Helsinki 1952 Olympic Games https://britannica.com Encyclopædia Britannica July 11, 2026 The 1952 Games were also threatened with cancellation due to the deteriorating world situation. The Korean War had begun in 1950, which also caused concern in the organizing committee. At Von Frenckell's suggestion, the organizing committee decided to take out Lloyd's of London war insurance.Raevuori 2002 20 Construction work thumbnail|right|Olympic Stadium Tower Most of the venues for the competitions were completed prior to the 1940s in anticipation of successful bid attempts, but some expansion and refurbishment work was needed, including the construction of additional stands at the Olympic and Swimming Stadium.Wickström 2002 24 A residential area, Kisakylä (Olympic Village) was built south of Käpylä's Koskelantie to accommodate competitors. The area, which was built close to the 1940 Olympics, was already the residence of the people of Helsinki at that time.Wickström 2002 26 Just below the opening, the competition area was completed for the use of visitors Kumpula Outdoor Swimming Pool. Female athletes got their own race village from the Nursing College in Meilahti.Wickström 2002 28 The athletes of the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc stayed in the Teekkarikylä in Otaniemi.Wickström 2002 26 The Finnish team lived on the premises of the Santahamina Army School (later the Cadet School, now the National Defence University).Wickström 2002 30 The City of Helsinki prepared for the Olympics by building a new airport in Seutula (now Helsinki-Vantaan lentoasema),Wickström 2002 34 11-story Hotelli Palace,2011-12-13 Hotelli Palace oli Helsingin moderni majapaikka http://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2011/12/13/hotelli-palace-oli-helsingin-moderni-majapaikka 2024-02-26 yle.fi fi-FI and the Olympic Pier in South Harbor.Wickström 2002 35 A large electric scoreboard was procured. It attracted international attention because it represented the top of its time in the scoreboard field both in terms of its system and its technology.2006-09-08 Stadionin vanha tulostaulu http://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2006/09/08/stadionin-vanha-tulostaulu 2024-02-25 yle.fi fi-FI OMEGA debuted the OMEGA Time Recorder in Helsinki. This all-new quartz clock not only timed the events but also printed out the results. This breakthrough technology allowed official Olympic times to be accurate to 1/100 of a second. As a result, the company received the prestigious Croix du Mérite Olympique award for their efforts.Crown & Caliber 2016-08-05 The History of OMEGA's Olympic Timer Technology https://blog.crownandcaliber.com/omega-olympics-technology/ 2024-02-25 Crown & Caliber Blog en-US In 1950 cable television was tried for the first time in Finland, in the 1952 Olympics people could watch TV sending from the stadium through coaxial cable to Stockmann department store window.2015-01-11 Ylen vuosikymmenet http://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/ylen-vuosikymmenet 2024-02-25 yle.fi fi-FI Helsinki paved tens of kilometers of roads, and a myriad of houses were painted. The city's first traffic lights were installed at the intersection of Aleksanterinkatu and Mikonkatu in October 1951.Wickström 2002 36 The Palace Hotel and Hotel Vaakuna fi Hotelli Vaakuna Vaakuna Hotel among others, were completed for the needs of the guests. However, due to the relatively low number of hotels in the city, tent villages were built for tourists in Lauttasaari and Seurasaari, among others.Wickström 2002 32 However, the preparations for accommodation turned out to be considerably oversized; at its best, the occupancy rate of the 6,000-seat tent village in Lauttasaari had an occupancy of only 8 per cent. With the support of the Olympia 1952 committee, Finland's first mini golf courses were completed to entertain guests.http://sibeliuspuistonminigolf.fi/historia https://web.archive.org/web/20130329205238/http://sibeliuspuistonminigolf.fi/historia 2013-03-29 Sibelius Park Mini Golf: History Sibelius Park Mini Golf 2012-01-29 Finnish dead Anthem The International Olympic Committee had declared in 1950 that it did not have an official Olympic anthem, but that the organizers could decide their own anthems. An anthem competition was held in Finland. In the spring of 1951, a poetry competition was announced, which was surprisingly won by an unknown teacher candidate, Niilo Partanen. Second and third came the well-known poets Toivo Lyy fi and Heikki Asunta. These winning poems were allowed to be used in the composition competition. The selection of the 51 compositions by a jury chaired by Jouko Tolonen fi was also a surprise. When the winner was announced on 17 March 1952, an unknown teacher Jaakko Linjama fi was revealed behind the nickname, who had used Lyy's lyrics in his Olympic Hymn. http://yle.fi/teema/sininenlaulu/artikkeli.php?id=268 https://web.archive.org/web/20050215115032/http://yle.fi/teema/sininenlaulu/artikkeli.php?id=268 dead 2005-02-15 Olympiafanfaari ja -hymni Olympic Fanfare and Anthem Koskinen, Juha T. Yle Theme 2018-10-22 finnish The nicknames of the other contestants were not opened. This caused a stir, and Arijoutsi fi, among others, doubted that the victory of the unknown would go to the honor of well-known composers. There were well-known members in the competition. The voters had identified the composing style of Uuno Klami and Aarre Merikanto, among others. The only Finnish composer who congratulated Linjamaa was Jean Sibelius, who did not take part in the anthem. Torch relay thumbnail|left | Olympic torch banner, showing the torch's journey through Sweden The Olympic torch was transported by land from Olympia to Athens from where fire's journey continued in a miner's lamp donated by the Saar Olympic Committee on a SAS plane to Aalborg, Denmark. The glass cover surrounding the lamp was designed by the artist Sakari Tohka fi.Wickström 2002 69 The Olympic torch itself was designed by the artist Aukusti Tuhka fi.Wickström 2002 70 From Denmark, the torchlight continued by running, cycling, riding, rowing and paddling to Copenhagen, from where the fire was transported by ferry to Sweden to Malmö. The journey of the torch across Sweden was carried to Haparanda by 700 messengers, from where it continued to the Finnish side in Tornio. On the Finnish-Swedish border bridge, the torch was received by Ville Pörhölä, who brought it to Pohja stadion fi Pohjan stadion Tornio sports ground.Wickström 2002 69 The Olympic torch from Tornio, Greece, was connected to Pallastunturi on 6 July 1952 where it ignited the "midnight sun fire". In reality, the Pallastunturi fire was lit with liquefied petroleum gas, because the night in July was cloudy at that time and it was not possible to use the sun as a lighter.Wickström 2002 73 From Tornio, the torch traveled through Finland to Helsinki. It was transported by more than 1,200 people.Raevuori 2002 41 thumbnail|Forest Counselor Jarl Sundqvist fi tries to light an Olympic torch with a mirror from the midnight sun on Pallastunturi on 6 July 1952. Initially, the aim was to transport fire to Helsinki via the Soviet Union, but the matter was not settled through diplomacy by the deadline.Wickström 2002 69 The journey covered a total of 7,870 kilometres on the journey that began on 25 June and ended on 19 July 1952.Kolkka 1955 105 The actual Olympic flame was lit for the Olympic Stadium.Kolkka 1955 219 Olympic torch relay: Greece old: Olympia – Corinth – AthensKolkka 1955 205 Denmark: Aalborg – Århus – Vejle – Odense – Sorø – CopenhagenKolkka 1955 209 Sweden: Malmö – Helsingborg – Laholm – Gothenburg – Jönköping – Norrköping – Örebro – Stockholm – Uppsala – Falun – Gävle – Hudiksvall – Sundsvall – Umeå – Skellefteå – Boden – HaparandaKolkka 1955 211 Finland: (midnight sun fire): Pallastunturi – Rovaniemi – Tornio – Oulu – Kokkola – Jyväskylä – Tampere – HelsinkiKolkka 1955 215–217 Opening ceremony thumb|right|Helsinki Olympic Stadium thumb|right|Paavo Nurmi enters the Olympic Stadium thumb|right|The selling point of the official competition drink of the Olympic Games The opening ceremony of the Helsinki Olympics was held on 19 July. Although the weather was rainy and chilly and the Olympic Stadium had no roof but on top of the main auditorium, the stadium was full with 70,435 spectators.Raevuori 2002 44 The inaugural march had a record 5,469 people from 67 countries.Wickström 2002 79 After the march, the countries organized themselves into the central lawn, and the chairman of the organizing committee, Erik von Frenckell, spoke in Finnish, Swedish, French and English. President of the Republic J. K. Paasikivi gave the opening speech, which was the shortest in Olympic history and contained a mistake: it was not the "Fifteenth Olympic Games", but the XV Olympic Games and the 12th World Olympics, due to the 1916, 1940 and 1944 races had been canceled. The speech was followed by the raising of the Olympic flag and the Olympic fanfare (Merikanto) fi Olympiafanfaari (Merikanto) Olympic fanfare composed by Aarre Merikanto.Wickström 2002 80 The President's speech was as follows:It gives me great pleasure to address a message of greeting to the young people of the world as they prepare for the fifteenth Olympic Games which are, once again, to be celebrated in a spirit worthy of the ideals of Baron de Coubertin. This happy cooperation between young people of all countries will serve the great call of concord and peace among the nations of the world. I am particularly pleased to be sending you this advance greeting because, as a young man, I was myself an enthusiastic gymnast and athlete. And I have retained throughout my life a deep interest in athletics and sports of all kinds. I am convinced that the Finnish people, loving sport as they do, will spare no effort to make the 1952 Olympic Games a complete success.Finnish president Paasikivi sends his Olympic greetings in English The Olympic flame was lit by running heroes Paavo Nurmi (to the stadium) and Hannes Kolehmainen (to the stadium tower). When Paavo Nurmi was announced to arrive at the stadium, athletes from the participating countries deviated from the formation to see the legend better. Only the lines of the Soviet Union and Finland remained in the line.Wickström 2002 80 After the Olympic flame was lit, the Archbishop Ilmari Salomies was due to say a prayer, but German Barbara Rotbraut-Pleyer, nicknamed "White Angel of the Games", had jumped from the auditorium onto the track and ran straight to the speaker's seat. Organizers quickly removed Pleyer, who had time to say just a few words into the microphone. Pleyer's purpose was to proclaim a message of peace. Heikki Savolainen, a gymnast who was competing in his fifth consecutive Olympic games, swore the Olympic oath on behalf of the athletes.Raevuori 2002 52 Highlights thumbnail|upright|Paavo Nurmi lighting the Olympic flame. thumbnail|upright|1952 Summer Olympics torch at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne thumbnail|upright|Closing ceremony May 2020 These were the final Olympic Games organised under the IOC presidency of Sigfrid Edström. Israel made its Olympic debut. The Jewish state had been unable to participate in the 1948 Games because of its 1947–1949 Palestine war. A previous Palestine Mandate team had boycotted the 1936 Games in protest of the Nazi regime. Indonesia made its Olympic debut with three athletes. The newly established People's Republic of China (PRC) participated in the Olympics for the first time, although only one swimmer (Wu Chuanyu) of its 40-member delegation arrived in time to take part in the official competition.Nick Mulvenney Chen Chengda, China's almost Olympian https://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Olympics/idUSPEK30776220080807 Reuters 7 August 2008 16 September 2015 The PRC would not return to the Summer Olympics until Los Angeles 1984. The Republic of China (Taiwan) withdrew from the Games on July 20, in protest of the IOC decision to allow athletes from the People's Republic of China to compete.BBC News On This Day: 1952: 20 July: Zatopek wins gold at Helsinki https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/20/newsid_3538000/3538602.stm 16 September 2015 The Soviet Union participated for the first time. Soviet Olympic team was notorious for skirting the edge of amateur rules. All Soviet athletes held some nominal jobs, but were in fact state-sponsored and trained full-time. According to many experts, that gave the Soviet Union a huge advantage over the United States and other Western countries, whose athletes were students or real amateurs.https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/21/archives/soviet-amateur-athlete-a-real-pro-dr-john-nelson-washburn-is-an.html Soviet Amateur Athlete: A Real Pro Washburn J.N. The New York Times July 21, 1974 July 26, 2021 live subscription https://web.archive.org/web/20190419153414/https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/21/archives/soviet-amateur-athlete-a-real-pro-dr-john-nelson-washburn-is-an.html 19 April 2019 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-07-22-sp-30740-story.html Sports in Soviet Union Only For Elite: There Are Top Athletes, and Then There Are Those Who Sunbathe and Watch Drawbridges Go Up Oates Bob Los Angeles Times 22 July 1986 26 July 2021 live subscription https://web.archive.org/web/20200412113717/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-07-22-sp-30740-story.html 12 April 2020 Indeed, the Soviet Union monopolized the top place in the medal standings after 1968, and, until its collapse, placed second only once, in the 1984 Winter games, after another Eastern bloc nation, the GDR. Amateur rules were relaxed only in the late 1980s and were almost completely abolished in the 1990s, after the fall of the USSR.http://blogs.bu.edu/guidedhistory/russia-and-its-empires/tyler-benson/ The Role of Sports in The Soviet Union – Guided History blogs.bu.eduhttps://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP80-00810A005600130009-0.pdf Info www.cia.gov 13 November 2020 23 January 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170123110037/https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP80-00810A005600130009-0.pdf dead The Soviets turned the athletic competition into a metaphor for political propaganda: "Every record won by our sportsmen, every victory in international contests, graphically demonstrates to the whole world the advantages and strength of the Soviet system."