History
Fast Facts
Host City: Tokyo, JapanOpening date: Oct. 10, 1964
Closing date: Oct. 24, 1964
Nations: 93
Athletes: 5,140 athletes (683 women, 4,457 men)
163 events in 19 sports
The 1940 Olympics had been scheduled for Japan, but they were cancelled because of the Sino-Japanese War and then World War II. Twenty-four years later, the games finally came to Tokyo.
Japan spent an estimated $3 billion getting ready, including construction of a new transportation system and renovation of public buildings as well as the construction necessary for the Olympics.
The opening ceremony was a major pageant. An orchestra of 560 musicians and a choir of 350 singers performed the Olympic Anthem. The final torchbearer was Yoshinori Sakai, who had been born in Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, the day the atomic bomb destroyed that city. Emperor Hirohito proclaimed the games open.
Two new sports, judo and volleyball, were added to the program. Three countries were absent: South Africa was disqualified because of its apartheid policies. Indonesia was also banned for refusing to allow athletes from Israel and Taiwan to take part in the 1962 Asian Games, and North Korea withdrew in support of Indonesia.
Three athletes won gold medals in an event for the third time: Vyacheslav Ivanov of the Soviet Union in single sculls, Dawn Fraser of Australia in 100-meter freestyle swimming, and Al Oerter of the United States in the discus. Abebe Bekila of Ethiopia became the first runner to repeat as the marathon champion and Hungarian water polo player Dezso Gyarmati won a medal for the fifth consecutive Olympics. Ukrainian gymnast Larysa Latynina won four medals, two gold and two silver, bringing her career total to 18, including a record-tying nine golds.
The individual hero was American Don Schollander, who became the first swimmer to win four gold medals at a single Olympics. Billy Mills, a native American from South Dakota, provided the biggest upset of the Games. While favorite Ron Clark of Australia and Mohamed Camundi of Tunis were battling through the last lap of the 10,000-meter run, the virtually unknown Mills passed them both to win by three yards. Mills improved his personal best in the event by an incredible 47 seconds.
