1928 Summer Olympics

The Games of the IX Olympiad were held in 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Amsterdam had made a bid for the 1920 and 1924 Olympics, but had to give way to war-victim Belgium and De Coubertin's Paris before finally being awarded with the organisation.

Highlights

• For the first time, the Olympic Flame was lit during the Olympics. The torch relay, however, would not occur until the 1936 Summer Olympics.
• For the first time, the parade of nations started with Greece, which holds the origins of the Olympics, and ended with the host country, a tradition still continued until this day.
• Women's athletics and gymnastics debuted at these Olympic, in spite of criticism. Halina Konopacka of Poland became the first female Olympic track and field champion. The 800 m run ended with several of the competitors being completely exhausted. Because of this, running events longer than 200 m were not included in the Olympics until the 1960s.
• Johnny Weissmuller, who later appeared in several Tarzan movies, won three gold medals in swimming.
• Paavo Nurmi of Finland won his 9th gold medal by finishing first in the 10000 m.
• Canada's Percy Williams surprised everyone by winning both the 100 m and 200 m sprint events.
• South American football made a definite breakthrough, as Uruguay retained its title by defeating Argentina.
• India sweeps its first ever gold in field hockey and marks the beginning of a winning streak as it continues until 1956 gaining 6 gold medals during the period.