Olympics Return to London: Post-War Healing Begins
London hosted the 1948 Summer Olympics, dubbed the "Austerity Games," just three years after World War II had devastated the city. Germany and Japan were excluded. No new venues were built; athletes were housed in military barracks and schools. Competitors brought their own food because Britain was still under rationing. The Netherlands' Fanny Blankers-Koen, a 30-year-old mother of two whom the press called "too old," won four gold medals in track and field. The 1948 Games attracted 4,104 athletes from 59 nations, restoring international athletic competition after a twelve-year gap caused by the cancellation of the 1940 and 1944 Olympics.
July 29, 1948
78 years ago
Key Figures & Places
London
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Berlin
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World War II
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Olympic Games
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1948 Summer Olympics
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Summer Olympics
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1936 Summer Olympics
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Summer Olympic Games
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Olympic Games
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1948 Summer Olympics
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Summer Olympic Games
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1936 Summer Olympics
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Juegos Olímpicos de Tokio 2020
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Alessandra Perilli
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San Marino
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World War II
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Berlin
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London
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