(Sovetsky Sport)Mertin Evelyn 2010 Participation is not enough. The Soviet Union in the Olympic Movement https://www.persee.fr/doc/insep_1241-0691_2010_num_46_1_1131 Cahiers de l'INSEP 46 1 225–233 10.3406/insep.2010.1131 Additionally, the Soviet state media falsely claimed victory at these Games, despite the Soviet Union finishing second to the United States both in terms of gold and total medals.Salisbury Harrison E. https://www.nytimes.com/1952/08/05/archives/russians-hail-olympic-victory-but-fail-to-substantiate-claim-pravda.html Russians Hail Olympic 'Victory' But Fail to Substantiate Claim; Pravda Cites 'World Superiority' of Soviet Athletes in Helsinki Games Without Providing Tabulation of Points The New York Times 5 August 1952 2022-02-27A History of Sports & Dictators: Soviet sports propaganda https://hrf.org Human Rights Foundation Archive July 11, 2026 The Olympic Flame was lit by two Finnish heroes, runners Paavo Nurmi and Hannes Kolehmainen. Nurmi first lit the cauldron inside the stadium, and later the flame was relayed to the stadium tower where Kolehmainen lit it. Only the flame in the tower was burning throughout the Olympics. (See: 1952 Summer Olympics torch relay.) Germany and Japan were invited after being barred in 1948. Following the post-war occupation and partition, three German states had been established. Teams from the Federal Republic of Germany and the Saarland (which joined the FRG after 1955) participated; the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was absent. Though they won 24 medals, the fifth-highest total at the Games, German competitors failed to win a gold medal for the only time. Eva Perón, the celebrated First Lady of Argentina, died of cancer in July 1952 while the Olympics were taking place, so a memorial was held at the Games for the Argentine team.1952 Summer Olympics official report. p. 91. – accessed 1 August 2010.June 2018 Sports events There were 4,925 athletes from 69 countries, with the Soviet Union making its Olympic debut and Germany participating for the first time since World War II. A total of 149 events were held in 17 different sports. Helsinki 1952 – Games of the XV Olympiad International Olympic Committee http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1952 https://web.archive.org/web/20080619052922/http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/past/index_uk.asp?OLGT=1&OLGY=1952 dead 2016-03-11 2008-06-19 Factsheet – The Games of the Olympiad http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_documents_Factsheets/The_Olympic_Summer_Games.pdf International Olympic Committee 2013 2016-03-11 https://web.archive.org/web/20110112051935/http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_documents_Factsheets/The_Olympic_Summer_Games.pdf 2011-01-12 dead The most-medalling athletes of the Games were Viktor Chukarin of the Soviet Union, who won four gymnastics Olympic gold medals, and Czechoslovakia's Emil Zátopek, who won three track golds. The United States won the most gold and total medals, with 40 and 76. The host country, Finland, had 6 gold, 3 silver and 13 bronze medals. Helsinki 1952 Official Website of the Olympic Movement http://www.olympic.org/helsinki-1952-summer-olympics 2016-03-11 Event results Official Website of the Olympic Movement http://www.olympic.org/content/results-and-medalists/eventresultpagegeneral/?athletename=&country=&sport2=&games2=1952%2f1&event2=&mengender=true&womengender=true&mixedgender=true&goldmedal=true&silvermedal=true&bronzemedal=true&worldrecord=false&olympicrecord=false&teamclassification=true&individualclassification=true&winter=true&summer=true https://web.archive.org/web/20160423161922/http://www.olympic.org/content/results-and-medalists/eventresultpagegeneral/?athletename=&country=&sport2=&games2=1952%2f1&event2=&mengender=true&womengender=true&mixedgender=true&goldmedal=true&silvermedal=true&bronzemedal=true&worldrecord=false&olympicrecord=false&teamclassification=true&individualclassification=true&winter=true&summer=true dead 2016-04-23 2016-03-11 http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1952/ 1952 Helsinki Summer Games Sports-Reference 2016-03-11 June 8, 2021 September 6, 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080906203327/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1952/ dead Shooting thumb|Malmi Shooting Range Shooting at the 1952 Summer Olympics Shooting was competed in seven events, six of which (rifle sports) were conducted at the Malmi Shooting Range in moderately difficult wind conditions. Tough results were still fired in Helsinki, as the top four deer shooting broke world records. World records for knee position were also broken in free and small rifles. Shotgun shooting took place at the Huopalahti shooting range.Wickström 2002 118 Ten countries took medals from the shooting. Norway was the only country to win two gold medals, with the Soviet Union winning the most medals. Boris Andreyev was the only Soviet shooter to win two multiple medals.Arponen 1996 166 A Finnish winner was already celebrated in a miniature rifle when Vilho Ylönen had time to play on the radio Björneborgarnas marsch. However, in an hour-long countdown, the Norwegian Erling Asbjørn Kongshaug was declared the winner of the competition.Raevuori 2002 160–162 Football thumb|Football match between Hungary and Finland, Veikko Asikainen and Ferenc Puskas are in the forefront Football at the 1952 Summer Olympics The football tournament started even before the official opening, as the one-piece qualifiers took place on 15–16 July in Kotka, Lahti, Tampere, Turku and Helsinki. There were 27 countries registered for the tournament, but Saarland and Mexico dropped out before the Games.Wickström 2002 130 Hungary Golden Team won the gold when it knocked down the Yugoslavia in the final with a score of 2–0. Sweden won a bronze medal.Arponen 1996 168 In the final, the Olympic Stadium had 58 553 paid spectators, the largest number of spectators in Finland watching a football match.Raevuori 2002 73 The first meeting between the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia in football is still amongst the most famous matches. On the political level, the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and the Yugoslav leader Josip Tito split in 1948, which resulted in Yugoslavia being excluded from the Communist Information Bureau. The origin of the conflict was Tito's refusal to submit to Stalin's interpretations and visions of politics and in process becoming a Soviet satellite state. Before the match, both Tito and Stalin sent telegrams to their national teams, which showed just how important it was for the two head of states. Yugoslavia led 5–1, but a Soviet comeback in the last 15 minutes resulted in a 5–5 draw. The match was replayed, Yugoslavia winning 3–1. The defeat to the archrivals hit Soviet football hard, and after just three games played in the season, CSKA Moscow, who had made up most of the USSR squad, was forced to withdraw from the league by Joseph Stalin and later disbanded. Furthermore, Boris Arkadiev, who coached both USSR and CDKA, was stripped of his Merited Master of Sports of the USSR title.Piskor Tommy USSR – Yugoslavia, the Story of Two Different Football Conceptions russianfootballnews.com http://russianfootballnews.com/ussr-yugoslavia-the-story-of-two-different-football-conceptions/ December 20, 2015 usurped https://web.archive.org/web/20170424080019/http://russianfootballnews.com/ussr-yugoslavia-the-story-of-two-different-football-conceptions/ April 24, 2017 Basketball thumbnail|Finland and Mexico in the preliminary stage Basketball at the 1952 Summer Olympics 23 teams entered basketball, ten of which made it directly to the actual tournament. The remaining 13 countries took the final six places in the Olympic tournament before the official opening of the Olympic Games.Kolkka 1955 672 In basketball, the gold medal was won by the United States, who defeated Soviet Union in the final 36–25. The final match was relatively slow-paced, as the Soviet Union tried to keep up with the United States by freezing the game. The United States had already clearly beat the Soviet Union 86–58 earlier in the tournament. The bronze was