The
1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the
Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, many nations and athletes were unable to pay for the trip to Los Angeles. Fewer than half the participants of the
1928 Summer OlympicsThe 1928 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Amsterdam had bid for the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games, but had to give way to war-victim Antwerp, Belgium, and Pierre de...
in Amsterdam returned to compete in 1932. US President
Herbert HooverHerbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
did not attend the Games, becoming the first sitting head of government not to appear at an Olympics hosted in that country.
The organizing committee put no record of the finances of the Games in their report, though contemporary newspapers reported that the Games had made a
profitIn accounting, profit can be considered to be the difference between the purchase price and the costs of bringing to market whatever it is that is accounted as an enterprise in terms of the component costs of delivered goods and/or services and any operating or other expenses.-Definition:There are...
of US$1,000,000.
Highlights
- An Olympic Village
An Olympic Village is an accommodation centre built for an Olympic Games, usually within an Olympic Park or elsewhere in a host city. Olympic Villages are built to house all participating athletes, as well as officials, athletic trainers, and other staff. Since the Munich Massacre at the 1972...
was built for the first time, in Baldwin Hills, occupied by the male athletes. Female athletes were housed at the Chapman Park Hotel on Wilshire BoulevardWilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...
.
- The first use of a victory podium.
- The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
was known in 1932 as Olympic Stadium.
- Tenth Street, a major thoroughfare in Los Angeles, was renamed Olympic Boulevard in honor of the Games of the Tenth Olympiad.
- Babe Didrikson won two gold medals in the javelin
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
and the hurdles event, and competed in a jump-off for a silver in the high jump. Her technique in the jump-off was ruled illegal, leaving Didrikson with second place.
- In field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, only three nations took part. The host nation lost both matches, 1-24 to India and 2-9 to Japan, but still won a bronze medal.
- Poland's Stanisława Walasiewicz won the gold medal in the women's 100 meters; she would also win the silver medal in the event four years later. After her death in 1980, it was discovered that she was intersex
Intersex, in humans and other animals, is the presence of intermediate or atypical combinations of physical features that usually distinguish female from male...
and would have been ineligible to participate.
- Finnish star Paavo Nurmi
Paavo Johannes Nurmi was a Finnish runner. Born in Turku, he was known as one of the "Flying Finns," a term given to him, Hannes Kolehmainen, Ville Ritola, and others for their distinction in running...
was barred from competing in the Olympics for being a professional.
- Eddie Tolan
Thomas Edward "Eddie" Tolan , nicknamed the "Midnight Express", was an American track and field athlete who compete in the Sprints. He set world records in the 100 yard dash and 100 meters event and Olympic records in the 100 meters and 200 meters events...
won both the 100 m and 200 m sprint events.
- Helene Madison
Helene Madison was an American swimmer. She won three gold medals in freestyle at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games, becoming, along with Romeo Neri of Italy, the most successful athlete there. She was born in Madison, Wisconsin.In sixteen months in 1930 and 1931, she broke sixteen world records in...
won three gold medals in swimming, while the Japanese upset the men's events and took all but one title.
- Takeichi Nishi
Colonel/Baron was a Japanese Imperial Army officer, equestrian show jumper, and Olympic Gold Medalist at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. He was a tank unit commander at the Battle of Iwo Jima and was killed in action during the defense of the island....
(Baron Nishi) was the gold medalist with his horse Uranus in the equestrian show jumping individual eventThe Equestrian Events at the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Games included Dressage , Eventing , and Show Jumping . The competitions were held from August 10, 1932 to August 14, 1932....
. Nishi's gold medal is Japan's only gold medal in the equestrian event to this day. Nishi would later die in 1945 as an officer stationed in the defense of the island of Iwo JimaThe Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
, and as such is a main character in Clint EastwoodClinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
's film, Letters from Iwo Jimais a 2006 war film directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood, and starring Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya. The film portrays the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers and is a companion piece to Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, which depicts the same battle from the...
.
Medals awarded
See the medal winners, ordered by sport:
- Athletics
At the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, 29 athletics events were contested, 23 for men and 6 for women. It was the first time the 50 kilometre walk appeared in the men's athletics at the Games. This was only the second time women's events in athletics were included in the Olympic Games program...
