The 1948 Summer Olympics took place 12 years after the devastating Second World War, so they became popularly known as "ascetic". In many countries, there was a difficult economic situation, the long-term massacre hardened and divided many nationalities. Under these conditions, sports competitions were especially important - peacekeeping - value. By the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), it was decided to hold them in London.
The London Summer Olympics opened on July 29, 1948 and ended on August 14, 1948. Officially, they were listed as the XIV Olympiad. After the last Berlin Games in 1936, the next two - XII and XIII - never took place. In 1940, they were planned in Tokyo, and 4 years later - in England. However, this time fell on the war. Germany and Japan were not invited to the next sports competitions of the aggressor countries.
Immediately after the conclusion of peace at the IOC session in 1946, London was named the host of the new Olympics - for the second time in the history of the Games. The last time the Kingdom hosted athletes was only in 1908.
The event was prepared in the face of austerity and food shortages. London streets were not yet fully rebuilt after the Nazi bombings, but the organizers still managed to host and place more than 4,000 athletes from 59 countries in a military camp for competitions in 19 directions. The Soviet Union received an invitation to the Games, but did not take part in them.
The XIV Summer Olympics did not become outstanding in terms of sports results, since many countries did not have prepared teams after the war. However, these competitions were remembered for their world records: 2 in weightlifting and 1 in athletics, 1 in shooting. In swimming, women updated 5 Olympic records out of 5, and men - 4 out of 6. In total, athletes received 411 medals, of which 84 (including 38 gold) went to the United States, and 23 (including 3 gold) were received by the host country.
The summer of 1948 brought many new things to the history of the Olympic Games. Women's teams competed in kayaking, with sprinters starting from the starting blocks. Viewers were able to see the live broadcast of the sporting event on national television. A team of volunteers was created to help organize the competition. For the first time, the Olympics saw young talented athletes from developing countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Burma and Venezuela at their venues.
