1964 Summer Olympics

1964 Summer Olympics

The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially called the Games of the XVIII Olympiad and commonly known as Tokyo 1964, were held in Tokyo, Japan, from October 10 to October 24, 1964. This was the first time the Olympic Games were held in Asia.

Tokyo had been chosen to host the 1940 Summer Olympics, but those games were cancelled because of World War II.

These Olympics were important for many reasons. They were the first to be shown live on television around the world, thanks to a special satellite called Syncom 3. Some events, like sumo and judo, were shown in color for the first time, although only in Japan.

During these games, South Africa was not allowed to compete because of its unfair treatment of people based on race. The United States won the most gold medals, while the Soviet Union won the most medals overall. These games were also the last to use a cinder track for running events; after that, smoother, synthetic tracks were used instead.

Host city selection

Tokyo was chosen to host the 1964 Summer Olympics on May 26, 1959. The decision was made during the 55th IOC Session in Munich, West Germany. Tokyo beat out cities like Detroit, Brussels, and Vienna.

Toronto also tried to be a host city for the 1964 Olympics, but it did not make it to the final round of voting.

Highlights

• Yūji Koseki made the music for the opening ceremony.
• Yoshinori Sakai, who lit the Olympic flame, was born in Hiroshima on the day an atomic bomb fell on the city. He was chosen to show Japan's growth after the war.
• Kumi-daiko was shown to the world at the Festival of Arts.
• Judo and volleyball were added to the Olympics. Japan won gold medals in three judo events, but an athlete from the Netherlands, Anton Geesink, won the Open category, beating Akio Kaminaga. The Japanese women's volleyball team won the gold medal.
• The women's pentathlon was added to the athletics events.
• Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina won several medals.
• Czechoslovak gymnast Věra Čáslavská won three gold medals.
• Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser won the 100 m freestyle for the third time.
• Don Schollander won four gold medals in swimming.
• Abebe Bikila from Ethiopia won the Olympic marathon twice.
• 15-year-old Sharon Stouder won four medals in women's swimming.
• New Zealand's Peter Snell won gold medals in the 800 m and 1500 m.
• Billy Mills became the first Native American to win the gold medal in the men's 10,000 m.
• Bob Hayes won the 100 metre race and set a record in the 4×100 m relay.
• Joe Frazier won a gold medal in boxing despite an injury.
• This was the last Summer Olympics to use a cinder running track, and the first to use fiberglass poles for pole vaulting.
• Zambia became independent on the day of the closing ceremony.
• The first Japanese "bullet train" (the Tōkaidō Shinkansen) started running just before the games.
• Ranatunge Karunananda from Ceylon kept running in the men's 10,000 meters even after others finished, and got cheers from the crowd.

Sports

The 1964 Summer Olympics had 19 sports with 25 areas to compete in. Athletes could win medals in 163 events. Some sports included diving, swimming, water polo, athletics, basketball, boxing, canoeing, cycling, equestrian, fencing, field hockey, football, gymnastics, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, volleyball, weightlifting, and wrestling. There were also special demonstration sports like baseball and budō, which included kyūdō, sumo, and kendo.

Medal count

In the Olympic Games, countries are ranked by how many gold medals they win. If two countries win the same number of gold medals, the number of silver medals is used next, and then bronze medals.

Participating National Olympic Committees

Ninety-four nations took part in the 1964 Games. Sixteen nations joined the Olympics for the very first time in Tokyo, including Algeria, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Libya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Northern Rhodesia, Senegal, and Tanzania. Malaysia had previously competed as Malaya.

Cambodia returned to the Olympics after missing the 1960 Summer Olympics.

Northern Rhodesia became fully independent as Zambia on the same day as the closing ceremony. Athletes from Southern Rhodesia competed under the name Rhodesia. Zimbabwe would first appear at the 1980 Summer Olympics.

Athletes from East Germany and West Germany competed together as the United Team of Germany.

Indonesia was not allowed to take part in the 1964 Olympics.

Libya marched in the Opening Ceremony, but its only athlete did not compete.