won by Uruguay, who also organized a mass battle after being dissatisfied with the referee's work.Raevuori 2002 180 Field hockey Field hockey at the 1952 Summer Olympics Field hockey was included in the Helsinki Olympic Games in the range of sports on the condition that a maximum of 12 teams register for the Games. In the end, 16 teams applied for the competition, from which the International Field Hockey Federation selected 12 countries to participate in the competition venue. Eventually, four countries dropped out of the Games, so the remaining 12 teams that had applied for the competition were able to take part in the Olympic tournament.Kolkka 1955 690 The tournament started with two rounds before the Games opened,Kolkka 1955 690 and the final match was held on 24 July.Kolkka 1955 691 India and Netherlands met in the Velodrome final, with India winning its fifth consecutive gold under captaincy of Kunwar Digvijay Singh with a score of 6–1.Raevuori 2002 180 Canoeing Canoeing at the 1952 Summer Olympics Canoeing competitions were held Taivallahti 27–28 July. There were a total of 159 participants in eight men's and women's only races, coming from 21 countries.Kolkka 1955 624 Canoeing was a celebration in Finland, as four of the nine sports went to the host country. In addition, the Finns took one silver and a bronze. The double gold medalists were Kurt Wires and Yrjö Hietanen who won the kayak duo's 1,000 and 10,000 meters. In the only women's sport, the 500-meter kayak unit, gold was taken by Sylvi Saimo, who was the first Finnish female gold medalist in the summer competitions. The second most successful country in kayaking was Sweden, which won one gold and three silver.Arponen 1996 165 Fencing Fencing at the 1952 Summer Olympics Helsinki Olympics fencing competitions were held on the Espoo side of the Westend Tennis Hall.Raevuori 2002 126 The men competed with Épée, sabre and foil in both personal competition and team competition. The women had only a personal competition for foil in the program. There were 250 men and 37 women from 32 countries.Kolkka 1955 471 Italy, Hungary and France were, as usual, the best fencing countries and took all the gold medals. A total of six countries reached medals. The Mangiarot brothers Edoardo and Dario took a double victory over the film. Hungarian swordsmen won a triple victory over the preserve.Arponen 1996 166–167 Modern Pentathlon Modern pentathlon at the 1952 Summer Olympics The Modern pentathlon Olympic competitions was held at Ahvenisto Hämeenlinna. A total of 51 competitors from 19 countries entered the sport. For the first time in Olympic history, the sport also included a team competition.Kolkka 1955 505 Sweden, Hungary and Finland shared the medals. Sweden's Lars Hall won the individual competition, and Hungary was the best in the team competition. Before Hall, all Olympic winners of the sport have been officers. However, Hall was a carpenter by profession.Arponen 1996 167 Boxing thumb|The Finnish boxers exercise. Pentti Niinivuori and Erkki Mallenius amongst others are watching while Börje Grönroos is boxing Boxing at the 1952 Summer Olympics Töölö Sports Hall held Olympic boxing between 28 July to 2 August in ten weight classes. There were a total of 240 participants.Kolkka 1955 396 A total of 17 countries won medals. The most successful boxing country was the United States, which won five gold. The Soviet Union won the most medals, but its boxers did not win a single championship. Finnish boxers reached five medals.Arponen 1996 160–161 In the middle series, the American Floyd Patterson knocked out Romanian Vasile Tiță in a record-breaking 42 seconds. The American Norvel Lee, who won the heavyweight series, was awarded as the most technical boxer in the Games. In the heavyweight series Ed Sanders got gold when the Swedish Ingemar Johansson was rejected for his passivity. Johansson did not receive his silver medal until 1982.Arponen 1996 161 Wrestling thumb|250px|Wrestling in Helsinki Wrestling at the 1952 Summer Olympics Wrestling was held in Helsinki in eight weight classes in both Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling. All finals were held in the larger Exhibition Hall I, but freestyle wrestling events were held in the smaller Exhibition Hall II. Free button competitions were held on 20–23 July, and Greco-Roman wrestling matches took place on 24–27 July.Kolkka 1955 346 The most successful wrestling country was the Soviet Union, whose athletes won six gold and a total of ten medals in the sport. Sweden dominated free wrestling and received the second highest number of medals in wrestling overall.Arponen 1996 159–160 The overwhelming athlete in wrestling was the Soviet Johannes Kotkas, who competed in the heavy series of Greco-Roman wrestling. He managed to beat all his opponents in less than five minutes.Arponen 1996 160 Weightlifting thumb|250px|Weightlifting light heavyweight (90kg) competition in the Töölön kisahalli Weightlifting at the 1952 Summer Olympics The Olympic weightlifting competition was held in seven weight classes with 141 competitors. Initially, there were to be only six weight classes, but a light heavyweight series was also added to the program, as a result of which the weight limit for the heavyweight series increased from 82.5 kilograms to 90 kilograms. The addition of the new weight class took place so late that there was no time to change the race program. Weightlifting was carried out according to plan at the Exhibition Hall on 25–27 July.Kolkka 1955 382 All seven gold medals were awarded to athletes from the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviets won a total of seven medals, but the Americans took four championships, while the Soviets only took three. A total of five world records were set in weightlifting.Arponen 1996 160–161 In the heavyweight series John Davis continued his superiority, Davis had not lost a single event since 1938 and continued with his victory in Helsinki as well.Arponen 1996 161 Sailing Sailing at the 1952 Summer Olympics thumbnail|5.5m class competition. The second boat left is the championship winning Complex II. The competition took place in the waters of Helsinki from 20 to 28 May in five different categories. Larger boats sailed in front of Harmaja lighthouse island, and the Finn race was held near Liuskasaari. A total of 93 crews from 29 countries took part in the competition.Kolkka 1955 638 The United States, Norway and Sweden took three medals. The United States was the only country to reach two gold medals in sailing. In the Finn that developed from the Firefly class, the Danish Paul Elvstrøm won the overwhelming championship.Arponen 1996 165–166 The gold medal was the second in Elvstrøm's career. He later became the first athlete to win the same sport four times in a row (individual disciplines). http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?par_i_id=37250 https://web.archive.org/web/20080801130749/http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?par_i_id=37250 dead August 1, 2008 Paul Elvstrom Official website of the Olympic Movement Olympic.ca Cycling Cycling at the 1952 Summer Olympics thumb|Racers turn from Käpyläntie to Koskelantie during the road cycling race. In cycling, medals were awarded in six sports, four for track cycling and two for road racing. In total, 214 competitors from 36 countries took part in the cycling. Track cycling competitions were held from 29 to 31 July and road driving on 2 August. A total of seven countries collected medals and gold medals went to Italy, Australia and Belgium. Italy