- Boxing
These are the results of the boxing competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Medals were awarded in 8 weight classes. The competitions were held from August 9, 1932 to August 13, 1932.-Medal summary:-Participating nations:...
- Cycling
The cycling competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles consisted of two road cycling events and four track cycling events, all for men only. The program of events was unchanged from the previous Games.-Medal summary:-Medal table:...
- Diving
At the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, four diving events were organized, two for men, and two for women. The United States swept the medals in all four events...
- Equestrian
The Equestrian Events at the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Games included Dressage , Eventing , and Show Jumping . The competitions were held from August 10, 1932 to August 14, 1932....
- Fencing
At the 1932 Summer Olympics, seven fencing events were contested, six for men and one for women.-Medal Summary:-Medal table:-Participating nations:A total of 109 fencers from 16 nations competed at the Los Angeles Games:...
- Gymnastics
At the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, eleven events in gymnastics were contested, all for men only. The competitions were held from Monday, August 8, 1932 to Friday, August 12, 1932.-Medal summary:-Participating nations:...
- Hockey
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Modern pentathlonThe modern pentathlon at the 1932 Summer Olympics-Individual competition:...
RowingRowing at the 1932 Summer Olympics featured 7 events, for men only. The competitions were held from August 9, 1932 to August 13, 1932 at the Marine Stadium in Long Beach, California.-Medal summary:-Participating nations:...
SailingSailing/Yachting is a Olympic sport starting from the Games of the 1st Olympiad . With the exception of 1904 and possible 1916 sailing was always a part of the Olympic program....
ShootingWhen shooting was reintroduced at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the extent of the competitions was far from those in the previous Games: it consisted of only two events, one rifle event and one pistol event, and no team events at all . The competitions were held on August 12, 1932 and...
SwimmingAt the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, eleven swimming events were contested, six for men and five for women. The competitions were held from Saturday August 6, 1932 to Saturday August 13, 1932. There was a total of 128 participants from 20 countries competing.-Medal table:-Men's...
Water polo-Medal summary:-Round-Robin:All of the five teams played each team once.Germany vs. Brazil4 August 1932USA vs. Brazil6 August 1932Hungary vs. Germany6 August 1932USA vs. Japan7 August 1932Hungary vs. Japan...
WeightliftingThe weightlifting events at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles consisted of five weight classes, all for men only. The competitions were held on Saturday, July 30, 1932 and on Sunday, July 31, 1932.-Medal summary:-Participating nations:...
WrestlingAt the 1932 Summer Olympics, 14 wrestling events were contested, for all men. There were seven weight classes in Greco-Roman wrestling and seven classes in freestyle wrestling...
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Demonstration sports
- American football
American football was a demonstration sport at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. On the evening of August 8, 1932, seniors from three Western universities were matched against those from the East Coast's "Big Three" . In front of 60,000 spectators at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the...
- Lacrosse
Lacrosse was a demonstration sport at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Teams from Canada and the United States played three games, with the team from the United States winning the series 2 games to 1...
Art
See
Art competitions at the 1932 Summer OlympicsArt competitions were held as part of the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States. Medals were awarded in five categories , for works inspired by sport-related themes....
for details of the art competitions held at the games, in which medals were awarded in five categories (architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture), for works inspired by sport-related themes.
Venues
The following venues hosted events at the 1932 games:
- Exposition Park
Exposition Park is located in University Park, Los Angeles, California, across the street from the University of Southern California. Exposition Park houses the following:* Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena...
(known as Olympic Park for the Games) - equestrian
- Olympic Stadium
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
- athletics, American football, lacrosse, equestrian (eventing, jumping) field hockey, gymnastics, opening and closing ceremonies (capacity: 105,000)
- Swimming Stadium
The LA84 Foundation/John C. Argue Swim Stadium, called originally the Los Angeles Swimming Stadium is an aquatics venue that was originally constructed for the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California...
- diving, modern pentathlon (swimming), swimming, water polo (capacity: 10,000)
- 160th Regiment State Armory
The 160th Infantry Regiment is a light infantry regiment of the United States Army. The first Battalion, 160th Infantry, is a component of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team .-History:...
