In 1908, the games were first held on the territory of the British Empire - in London. Although the Olympics were not as big as they were in the 21st century at the time, they did become a major sporting event for Europe.
Rome could easily have become the capital of the Games in 1908. The obstacle was economic difficulties and natural disasters in Italy in 1906, which required additional costs.
In 1908, 23 countries took part in the Olympics. There were 22 teams since Australia and New Zealand sent athletes together. For the first time in the history of the Olympics, more than 2,000 athletes took part in it, including several dozen women.
Most of the participants were from Europe, but there were also athletes from the USA, Argentina and, as mentioned above, Australia and New Zealand. A separate team competed from South Africa, although it was still part of the British Empire at the time. Only Turkey was represented from Asian countries.
For the first time at these games, an unofficial team competition by country was announced. The first place was taken by the host of the competition - Great Britain. It was followed by teams from the United States and Sweden by a significant margin.
The Russian Empire also sent its athletes to the games. The delegation from the country was small - only 6 athletes in 3 sports. However, these competitions were successful for the country - the first Olympic gold medal was received. It was won by figure skater Nikolai Panin, proving Russia's strong position in winter sports. It should be remembered that in 1908 there was still no division of the Olympics into summer and winter.
The performance of Russian wrestlers was also successful - two of them received silver in their weight categories.
Overall, the London Games were much better organized than the previous years' competitions in Paris and St. Louis. The attention to the games on the part of the royal family played a role - they were opened by King Edward VII, and the heir to the throne, the future George V, helped the International Olympic Committee find funding to complete the construction of sports facilities.
