Los Angeles, 1932 Olympic Games
The 1932 Olympic Games were held in Los Angeles, from July 30 to August 14, 1932. LA were the only city to bid for the Games. 37 nations competed compared to nine less than the previous Games in Amsterdam. The Games were held again in Los Angeles in 1984.
Triva
- These are the first Games ever to turn a profit, a feat not repeated until LA again hosted the Games in 1984.
- The Brazilian government couldn't afford to send its 69 athletes to the 1932 Los Angeles Games, so they herded them onto a ship with 50,000 sacks of Brazilian coffee, hoping to sell the beans to various ports of call on the way to California.
- 198 year old American Mildred "Babe" Didriksen won medals in high jumping, hurdling, and the javelin in 1932. She is the only athlete to ever medal in all three events. She had qualified for all five women's track and field events, but was only allowed to compete in three events.
Distance runner Paavo Nurmi was barred from the Los Angeles Games, on grounds that, on a trip to a German meet, he had claimed too much money in travel expenses.- On the track, steeplechase runners had to run an extra lap on top of their normal 7.5 when an official lost count.
- The Olympic Yachting events in 1932 took place in the Pacific Ocean directly off the Port of Los Angeles.
- The 1932 Olympic Games saw the introduction of automatic timing to one hundredth of a second and of the photo finish, as well as the appearance of the national anthems and the raising of flags in honour of the victors during the medal ceremonies.
Related Pages
- List of sports at the 1932 Olympic Games
- Dining Rooms and Food Provision for the LA Games in 1932
- Complete list of Olympic host cities
- USA have also hosted the Games in St Lois 1904, Los Angles 1984, Atlanta 1996
- 1932: The Year in Sport
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Upcoming Events