was the most successful country with five medals. Two gold medals went to Australian Russell Mockridge, who won the championship in the kilometer time trial and with his partner in tandem racing, and the Belgian André Noyelle, who won the 190 kilometer road race personal competition and team competition.Arponen 1996 164 Equestrian Equestrian at the 1952 Summer Olympics Equestrian events were competed in dressage, Eventing and show jumping in person and in team competition in a total of six sports. Eight countries won medals in horseback riding, and Sweden was by far the most successful country. The Swedes won both races in both dressage and field riding.Arponen 1996 167 For the events in first time non-military officers including women were allowed to take part in dressage events in Helsinki. In a show jumping, Danish Lis Hartel, paralyzed from her knees down, was the first woman to win a riding medal after finishing second in the Olympics.Arponen 1996 167 Rowing Rowing at the 1952 Summer Olympics Rowers competed in seven sports from 20 to 23 July.Kolkka 1955 606 The competition was held in Meilahti, as Taivallahti, where the canoeing competitions took place, was too open to the sea breeze.Kolkka 1955 54 There were a total of 409 entrants from 33 countries.Kolkka 1955 606 Representatives from fourteen countries won medals, and only American rowers won two gold medals.Arponen 1996 164 The youngest Olympic winner of the Games was seen in Rowing. In the coxswain duo, the French winning team included 14 years old Bernard Malivoire.Kolkka 1955 607 Diving thumb|Diving competitions at Helsinki Swimming Stadium Diving at the 1952 Summer Olympics Diving competed in a total of four men's and women's events. The United States led the events, as nine of the 12 medals in the distribution went to the country. In addition to the United States, only France, Mexico and Germany won medals in the sport. Patricia McCormick won Olympic gold in the women's events from both the three-meter springboard and the ten-meter floor jump.Arponen 1996 158–159 Swimming Swimming at the 1952 Summer Olympics At the Helsinki Swimming Stadium men competed in six sports and women in five sports. High-level competitions were held from July 25 to 2 August. Summer Olympics in London had resulted in significant progress in the sport, and every Olympic record was broken in each event.Kolkka 1955 558 The Americans dominated men's events and the Hungarians dominated women. Both countries won four gold medals.Arponen 1996 158–159 Ford Konno was the most successful swimmer with two gold medals and one silver. In the women's events Katalin Szőke won two gold medals and Éva Novák two silver in addition to the gold medal. The only world record in the Games was set by the Hungarian women's 4 × 100 meter freestyle message team. The Helsinki Olympics, was the last instance where competitors could participate in Breaststroke in the butterfly stroke. In the men's events, no athlete swimming in the breaststroke style made it to the finals. In women, Novák won silver.Arponen 1996 158–159 Water polo thumb|Water polo match at Helsinki Swimming Stadium Water polo at the 1952 Summer Olympics A total of 21 countries took part in the water polo tournament. The initial series of the Games was to be played in the offshore pools, but due to the coolness of the water, the International Swimming Federation ordered all the matches to be played at the Swimming Stadium. Because of this, some of the matches in the first series had to be played as early as six in the morning.Wickström 2002 121 The water polo championship was decided in the final block, where the four teams faced each other once. Hungary and Yugoslavia ended in a draw after winning two other matches and playing 2–2 each other. Hungary won gold with a better goal difference.Wickström 2002 121 Gymnastics Gymnastics at the 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Olympic gymnastics was dominated by the Soviet Union, which had already been an established gymnastics power by 1952. The USSR's athletes won nine gold medals and took a total of 22 medals. Finland, Germany and Switzerland, who previously dominated the gymnastics at the Olympics, were content with more modest success.Raevuori 2002 87 A total of fifteen medals were awarded, eight in men's events and seven in women's events.Arponen 1996 162–163 The most personal medals in gymnastics were taken by Viktor Chukarin in the men's events and Maria Gorokhovskaya in the women's events. Chukarin won four gold and two silver. Gorokhovskaya won medals in every women's sport. Her seven-medal catch (two gold and five silver) was a record for one women's Olympics.Arponen 1996 162–163 Although the Official Olympic Report for the 1952 Helsinki Olympics does not specifically state that this was the first time that medals were awarded to women for individual performances, it does state "Individual competitions in women's gymnastics were included in the Olympic Programme for the first time."Kolkka 1955 443 World Gymnastics, the official governing body for the sport, stated about those games "1952 marked the first year an individual women's competition was held in addition to a team competition". https://www.gymnastics.sport/site/news/displaynews.php?urlNews=2922477 Looking back on Gymnastics at the early modern Olympic Games, 1948-1960 7 October 2020 Gymnastics.sport World Gymnastics 30 December 2025 What is currently listed here on Wikipedia as well as what is written about the 1952 Olympics in an article on one gymnastics blog ("It was the first time women would be granted individual medals")Hopkins Lauren https://thegymter.net/2016/03/02/our-first-individual-medals-helsinki-1952/ Our First Individual Medals Helsinki 1952 TheGymter.net 2 March 2016 30 December 2025 strongly suggest that no individual Olympic medals were awarded to individual woman gymnasts prior to 1952, and that these games were the first where they were awarded. Athletics Athletics at the 1952 Summer Olympics thumb|Emil Zátopek thumb|Emil Zátopek and Reinaldo Gorno after the marathon. Athletics was competed in 33 sports, 24 for men and 9 for women. By far the most successful state was the United States, which won 31 medals, nine of which were gold. The Soviet Union reached 17 medals, but won only two championships, and the eight-medal country Germany was left without first places. The second medalist was Czechoslovakia, with four of the five medals being the brightest.Arponen 1996 155–158 Emil Zátopek won the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, as well as the marathon, which he had never run before, all in new Olympic record times. On the women's side, the Australian Marjorie Jackson won the 100 and 200 meter runs. World records were set in seven events. In the triple jump Adhemar Ferreira da Silva broke the old world record four times. In the decathlon, Bob Mathias made a new ME and took the victory with a total score of 7,887 points, more than 900 points to the next.Arponen 1996 155–158 Josy Barthel of Luxembourg pulled a major surprise by winning the 1500 m. Demonstration sports Handball at the 1952 Summer Olympics Pesäpallo at the 1952 Summer Olympics According to the Olympic rules, the organizer of the Games was allowed to choose between two types of demonstration sports, one from abroad and one from Finland. In connection with the Helsinki Games, a handball and pesäpallo (Finnish baseball) match was held. In the handball match of the Games, Sweden and Denmark faced at the Olympic Stadium. The level of playing outside was modest due to heavy