The
1908 Summer Olympics, officially the
Games of the IV Olympiad, were an
international multi-sport event which was held in
1908 in
London,
England. These games were originally scheduled to be held in
Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern
Olympic games. However, the
Athens Games of 1906 have since been downgraded by the
International Olympic Committee and the 1908 Games are seen as the start of the
Fourth Olympiad, in keeping with the
now-accepted four-year cycle. The IOC president for this games was
Baron Pierre de Coubertin.
The White City Stadium, built in short time for the games, held 68,000 and was considered by some[who?] a technological marvel. The stadium track was three laps to the mile, not the current standard of 400 metres, with a pool for swimming and diving and platforms for wrestling and gymnastics in the middle.[1]
The distance from the start of the Marathon to the finish at the stadium was established at these games. The original distance of 25 miles was changed to 26 miles so the marathon could start at Windsor Castle and then changed again at the request of Princess Mary so the start would be beneath the windows of the Royal Nursery.[2] To ensure that the race would finish in the front of the King, the finish line was moved by British officials who, in response to shot putter and American flag carrier Ralph Rose's refusal to dip the American flag before the Royal Box during the opening ceremony, “felt compelled to restore the importance of the monarchy.” As a result of these changes, the marathon covered a distance of 26 miles 385 yards (42.195&_160;km), which became the standard length starting with the 1924 Summer Olympics.[3]
The games were surrounded by controversy. On opening day, following the practice introduced at the Intercalated Games of 1906, teams paraded behind national flags. However, the arrangement caused complications
