Olympic Games of 1964
The 1964 Olympic Games, held in Tokyo, Japan, marked a significant moment in Olympic history as it was the first time the Summer Games took place in Asia. Originally scheduled for 1940, the event was canceled due to geopolitical tensions stemming from Japan's invasion of China. With an impressive investment of over two billion dollars in infrastructure, Japan prepared to host over 5,000 athletes from 93 nations, showcasing a commitment to excellence in sportsmanship and international unity.
The United States emerged as a formidable competitor, winning a total of 90 medals, including a remarkable performance in track and field, where athletes claimed gold in nine of the fifteen running events. Notable victories included Billy Mills' unexpected triumph in the 10,000 meters and Al Oerter's third consecutive gold in the discus throw. The U.S. also excelled in swimming and diving, capturing 37 of 56 medals. The rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union intensified during these Games, highlighting the ongoing Cold War competition, with the U.S. winning more gold medals but the Soviets leading in total medals.
The 1964 Olympics not only celebrated athletic achievement but also represented a pivotal shift in how the Games were presented to the public, foreshadowing the increasing influence of television on sports. The event left a lasting legacy, fostering greater global participation while reflecting the complexities of international relations during a transformative period in history.
Olympic Games of 1964
Date: Winter Games, January 29-February 9; Summer Games, October 10-24
An arena for international athletic rivalry, particularly between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Summer Games in Tokyo were the first Olympics to be held in Asia.
Origins and History
The Americans had participated in all the Olympic Games held since the modern games were established in Athens, Greece, in 1896. After the Soviet Union’s first entry into the games in 1952, they had come to be viewed as a worldwide competition for athletic superiority between the superpowers. The 1964 Tokyo Summer Games were the first to be held in Asia, and Japan spent more than two billion dollars preparing for the Games.
The Winter Games
The ninth Winter Olympics was held in Innsbruck, Austria, January 29 to February 9. About one thousand athletes from thirty-six nations competed in thirty-four events. Traditionally, the Alpine and Nordic European nations had outperformed the United States, and in 1964, the United States followed tradition. The United States won only one gold medal Terry McDermott’s Olympic record-setting victory in the 500-meter speed skating event far behind the Soviet Union’s eight gold medals.
The Summer Games
The eighteenth Summer Olympics was held in Tokyo, Japan, from October 10 to 24. The Games were to have been held in that city in 1940, but Japan’s invasion of China caused the event to be canceled. Japan spent lavishly in preparing for the Games, even creating a new expressway for the occasion. More than five thousand athletes representing ninety-three nations participated. The United States proved to be a powerful force in Tokyo, winning ninety medals, and was especially dominant in track and field and swimming, two of the premier Olympics sports. Although the National Broadcasting Company had paid $1.5 million for the rights to the Games, the network attempted only one live telecast and delayed broadcast of the Games until after The Tonight Show.
In track and field, U.S. men won gold medals in nine of the fifteen running events and three of the nine field events. Led by double gold medal winners Bob Hayes, Mike Larrabee, and Henry Carr, U.S. athletes took first place in all sprint events. Even in the distance running events, not a traditional area of strength, the United States garnered two gold medals, including a major upset by the previously unknown Billy Mills in the 10,000-meter event. Al Oerter won his third consecutive discus gold medal. Other U.S. gold medalists were Bob Schul, 5,000 meters; Hayes Jones, 110-meter hurdles; Rex Cawley, 400-meter hurdles; Fred Hanson, pole vault; Dallas Long, shot put; and the 400-and 1,600-meter U.S. relay teams. U.S. women won two gold medals. Sprinters Wyomia Tyus and Edith McGuire were victorious in the 100 meters and 200 meters, respectively.
U.S. men and women dominated the swimming and diving competition, winning thirty-seven of the fifty-six medals awarded. Don Schollander won three gold medals, and Dick Roth, Ken Sitzberger, Ken Webster, Ginny Duenkal, Sharon Stouder, Cathy Ferguson, Donna de Varona, and Lesley Bush were also U.S. gold medal winners in swimming and diving individual events. Americans also captured the four relay events contested.
In all other sports, the Americans won only six gold medals. In basketball, the U.S. team defeated the Soviets for a third consecutive Olympiad to win the gold. Boxer Joe Frazier launched his rise to fame with a win in the heavyweight division. Gary Anderson and Lones Wigger won gold in shooting events, and the pairs and eight oars were victors in rowing. The Soviets were able to make up for their disappointing showing in track and field in other venues. The Cold War athletic competition between the superpowers was a virtual tie, with the Americans outpacing the Soviets thirty-six to thirty in gold medals, and the Soviets leading in total medals, ninety-six to ninety.
Impact
The 1964 Olympics marked the end of an era. The Cold War athletic rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union had reached its height. Increasingly, Americans accused the Soviets of ignoring the amateur code of the Olympic Games. They claimed that governmental support of Soviet athletics made them professionals, resulting in an unfair advantage.
By the mid-1960’s, Americans had begun to devote more time and money to professional sports such as football. However, although overall fan interest in amateur sports may have peaked in 1964, the Tokyo Olympics was the last time that the media presented the Olympics in a secondary role, delaying broadcast in favor of a regularly programmed show. The interest in amateur athletics began to be driven not by the fans but by television, which began to direct the public’s tastes in Olympic competition by focusing on certain athletes, often relatively unknown, just before the Games. The fame of these Olympic athletes was minimal and fleeting when compared with that of professional athletes in non-Olympic sports that were televised on a regular basis.
Additional Information
The Story of the Olympic Games, 776 b.c. to 1976 (1977), by John Kieran, Arthur Daley, and Pat Jordan, gives a fairly detailed history of the Olympics, and the World Book Year Book (1965) provides information on the gold medal winners along with a brief account of the 1964 Olympics.