- fencing, modern pentathlon (fencing) (capacity: 1,800)
- Museum of History, Science, and Art
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County opened in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, USA in 1913 as the Museum of History, Science, and Art. The moving force behind it was a museum association founded in 1910. Its distinctive main building, with fitted marble walls and domed and...
- art events
- Olympic Auditorium
The Grand Olympic Auditorium is the former name of a sports venue in Los Angeles, California, United States. Located at 1801 S. Grand Avenue, the venue was built in 1924 specifically for the 1932 Summer Olympics, which saw the boxing, weightlifting, and wrestling events held there. At the time it...
- boxing, wrestling, weightlifting
- Rose Bowl
The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pasadena, California, U.S., in Los Angeles County. The stadium is the site of the annual college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl, held on New Year's Day. In 1982, it became the home field of the UCLA Bruins college football team of the Pac-12...
in PasadenaPasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
- cycling (track)
- Riverside Drive
Riverside Drive is a northeast-southwest road connecting the San Fernando Valley and Downtown Los Angeles, California. It follows the course of the Los Angeles River.-Overview:...
, Griffith ParkGriffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
- 50 km walk
- Los Angeles Harbor
The Port of Los Angeles, also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT L.A, is a port complex that occupies of land and water along of waterfront. The port is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately south of downtown...
- sailing
- Long Beach Marine Stadium
The Long Beach Marine Stadium is a marine venue located in Long Beach, California. It hosted the rowing events for the 1932 Summer Olympics in neighboring Los Angeles...
- rowing (capacity: 17,000)
- Los Angeles Police Pistol Range
Elysian Park is a park and adjacent neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles, California.Encompassing Chavez Ravine where Dodger Stadium is located, Elysian Park is mostly a hillside community that is also home to the Los Angeles Police Academy....
- shooting, modern pentathlon (shooting)
- Sunset Fields Golf Club
Brentwood is a district in western Los Angeles, California, United States. The district is located at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains, bounded by the San Diego Freeway on the east, Wilshire Boulevard on the south, the Santa Monica city limits on the southwest, the border of Topanga State...
- modern pentathlon (running)
- Riviera Country Club
The Riviera Country Club is a country club with a championship golf course. It is located in Pacific Palisades, California, a community within the city limits of Los Angeles. The country club opened in 1926, with George C. Thomas, Jr. as the course architect. The course has been the primary host...
- equestrian (dressage, eventing), modern pentathlon (riding) (capacity: 9,500)
- Los Angeles Avenue
State Route 118 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that begins running west to east through Ventura and Los Angeles counties in southern California. It travels from Saticoy in Ventura County east to Lake View Terrace in Los Angeles...
, Vineyard AvenueState Route 232 is a state highway in Ventura County, California. It serves as a connector between SR 1, US 101, and SR 118.-Route description:...
, and Pacific Coast HighwayState Route 1 , more often called Highway 1, is a state highway that runs along much of the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California. It is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.Highway 1 does not run...
- cycling (road)
- Westchester
Westchester is a suburban neighborhood in western Los Angeles, California, United States. It is home to Los Angeles International Airport , Loyola Marymount University , and Otis College of Art and Design.-Geography:...
- equestrian (cross-country riding)
Participating nations
A total of 37 nations were represented at the 1932 Games. Colombia and the Republic of China (with a single athlete) made their first appearance at the Olympic Games.
| China China, as the Republic of China, competed in the Summer Olympic Games for the first time at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States.-Delegation:...
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Medal count
These are the top ten nations that won medals at these Games.
| 1 |
(host nation) |
41 |
32 |
30 |
103 |
| 2 |
|
12 |
12 |
12 |
36 |
| 3 |
|
10 |
5 |
4 |
19 |
| 4 |
|
9 |
5 |
9 |
23 |
| 5 |
|
7 |
7 |
4 |
18 |
| 6 |
|
6 |
4 |
5 |
15 |
| 7 |
|
5 |
8 |
12 |
25 |
| 8 |
|
4 |
7 |
5 |
16 |
| 9 |
|
3 |
12 |
5 |
20 |
| 10 |
|
3 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
See also
- Parley Parker Christensen, Los Angeles City Council member who blocked payment for sending 1932 Olympic flag to Berlin for the 1936 games.
External links