rain. Sweden won by a goal from 19 to 11.Wickström 2002 122 The pesäpallo match was also played at the Olympic Stadium. The Finnish Baseball Federation fi Suomen Pesäpalloliitto and Finnish Workers' Sports Federation teams competed in the event. The Baseball Federation won the match 8–4. During the breaks in both shows, the audience was entertained by the performances of Finnish male and female gymnasts.Wickström 2002 125 Events of the 1952 Summer Olympics 17em Aquatics Diving 4 d Swimming 11 d Water polo 1 d Athletics 33 d Basketball 1 d Boxing 10 d Canoeing 9 d Cycling d Road (2) Track (4) Equestrian d Dressage (2) Eventing (2) Show jumping (2) Fencing 7 d Field hockey 1 d Football 1 d Gymnastics 15 d Modern pentathlon 2 d Rowing 7 d Sailing 5 d Shooting 7 d Weightlifting 7 d Wrestling d Freestyle (8) Greco-Roman (8) Handball (Demonstration) Pesäpallo (Demonstration) Venues Venues of the 1952 Summer Olympics With an annual average temperature of 5.9 °C, Helsinki is one of the coldest cities to have hosted the Summer Olympics.https://www.marketplace.org/2014/02/06/economy/numbers/9-weirdest-cities-have-hosted-olympics-and-why The 9 weirdest cities that have hosted the Olympics (and why!) Marc Sollinger February 6, 2014 www.marketplace.org Most of the competition venues were located in Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Modern pentathlon and some field hockey games were held in Hämeenlinna https://www.hameenlinna.fi/Palvelut/Kulttuuri/Taidemuseo/Julkinen/Muistolaatat-ja-muistokivet/Aihehaku/Olympialaisten-maahockeyottelut/ https://web.archive.org/web/20181022153225/https://www.hameenlinna.fi/Palvelut/Kulttuuri/Taidemuseo/Julkinen/Muistolaatat-ja-muistokivet/Aihehaku/Olympialaisten-maahockeyottelut/ Olympialaisten maahockeyotteluiden muistolaatta Commemorative plaque for the Olympic field hockey matches City of Hämeenlinna 2018-10-22 dead and some football games by Tampere, Lahti, Kotka and Turku. The main arena was the Olympic Stadium, which hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics competitions, football semi-finals and finals, as well as the show jumping competition "Prix des Nations" were held.Kolkka 1955 44 The stadium was built for the 1940 Olympics and opened as early as 1938, but had suffered under the bombing of World War II.Wickström 2002 24 It had to undergo expansion and refurbishment work. The concrete auditorium section was expanded and a new temporary wooden auditorium was built on the south and north curves and on the east side, which increased the Stadium's audience capacity to about 70,000.Raevuori 2002 22 thumbnail|The Helsinki Velodrome was used to cycle the Olympic starts. Pictured are cyclists from the 2006 Bicycle Race. The swimming competitions were held at Helsinki Swimming Stadium, located just a few hundred meters east of the Olympic Stadium and with three pools: a racing, diving and children's pool.Kolkka 1955 47 The swimming stadium could accommodate about 9,500 spectators, while the wooden eastern and standing stands for the Games could accommodate a total of about 6,000 people.Kolkka 1955 48 The Fair Hall near the stadiums (now Töölö Sports Hall) many of the indoor events were held in two separate halls. In the bigger hall, men competed in gymnastics, wrestling and boxing. The smaller hall hosts the women's gymnastics, freestyle wrestling, weightlifting and basketball finals.Kolkka 1955 51 Basketball first round matches were played at Tennis Palace and fencing competitions were held at the Westend tennis center in Espoo.Kolkka 1955 57 The shooting events took place at the Malmi shooting range 11 kilometers from the center of Helsinki, with the exception of clay pigeon shooting. Clay pigeon shooting was performed on the Finnish Hunters' Association track Huopalahti.Kolkka 1955 57Ruskeasuo competed in dressage as well as in Tali and Laakso in field riding.Kolkka 1955 58 The Töölö Rowing Stadium was built for rowing and canoeing events one kilometer from Taivallahti. However, the place was not accepted as a place for rowing competitions, as it was open to the sea breeze.Kolkka 1955 52 The rowing took place in Meilahti about three kilometers from the Stadium. The place was considerably more sheltered than Taivallahti.Kolkka 1955 54 Harmaja, a lighthouse island a couple of kilometers off the coast of Helsinki, was the starting and finishing area for larger sailing classes. Finn was the starting and finish point of the race Liuskasaari close to the coast.Kolkka 1955 58 The Marathon running route was north of the Stadium to Käpylä, Pakinkylä, Tuomarinkylä, Vantaa, Tikkurila and Korso. In Tuusula, Mätäkivenmäki fi there was a turning point from which the runners set off on their way back to the Stadium. The 50-kilometer walk was organized along the same route.Kolkka 1955 306 https://www.keski-uusimaa.fi/artikkeli/251331-syopa-selatetty-juhlistetaan-juosten https://web.archive.org/web/20141208103607/https://www.keski-uusimaa.fi/artikkeli/251331-syopa-selatetty-juhlistetaan-juosten Syöpä selätetty, juhlistetaan juosten Cancer reversed, celebrated by running Central Uusimaa 2014-11-23 Etelä-Suomen Media December 8, 2014 dead A memorial stone was later erected at the turning point along Old Tuusulantie. A swimming stadium was built in Hämeenlinna for Ahvenisto for the pentathlon. The other four pentathlon events were also held in the vicinity of Ahvenisto.Wickström 2002 25 Venues of the 1952 Summer Olympics 17em Hämeenlinna – Modern pentathlon Harmaja – Sailing Helsinki Football Grounds – Football Huopalahti – Shooting (shotgun) Käpylä – Cycling (road) Kotka – Football Laakso – Equestrian (eventing – riding) Lahti – Football Liuskasaari – Sailing Malmi Rifle Range – Shooting (pistol/ rifle) Maunula – Cycling (road) Meilahti – Rowing Messuhalli – Basketball (final), boxing, gymnastics, weightlifting, wrestling Olympic Stadium – Athletics, Equestrian (jumping), Football (final) Pakila – Cycling (road) Ruskeasuo Equestrian Hall – Equestrian (dressage, eventing) Swimming Stadium – Diving, Swimming, Water polo Taivallahti – Canoeing Tali Race Track – Equestrian (eventing steeplechase) Tampere – Football Tennis Palace – Basketball Turku – Football Velodrome – Cycling (track), Field hockey Westend Tennis Hall – Fencing Participating National Olympic Committees 1952 Summer Olympics national flag bearers thumb|Participating nations. Pictured in blue are nations participating for the first time. Yellow dot: Helsinki thumb|Number of athletes per country A total of 69 nations participated in these Games, up from 59 in the 1948 Games. Thirteen nations made their first Olympic appearance in 1952: The Bahamas, the People's Republic of China, Gold Coast (now Ghana), Guatemala, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Netherlands Antilles, Nigeria, the Soviet Union (USSR), Thailand, and Vietnam. Japan and Germany were both reinstated and permitted to send athletes after being banned for 1948 for their instigation of World War II. Due to the division of Germany, German athletes from Saar entered a separate team for the only time. Only West Germany would provide athletes for the actual German team, since East Germany refused to participate in a joint German team. Romania returned to the games in this edition. Nations that participated in the previous games in London 1948 but were absent in Helsinki 1952 included Afghanistan, Colombia, Iraq, Malta, Peru and Syria. Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory and commonwealth of the United States. Bahamas, Bermuda, Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana), Hong Kong, Jamaica, Nigeria, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, and British Guyana was all part of the British Empire. Netherlands Antilles was a constituent country of the Kingdom of Netherlands. The Soviet Union sent the largest delegation. Participating National Olympic Committees22em ARG 1952 Summer 123 AUS 1952 Summer 81 AUT 1952 Summer 112 BAH 1952 Summer 7 BEL 1952 Summer 135 BER 1952 Summer 6 BRA 1952 Summer 97 BUL 1952 Summer 63 BIR 1952 Summer 5 CAN 1952 Summer 107 CEY 1952 Summer 5 CHI 1952 Summer 59 CHN 1952 Summer 1 CUB 1952 Summer 29 TCH 1952 Summer 99 DEN 1952 Summer 129 EGY 1952 Summer 106 FIN 1952 Summer 258 (host) FRA 1952 Summer 245 GER 1952 Summer 205 GHA 1952 Summer 7 GBR 1952 Summer 257 GRE 1952 Summer 48 GUA 1952 Summer 21 GUY 1952 Summer 1 HKG 1952 Summer 4 HUN 1952 Summer 189 ISL 1952 Summer 9 IND 1952 Summer 64 INA 1952 Summer 3 IRI 1952 Summer 22 IRL 1952 Summer 19 ISR 1952 Summer 25 ITA 1952 Summer 231 JAM 1952 Summer 8 JPN 1952 Summer 69 LIB 1952 Summer 9 LIE 1952 Summer 2 LUX 1952 Summer 44 MEX 1952 Summer 64 MON 1952 Summer 8 NED 1952 Summer 104 AHO 1952 Summer 11 NZL 1952 Summer 14 NGR 1952 Summer 9 NOR 1952 Summer 102 PAK 1952 Summer 38 PAN 1952 Summer 1 PHI 1952 Summer 25 POL 1952 Summer 125 POR 1952 Summer 71 PUR 1952 Summer 21 ROU 1952 Summer 114 SAA 1952 Summer 36 SIN 1952 Summer 5 RSA 1952 Summer 64 KOR 1952 Summer 19 URS 1952 Summer 295 ESP 1952 Summer 27 SWE 1952 Summer 206 SUI 1952 Summer 157 THA 1952 Summer 8 TRI 1952 Summer 2 TUR 1952 Summer 51 USA 1952 Summer 286 URU 1952 Summer 32 VEN 1952 Summer 38 VIE 1952 Summer 8 YUG 1952 Summer 87 Number of athletes by National Olympic Committees IOC Letter Code Country Athletes ARG ARG 1952 Summer 123 AUS AUS 1952 Summer 81 AUT AUT 1952 Summer 112 BAH BAH 1952 Summer 7 BEL BEL 1952 Summer 135 BER BER 1952 Summer 6 BRA BRA 1952 Summer 97 BUL BUL 1952 Summer 63 BIR BIR 1952 Summer 5 CAN CAN 1952 Summer 107 CEY CEY 1952 Summer 5 CHI CHI 1952 Summer 59 PRC CHN 1952 Summer 1 CUB CUB 1952 Summer 29 TCH TCH 1952 Summer 99 DEN DEN 1952 Summer 129 EGY EGY 1952 Summer 106 FIN FIN 1952 Summer 258 FRA FRA 1952 Summer 245 GER GER 1952 Summer 205 GHA GHA 1952 Summer 7 GBR GBR 1952 Summer 257 GRE GRE 1952 Summer 48 GUA GUA 1952 Summer 21 GUY GUY 1952 Summer 1 HKG HKG 1952 Summer 4 HUN HUN 1952 Summer 189 ISL ISL 1952 Summer 9 IND IND 1952 Summer 64 INA INA 1952 Summer 3 IRN IRI 1952 Summer 22 IRL IRL 1952 Summer 19 ISR ISR 1952 Summer 25 ITA ITA 1952 Summer 231 JAM JAM 1952 Summer 8 JPN JPN 1952 Summer 69 LIB LIB 1952 Summer 9 LIE LIE 1952 Summer 2 LUX LUX 1952 Summer 44 MEX MEX 1952 Summer 64 MON MON 1952 Summer 8 NED NED 1952 Summer 104 AHO AHO 1952 Summer 11 NZL NZL 1952 Summer 14 NGR NGR 1952 Summer 9 NOR NOR 1952 Summer 102 PAK PAK 1952 Summer 38 PAN PAN 1952 Summer 1 PHI PHI 1952 Summer 25 POL POL 1952 Summer 125 POR POR 1952 Summer 71 PUR PUR 1952 Summer 21 ROU ROU 1952 Summer 114 SAA SAA 1952 Summer 36 SIN SIN 1952 Summer 5 ZAF RSA 1952 Summer 64 KOR KOR 1952 Summer 19 URS URS 1952 Summer 295 ESP ESP 1952 Summer 27 SWE SWE 1952 Summer 206 SUI SUI 1952 Summer 157 THA THA 1952 Summer 11 TRI TRI 1952 Summer 2 TUR TUR 1952 Summer 51 USA USA 1952 Summer 286 URU URU 1952 Summer 32 VEN VEN 1952 Summer 38 VNM VIE 1952 Summer 8 YUG YUG 1952 Summer 87 Total 4,932 Medal count 1952 Summer Olympics medal table List of 1952 Summer Olympics medal winners These are the top ten nations that won medals at the 1952 Games.Byron Lee Cox Amanda Ericson Matthew A Map of Olympic Medals https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/08/04/sports/olympics/20080804_MEDALCOUNT_MAP.html The New York Times 4 August 2008 24 February 2015 flagIOC 1952 Summer 40 19 17 22 30 19 16 10 16 12 13 10 8 9 4 7 3 3 6 6 6 6 3 13 yes 6 2 3 3 2 0 50th anniversary coin The 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Olympic Games was the main motif for one of the first Finnish euro silver commemorative coins, the €10 silver coin minted in 2002. The reverse depicts part of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, as well as a section of the 1952 500 markka coin. The obverse has lettering SUOMI FINLAND 10 EURO, a flame, and Finland is the only country highlighted on Earth. Admission tickets In total 2,394,099 admission tickets were printed for the Helsinki games. About two million of them were made Bank of Finland banknote printing works.Kolkka 1955 166 To prevent counterfeiting, tickets were printed on watermark banknote paper. Printing began in July 1951 and lasted four months.Kolkka 1955 164–165 In early 1952, the race organizers opened their own ticket offices for sales at home and abroad. They were sold abroad in 52 countries. Half of the more than two million admission tickets were put up for sale abroad. However, only about 250,000 tickets were sold. However, foreign tourists also bought a lot of tickets from Finland. A total of 1,376,512 tickets were sold for various competition events. There were four different price categories. Prices varied between 300 and 2,100 FIM, which in current currency corresponds to about 9–65 euros. Ticket revenue totaled approximately FIM 965 million, or EUR 29.7 million.Kolkka 1955 167–168Statistics Finland, Monetary coefficient 1860–2011. Referred to 9 January 2013. Entrance tickets were printed in ten different colors, depending on the venue and the auditorium. Except for the color, the flags were all similar in appearance. The texts in Finnish, Swedish, English and French were printed on them, and the sport was also indicated by a symbol in the upper left corner. A spectator map was printed on the back of the entrance tickets. Tickets sold to Finland only marked their Price Category, foreign tickets also marked the price US Dollars.Kolkka 1955 164–165 In addition to tickets made by the organizers, the City of Hämeenlinna printed its own entry tickets for modern pentathlon competitions held locally. They were simpler in design than other tickets.Kolkka 1955 164–165 Impact and legacy The Olympics influenced the Finns, the City of Helsinki and the image of foreigners. The Olympics can even be considered a symbolic decision for the post-war years in Finland. Reconstruction of the land was practically completed in 1952, although at the beginning of the decade many had lived in temporary housing. The last war reparations was paid in September 1952, and regulatory policy was abolished at the same time. http://www.yle.fi/teema/sininenlaulu/artikkeli.php?id=261 https://web.archive.org/web/20070308235337/http://www.yle.fi/teema/sininenlaulu/artikkeli.php?id=261 dead 2007-03-08 Helsinki Olympics 1952 Korhonen, Anna YLE Theme 2008-06-12 On the closing day of the Games, 3 August 1952, President J.K. Paasikivi wrote in his diary: "The Olympics were a great success. Foreigners, including the magazines, have praised the good organization. This is a good thing and advertising for us."Yrjö Blomstedt and Matti Klinge (ed.): Paasikivi diaries , part 2, p 292. Porvoo. Helsinki: WSOY, 1986. ISBN 951-0-13349-3 Helsinki cityscape was clearly a new impetus for the Olympics. The development of Helsinki had already begun in the late 1930s, when Parliament House, Lasipalatsi and Pääposti fi Postitalo (Helsinki) were built. Olympic dreams motivate many construction projects.Wickström 2002 17 Helsinki's entertainment and nightlife was modest compared to previous race hosts. Many temporary restaurants and entertainment venues were set up in the city for the Games. The city had been planning a fair for decades, but even for this project, the Olympic host gave the final impetus. After the competition