Number of athletes by National Olympic Committees

Calendar

All dates are in Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)

Venues

Main article: Venues of the 1964 Summer Olympics

The 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo used many different places for the competitions. Some sports happened in parks, while others were in special buildings or stadiums.

• Asaka Nezu Park – Modern pentathlon (riding)
• Asaka Shooting Range – Modern pentathlon (shooting), Shooting (pistol/ rifle)
• Chofu City – Athletics (marathon, 50 kilometre walk)
• Enoshima – Sailing
• Fuchu City – Athletics (marathon, 50 kilometre walk)
• Hachioji City – Cycling (road)
• Hachioji Velodrome – Cycling (track)
• Karasuyama-machi – Athletics (marathon, 50 kilometre walk)
• Karuizawa – Equestrian
• Kemigawa – Modern pentathlon (running)
• Komazawa Gymnasium – Wrestling
• Komazawa Hockey Field – Field hockey
• Komazawa Stadium – Football preliminaries
• Komazawa Volleyball Courts – Volleyball preliminaries
• Korakuen Ice Palace – Boxing
• Lake Sagami – Canoeing
• Mitsuzawa Football Field – Football preliminaries
• Nagai Stadium – Football preliminaries
• Yoyogi National Gymnasium – Basketball (final), Diving, Modern pentathlon (swimming), Swimming
• National Stadium – Athletics, Equestrian (team jumping), Football (final)
• Nippon Budokan – Judo
• Nishikyogoku Athletic Stadium – Football preliminaries
• Ōmiya Football Field – Football preliminaries
• Prince Chichibu Memorial Football Field – Football preliminaries
• Sasazuka-machi – Athletics (marathon, 50 kilometre walk)
• Shibuya Public Hall – Weightlifting
• Shinjuku – Athletics (marathon, 50 kilometre walk)
• Toda Rowing Course – Rowing
• Tokorozawa Shooting Range – Shooting (trap)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium – Gymnastics
• Tokyo Metropolitan Indoor Swimming Pool – Water polo
• Waseda Memorial Hall – Fencing, Modern pentathlon (fencing)
• Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium – Volleyball

Transportation and communications

These games were the first to be shown on television all around the world. They used Syncom 3, the first geostationary satellite, to send the games to the United States. Then, another satellite called Relay 1 sent the games to Europe. Many countries watched these broadcasts.

The first fast train in Japan, the Tokaido Shinkansen, started running just before the Olympics. It could travel 515 kilometers in about four hours, connecting big cities like Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka.

New roads and train tracks were finished in time for the games to help everyone get around more easily.

Visual identity

For the first time, the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo used special pictures called pictograms. These helped visitors understand the different events. An artist named Masaru Katsumi made these pictograms, and they have been used in the Olympics ever since. The Games also had a special pin with a mythical creature called a kappa. Many people think of this kappa as the unofficial mascot of the Olympics. These kappa pins were made each year starting in 1956 for a Tokyo sports festival, and the 1964 version celebrated the Olympics.

Cost

The 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo cost about US$282 million. This money was used for technology, transportation, and building places for the games. It did not include big projects like improving roads or airports. Compared to later games, such as Rio in 2016, Tokyo’s games were fairly affordable.

Legacy

The 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo showed how Japan had changed after World War II. The country was now seen as a peaceful nation, not an enemy. To get ready for the Olympics, Tokyo built many new things like highways, stadiums, airports, and trains. A very fast train called the Tokaido Shinkansen was finished, and Tokyo's airport and port were updated. This helped Japan show it was modern and connected to the world.

Even though most people in Japan supported the Olympics, the building projects caused some problems. They hurt the environment and moved people from their homes. The games were very popular, with many people watching the opening ceremony and a key volleyball match on TV. Later, Tokyo tried to host the Olympics again and succeeded in bringing the games back in 2020, though they had to be delayed because of a big health issue around the world.

Boycotting countries

Main article: GANEFO

North Korea chose not to join the 1964 Summer Olympics before it started. This was because the IOC did not allow athletes who had competed in the Games of the New Emerging Forces in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 1963. Because of this, China and Indonesia also did not take part in the Tokyo Games.