The1932 Summer Olympics (officially theGames of the X Olympiad and also known asLos Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, inLos Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held during the worldwideGreat Depression, with some nations not traveling to Los Angeles as a result;37 countries competed, compared to the46 at the1928 Games inAmsterdam,[a] and even then-U.S.PresidentHerbert Hoover did not attend the Games.[b] The organizing committee did not report the financial details of the Games, although contemporary newspapers stated that the Games had made aprofit ofUS$1 million (equivalent toUS$18.19 million in 2023)[3].[b]
The selection of the host city for the 1932 Summer Olympics was made at the 23rd IOC Session inRome, Italy, on April 9, 1923. Remarkably, the selection process consisted of a single bid, from Los Angeles’ Olympic Committee led byBilly May Garland, and as there were no bids from any other city, Los Angeles was selected by default to host the 1932 Games.[4]
The Australian Olympic Team at the Olympic Stadium, Los Angeles, 1932Lauri Lehtinen (left) andRalph Hill finishing the 5000 m race at the 1932 Olympics
The victory podium was used for the first time at the summer games (a podium was also used earlier in the year at the1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid).[6][7][c] AnOlympic mascot, Scottish TerrierSmoky, was featured for the first time in history, albeit unofficially.
Babe Didrikson won two gold medals in thejavelin and the hurdles event. She also competed in a jump-off for a gold in the high jump. Her technique in the jump-off was ruled illegal, leaving Didrikson with second place.
Finland'sPaavo Nurmi was suspended from competition by theIAAF for alleged violation of amateur rules. Finns charged that the Swedish officials had used devious tricks in their campaign against Nurmi's amateur status,[8] and ceased all athletic relations with Sweden.[9] A year earlier, controversies on the track and in the press had led Finland to withdraw from theFinland-Sweden athletics international.[10] After Nurmi's suspension, Finland did not agree to return to the event until 1939.[8]
Eddie Tolan won both the 100 m and 200 m sprint events. Poland'sStanisława Walasiewicz won the gold medal in the women's 100 m; she also won the silver medal in the event four years later. After her death in 1980, it was discovered that she wasintersex and would have been ineligible to participate under modern rules.
Several women's events debuted at these games, among them the80 meters hurdles andjavelin throw.[12][13]Babe Didrikson won both events and also competed in thehigh jump where she was controversially denied gold, leaving her with silver.[14] As women, unlike men, were only allowed to enter a maximum of three events, Didrikson could not compete in the discus throw, long jump, and relay where she would have likely medaled based on her prior results. Had the 200 meters and pentathlon been contested at these games (they debuted in 1964), Didrikson would have won them easily based on her performances prior to the Olympics.[15]
Romeo Neri won three gold medals in gymnastics. Although women's team gymnastics debuted in theprevious Olympics, the event was not held in these games; however, there were women gymnasts who traveled to Los Angeles and participated in exhibition events at the 1932 games.[16]
Helene Madison won three gold medals in swimming, while the Japanese upset the men's events and took all but one title.Kusuo Kitamura won the gold medal in the men's 1500 meter freestyle swimming race. He was and continues to be the youngest ever male swimmer to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games.
Takeichi Nishi (Baron Nishi) was the gold medalist with his horse Uranus in the equestrianshow jumping individual event. Nishi's gold medal is Japan's only gold medal in the equestrian event to this day. Nishi died in 1945 as an officer stationed in the defense of the island ofIwo Jima, and as such is an important character inClint Eastwood's film,Letters from Iwo Jima.
117 events in 20 disciplines, comprising 14 sports, were part of the Olympic program in 1932. In one of two Equestrian jumping events (team competitions) no medals were awarded. The number of events in each discipline is noted in parentheses.
TheArt competitions at the 1932 Summer Olympics awarded medals for works inspired by sport-related themes in five categories: architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture.
The Rose Bowl hosted the track cycling events for the 1932 Summer Olympics
Fifteen sports venues were used for the 1932 Summer Olympics. In order to control costs in the wake of theGreat Depression, existing venues were used. They included twogolf courses, twocity parks, three public highways, and a city road. TheSwimming Stadium was the only new venue constructed for these games. TheRose Bowl, constructed in 1921, was made into a temporaryvelodrome fortrack cycling events under the auspices of theUnion Cycliste Internationale (UCI).[17][18] TheLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum, constructed in 1923, was used as the Olympic Stadium.[19][20] The Olympic Auditorium was constructed in 1924 in preparation for Los Angeles being awarded the Games; it was modified to meet the specifications of the boxing, weightlifting, and wrestling federations.[21] Long Beach Marine Stadium was created in 1925 whenAlamitos Bay was dredged, then further dredged seven years later in time for the 1932 Games.[22]Elysian Park, the oldest city park in Los Angeles, was founded in 1886, and has been part of theLos Angeles Police Department (LAPD) training academy since 1925.[23][24] The Riviera Country Club opened in 1926 as theLos Angeles Athletic Club Golf Course and was renamed Riviera by the time of the 1932 Games.[25] The Swimming Stadium, constructed adjacent to the Coliseum in 1932, was intended to be a temporary structure.[26] Riverside Drive, Los Angeles Avenue, Vineyard Avenue, and the Pacific Coast Highway were common driving routes inCalifornia at the time of the 1932 Games.[27][28]
The track constructed in the Rose Bowl was given to the Tournament of Roses Association upon completion of the 1932 Games.[17] The Bowl was expanded between 1932 and the1984 Summer Olympics three times, increasing its capacity from 83,000 in 1931 to 104,594 in 1972.[37] It hostedSuper Bowl XI in 1977, where theOakland Raiders defeated theMinnesota Vikings 32–14.[37] It is the current home ofUCLA Bruins football and theRose Bowl Game, and was the home of the Major League Soccer (MLS)Los Angeles Galaxy from 1996 to 2003.
Elysian Park'sshooting range was left intact for the LAPD to use.[17] Sunset Fields Golf Club was renamed Brentwood Country Club in 1941 and is still in use as of 2010.[38] All of the road courses were returned to public usage after the Olympics.[27][28] The Olympic Auditorium continued to be of use for boxing androller derby events[39] until June 2005 when it was bought to be used as a megachurch. Los Angeles Harbor continues to be a majorsea port in the Western United States, employing 919,000 people and generating US$39.1 billion in annual wages and tax revenues as of 2007.[40] The Riveria Country Club continues to hostgolf events, hosting the1948 U.S. Open and thePGA Championship in1983 and1995.[41][42][43] The Swim Stadium was renovated in 2003 and continues to be in use as of 2010.[44]
Participants (blue = first-time)Number of athletes
A total of 37 nations were represented at the 1932 Games.Colombia made its first appearance at the Olympic Games, and theRepublic of China competed for the first time after its failed appearance at the1924 Games.
^In a letter dated May 1931, the IOC president, Count Henri de Baillet-Latour, advised the organizing committees of both Summer and Winter games that athletes should "stand on three pedestals, with the centre one higher than the two others." See Martin (2000) and Olympic.org article "1932: THE PODIUM MAKES ITS OLYMPIC DEBUT".
^"Factsheet - Opening Ceremony of the Games of the Olympiad"(PDF) (Press release). International Olympic Committee. June 25, 2024. Table A: Heads of State or their representative who have declared the Games of the Olympiad open.Archived(PDF) from the original on July 27, 2024. RetrievedDecember 22, 2018.Los Angles 1932 Vice-President Charles Curtis