was confirmed, the city of Helsinki started looking for a place for an amusement park in Alppila. The Linnanmäki Amusement Park was opened on 27 May 1950 on a plot leased in December 1949.Wickström 2002 43–44 The Olympics also developed Helsinki's infrastructure with the construction of a new airport, Olympic Pier, new asphalt and the city's first traffic lights.Wickström 2002 34–36 The Olympic spirit was also visible outside the capital region. In 1952, Finland's first rest stop for motorists was opened in Lahnajärvi, along the former Highway 1 (current road 110). http://yle.fi/uutiset/dynamo-klubi_ja_lahnajarven_seisake_olisivat_sailyttamisen_arvoisia/5639149 Dynamo-klubi ja Lahnajärven seisake olisivat säilyttämisen arvoisia Haarala Joona Yle 25 September 2010 19 July 2025 fi The impact of the Olympics on Finns is difficult to define. It was certainly good for Finns' self-confidence to create a successful major event together and at the same time get a new kind of contact with the interaction between peoples. http://www.mrl.edu.hel.fi/eu/megaevents/vaikutuksia.html https://web.archive.org/web/20080325112210/http://www.mrl.edu.hel.fi/eu/megaevents/vaikutuksia.html dead Vaikutukset Suomeen, suomalaisiin ja Helsingin kehitykseen kaupunkina Impacts on Finland, Finns and the development of Helsinki as a city City of Helsinki March 25, 2008 For the first time, many Finns were in contact with non-Caucasian foreigners at the Games.Raevuori 2002 13 At the same time, the Olympics united Finns in their disputes. For example, Finnish Workers' Sports Federation and Finnish Sports Federation fi Suomen Valtakunnan Urheiluliitto strong disputes between were on a break during the Olympics, even though they continued even after the Games. http://www.mrl.edu.hel.fi/eu/megaevents/vaikutuksia.html https://web.archive.org/web/20080325112210/http://www.mrl.edu.hel.fi/eu/megaevents/vaikutuksia.html dead Impacts on Finland, Finns and the development of Helsinki as a city 2008-03-25 Vaikutukset Suomeen, suomalaisiin ja Helsingin kehitykseen kaupunkina Helsingin kaupunki 2018-10-22 With internationalization, new products also arrived in Finland. The best known of these is Coca-Cola (Coca-Cola arrived in Finland as early as the 1930s through Stockmann). In addition, chewing gum was imported for the first time, and Alko launched new drinks, including Gin Long Drink.Wickström 2002 47 Finland's relations with United Kingdom clearly warmed up thanks to the Olympics. This was particularly influenced by the fact that Prince Philip, who came to visit the Games, received a warm welcome in Finland. After the Second World War, Britain had been rude to Finland, but the Olympics showed that Finland belonged to the Western world.Raevuori 2002 190–191 "The Last Real Olympics" In Finland, the Helsinki Olympics are sometimes called the last real Olympics, http://www.mtv3.fi/english/1952.shtml What happened then MTV3 2008-07-01July 2021 medicmedic http://www.urheilumuseo.org/kisat1952/index52.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20090530073527/http://www.urheilumuseo.org/kisat1952/index52.htm dead 2009-05-30 Helsinki Olympics 1952 Publication Sports Museum 2008-07-01 when trying to emphasize the nature of the Games as the last Games of the true Olympic spirit, a sporting and non-commercial event. http://www.slu.fi/lum/20_02/slu-yhteiso/_viimeiset_oikeat_olympialaiset/ https://web.archive.org/web/20120313191211/http://www.slu.fi/lum/20_02/slu-yhteiso/_viimeiset_oikeat_olympialaiset/ dead 2012-03-13 "Viimeiset oikeat olympialaiset" on suomalaisten oma keksintö "The Last Real Olympics" is Finns' own invention Saarnivaara, Pete The World of Exercise and Sport (20/02) 2012 Finnish Sports and Sports SLU Association 2008-06-12 For example, a book about competitions written by Antero Raevuori fi is named after this saying. However, the phrase was invented in Finland and is not used elsewhere in the world. It was developed in the 1970s and 1980s, after widespread doping cases, the 1972 Munich massacre, and the 1976, 1980 and 1984 Olympics boycotts. In a way, the Helsinki Olympics were a return to smaller competitions due to resources, as Finland is the smallest country to host the Summer Olympics. However the 1956 Summer Olympics involved fewer participating athletes than in Helsinki, and in practice it was not until the 1970s that the Games clearly began to expand. The Helsinki Olympics were still relatively non-commercial, although the Polish press, for example, barked at the Helsinki Olympics as "competitions for disgusting traders". The Helsinki Games were also not much smaller in terms of marketing than the following Games, and marketing was well known in the Olympic world with Kodak supporting the Games as far back as the 1896 Summer Olympics. Gallery 130 packed File:Helsinki olympialaiset 1952 - XLVIII-260 - hkm.HKMS000005-km0000mrco.jpg Flags File:Helsinki olympialaiset 1952 - XLVIII-259 - hkm.HKMS000005-km0000mrcm.jpg Entrance to the Olympic village File:Helsingin olympialaiset 1952 - XLVIII-289 - hkm.HKMS000005-km0000mrfs.jpg Road cycling File:Helsinki olympialaiset 1952 Otaniemen kisakylä.jpg Soviet camp with insignia and a picture of Stalin File:Soviet Union 1952 Olympic team.jpg Soviet team entrance File:Helsingin olympialaiset 1952 - XLVIII-277 - hkm.HKMS000005-km0000mrdo.jpg Helsinki Olympic Stadium File:Helsingin olympialaiset 1952 - XLVIII-274 - hkm.HKMS000005-km0000mrdi.jpg Finnish team entrance File:1952OG-Olympic Stadium-Jumping.jpg Just before the 2nd round of Prix des Nations File:Jean Boiteux with father 1952 Olympics 2.jpg After Jean Boiteux won the 400 m freestyle race his father jumped into the pool to congratulate him File:Jean Boiteux with father 1952 Olympics.jpg Boiteux helps his father climb out File:1952 Building Finn DInghies at Borresens Baadebyggeri, Denmark.jpg Building the Finn-class Olympic dinghies at Børresen Bådebyggeri, Denmark File:Hong Kong at the 1952 Summer Olympics (04).jpg Nations enter File:Nations at 1952 Olympics.jpg Nations at the 1952 Olympics File:Paavo Nurmi enters the Olympic Stadium in 1952.jpg Paavo Nurmi enters the Helsinki Olympic Stadium carrying the torch during the opening ceremonies. He became the first well-known athlete to light the Olympic Flame. See also 1952 Summer Olympics 1952 Summer Olympics torch relay References Notes Citations Bibliography Arponen Antti O. Olympiakisat Ateenasta Atlantaan Olympic Games from Athens to Atlanta 1996 WSOY Porvoo 951-0-21072-2 Finnish Kolkka Sulo Official Report of the Organising Committee for the Games of the XV Olympiad, Helsinki, 1952. 1955 Serner Söderström Osakeyhitö Purvoo https://digital.la84.org/digital/collection/p17103coll8/id/4187 Pukkila Hanna Linnilä Kai Hyvä Suomi! 1952 Good Finland 1952 2012 Amanita Somerniemi 978-952-5330-48-9 2. painos Finnish Raevuori Antero Viimeiset oikeat olympialaiset: Helsinki 1952 The Last Real Olympics: Helsinki 1952 2002 Ajatus Helsingissä 951-20-6108-2 Finnish Wickström Mika Helsinki 1952 2002 Suomen urheilumuseosäätiö Helsinki 951-97773-8-5 Finnish External links 1952 Summer Olympics Helsinki 1952 Official Olympic Report la84foundation.org Helsinki 1952 Official Olympic Report olympic-museum.de soly London XV OlympiadHelsinki 1952 Melbourne/Stockholm Olympics Finland Sports 1950s Category:International sports competitions in Helsinki Olympic Games Category:Olympic Games in Finland Category:Summer Olympics by year Olympic Games Category:July 1952 sports events in Europe Category:August 1952 sports events in Europe Category:1950s in Helsinki Category:1952 in Finland