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The major sporting highlight in the world of sport for 1908 was the Olympic Games held in London, Great Britain from April to October.

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The British Olympic Association prepared for the Olympics with just two years notice. The 1908 Games were first scheduled to be held in Rome, though the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 1906 required the Games to move from Rome to London. There were more than 2,000 competitors in over 100 events.

Figure skating made its first appearance at the Summer Games, an event which would later become a big part of the Winter Olympics. The British royal family requested that the marathon start at the Windsor Castle so that the royal children could witness its start. The distance from the Windsor Castle to the Olympic Stadium was 42,195 meters (or 26 miles and 385 yards), which later became the standardized length of a marathon. In the marathon race, the exhausted Dorando Pietri was helped across the line in first place, but was later disqualified.

Below is a timeline of some significant results in the world of sport for the year 1908.

Please note that the dates for past events are not always known, and are sometimes just placed in the month that the current event is held. If no exact date is listed, then it is just an estimated month that it was held.

If you have a correction or know of events that should be included here, please let me know.

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Related Pages

• Timeline (all years) in the world of sport
• For future sporting events, see the Calendar of Major Sporting Events
• More about the World of Sport