When was london picked for the olympics

In protest the Americans refused to take part so Halswelle ran unopposed to secure the gold medal. More controversy followed in the marathon, held on the final day of the competition. In previous Olympics the length of the marathon had been around 40 km An additional metres was added on to the end to enable the runners to finish in front of the Royal Box. The total distance of Dazed, he headed in the wrong direction around the track, tottering towards the finish tape, but he collapsed more than once and to be helped by race officials to his feet.

Applauded by the 90,strong crowd, he was still the first to reach the finish line but was disqualified and stripped of his victory for receiving outside aid.

The gold medal was thus awarded to the next competitor to cross the line - Johnny Hayes, the youngest member of the US team. Although some eyewitness accounts have suggested that Pietri may have had the odd swig of brandy proffered by spectators around the route, his plight touched the hearts of public and the following day Queen Alexandra presented Pietri with a gold cup as a special consolation prize.

As a result of all the controversies, changes were made for future Olympics and other major sporting events. Track and field rules were standardised, the IOC appointed officials from an international pool rather than leaving it to the host nation and the m was run in lanes at the Stockholm Games. The Games ended on 31 October , returning a small profit to the organisers as well as bequeathing a stadium to London which continued to be used for a variety of sporting events until when it was demolished to make way for new BBC premises.

The event also set the bar for future Olympics with Team GB topping the medal table for the only time with medals in total - 56 golds, 51 silvers and 39 bronzes.

The Olympic Games were originally awarded to Rome. Rome had been chosen in the belief that its fame and accessibility would encourage competitors to attend from all over the world, particularly as attendance at the last Olympics, St.

Mr Blair denied the win would make the G8 summit, starting tonight, more difficult, with a disappointed French president, Jacques Chirac, learning the result while en route from Singapore to Scotland. In a statement released by his office, Mr Chirac sent his congratulations to London and praised the "fair play" shown by the Paris bid team.

The statement said: "The head of state congratulates the city of London David Beckham and a host of sporting celebrities have been in Singapore pressing for a London games.

London last hosted the Olympics in and will become the first city to host sport's biggest event three times. An emotional Beckham was in the hall to hear the result and said later that it was an "incredible" victory.

Today's result was also a huge victory for Lord Coe, who transformed a bid that was originally seen as something of a joke. In an IOC evaluation report last year, London was ranked third in the race behind Paris and Madrid and its transport system was castigated as "obsolete". The London team improved its bid and assuaged concerns about transport to secure a much better write-up in a subsequent IOC evaluation report published earlier this year.

Lord Coe said winning the Olympics was "massive" and that he hoped to "change the face of British sport". The London Olympics were the first games in which medals were awarded to all winners, some previous winners having received only a diploma.

They are the only Olympics in which Great Britain won most medals, with fifty-six golds and medals in total, three times the number won by the second-placed team, that of the United States. Its inclusion at Paris in had attracted only two teams, the team representing France losing narrowly to Britain. The London Games were not without controversy.

At the opening ceremony, performed by Edward VII on July 13th, the team from Finland refused to carry a flag when they were told that they would have to march under the standard of Tsarist Russia. This incident was the precursor of many arguments between the Americans and their British hosts who, by agreement with the International Olympic Committee, provided all the judges and timekeepers.

The disagreements reached a climax in the final of the metres which was contested by three Americans and one Englishman, Wyndham Halswelle. Halswelle was adjudged to have been obstructed by the American J. Carpenter, who was disqualified. Further controversy followed in the marathon on the final day of competition.

In previous Olympics the length of the race had varied slightly, around forty-two kilometres, but in the King requested that the race begin on the lawns of Windsor Castle so that his grandchildren the future Edward VIII and George VI amongst them could see the start of the race. Workforce: A total workforce of around , people: more than 6, staffs, 70, volunteers and , contractors. LOCOG had sourced over one million pieces of sport equipment for the Games, including adjustable hurdles for athletics, basketballs, 2, footballs and pairs of boxing gloves.

During the Games, 20 million spectator journeys were made in London, including three million on the busiest day of the Games. Approximately 14 million meals were served at the Games, including 45, per day in the Olympic Village. Results Highlights. Highlights