In 1928, the Summer Olympics were held in the capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam. This city claimed the status of the capital back in 1920 and 1924, but ceded to Paris and Antwerp. Such a long preparation for the competition made it possible to organize the Olympic Games at a high level.
46 national teams took part in the games. For the first time since the First World War, a German team was invited to the Summer Olympics. States such as Malta, Panama and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) took part in such competitions for the first time in history. The Soviet Union was unable to settle the order of its participation with the International Olympic Committee and still remained outside the competition.
At these games, some of the Olympic traditions were established for the first time. In particular, the Olympic flame was lit. The order of passage of teams during the opening ceremony of the competition was also established. The first was the team of Greece, and the last was the national team of the state on the territory of which the games are held.
In total, competitions in 15 sports were held in the Olympiad. The participation of women in the tournament has expanded. Now they could perform not only in swimming and diving, but also in athletics and gymnastics. These innovations caused a lot of controversy and controversy in the Olympic Committee, but still it was decided to reckon with the fact that women's sports are becoming more widespread.
The first place in the overall medal standings was taken by the United States. Athletes, both women and men, brought the most gold medals to the team. For example, American Betty Robinson became the first woman to win a gold medal in the 100 m race. The swimmers of this country, both as part of a team and in individual swims, showed excellent athletic skills.
The second place went to the German national team. The water polo team from this country received gold. German weightlifters also performed well.
Finland came in third. Athletes and wrestlers of this team received a total of 8 gold awards. Among the medalists was Paavo Nurmi, the winner of the last Olympics in Paris. And the national team of the host of the games - the Netherlands - got only 8th place.
