Olympia – the epic film of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, was the first documentary feature film of the Olympic Games ever made and remains one of the greatest sports films of all time. The film was directed by Leni Riefenstahl, one of Hitler’s golden girls, but you need to look past the Nazi propaganda subtext and enjoy the Olympics action in all its glory. The film was released in two parts: Olympia 1. Teil — Fest der Völker (Festival of Nations) and Olympia 2. Teil — Fest der Schönheit (Festival of Beauty). Here are the German versions of the film, and for those who do not understand the Germann language, it can still be appreciated for the beauty of the cinematography, which was groundbreaking in many ways. See more Olympic Art Projects
Olympia 1. Teil — Fest der Völker (Festival of Nations)
The men’s 100m at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games was won by American Eddie Tolan in a world record equalling time of 10.38 seconds. Second placed Ralph Metcalfe, also from the US, was given the same time. See more on the History of the Olympics 100m sprint.
There are many unusual sports that have been part of the Olympic Games as demonstration sports. Gliding, or aeronautics, was demonstrated in 1936, and also a gold medal awarded for Swiss Hermann Schreiber for a flight across the Alps in 1935. The IOC were ready to add this as an official sport in 1940, only for the Olympics to be cancelled by the outbreak of war. There was plenty of aeronautic skills shown in the skies during the war, but unfortunately it was never again considered for the Olympics. See more about Aeronautics at the Olympics.
The men’s marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in China was won by Kenyan runner Samuel Wansiru. Here are the video highlights of the race, provided by the International Olympic Committee. See more on the men’s Olympic Games marathon.
The men’s marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games in Greece was won by Italian runner Stefano Baldini. The highlight of this event was the sensational tackle of Brazilian runner Vanderlei de Lima by a spectator. De Lima ended up coming third. See more on the men’s Olympic Games marathon.
The men’s marathon at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games in Australia was won by Ethiopian runner Gezahegne Abera. Here is a video tribute to Ethiopian athletes, and in the second half there are some scenes from the marathon. See more on the men’s Olympic Games marathon.
The men’s marathon at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games in the USA was won by South African runner Josia Thugwane. Here is a highlight video of the race, unfortunately it is in Spanish. See more on the men’s Olympic Games marathon.
The men’s marathon at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games in Spain was won by South Korean runner Young-cho Hwang. Here is a video of part of the event. See more on the men’s Olympic Games marathon.
The men’s marathon at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games in South Korea was won by Italian runner Gelindo Bordin. Here is a video of the last stages of the race, showing many of the top finishers crossing the line. It has an Australian commentary, so lots of references to their athletes, who came in 5th and 8th. There are also videos of the earlier parts of this race to be found online. See more on the men’s Olympic Games marathon.
The men’s marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games in the USA was won by Portuguese runner Carlos Lopes. Other runners in the race were John Treacy, Charles Spedding, Jospeh Nzau, Robert DeCastella, Takeshi Soh, Juma Ikangaa, Toshihiko Seko. Here is final lap of the race. See more on the men’s Olympic Games marathon.
