London s last Olympics, then and now

Looking back to London 1948

London 2012 will be Britain's third Olympic experience, after hosting the Games in both 1908 and 1948. The 1948 tournament was the first Olympics in 12 years, after World War II had called a halt to the majority of world sporting events. But just how different were the Games all those years ago? Read on to find out how the 1948 and 2012 London Olympics stack up against each other.

Athletes

London 2012 — Today's Olympic athletes are international superstars, with competitors such as Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps famous around the world for their sporting prowess. It's estimated that Usain Bolt alone has already made over £10 million throughout his career from sponsorships, endorsements and prize money, and it doesn't look like he will be stopping any time soon. Throughout the Games the athletes will be provided with everything they could possibly need from their countries and sponsors, such as equipment, food and state of the art training facilities.

London 1948 — In 1948 the Olympics truly were an event for amateurs, with the vast majority of athletes having regular jobs as well. The most famous athlete of the Games was 'Fanny The Flying Housewife' — a 30-year-old Dutch mother of two who won four athletics gold medals. Despite her new-found fame after the Games, Fanny wasn't even allowed to accept the sponsorship deals she was offered, as it would have broken Olympic rules. The British athletes were so strapped for cash at the Games that they had to eat whale meat as a source of protein and buy or even make their own uniforms.

Medals

London 2012 — Despite being the ultimate goal for athletes the world over, you might be shocked to hear that the gold medals at London 2012 are not actually made of gold. They are instead mostly made of silver, with a thin 6-gram coating of gold. Weighing in at a whopping 400g, London will be handing out the largest Olympic medals that have ever been created. The front of the medal depicts Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, while the back displays the 2012 logo with a backdrop of the River Thames.

London 1948 — Because of Britain's distinct lack of funds in 1948, the medals had to be produced as cheaply as possible, which was done by making them out of oxidised silver. Rather than going to the British Royal Mint as they have in 2012, medal production in 1948 was handled by John Pinches; a local medallist who also took part in (and won!) the rowing pairs event. His medals followed the layout of famed Italian sculptor Giuseppe Cassioli, whose medal design was used from 1928 to 2000.

World records

London 2012 — During the 2008 Olympics in Beijing there were 43 world records broken, along with 132 Olympic records. Looks like London's athletes have some big shoes to fill. The highest profile world record on the line at London 2012 will be Usain Bolt's 100 metre record of 9.572 seconds. Bolt himself seems like the best man for the job and has estimated he might be able to get a time as low as 9.4 seconds.

London 1948 — Due to serious advances in equipment and training techniques, world records have come on a long way since 1948. The equivalent of Mr Bolt's record in 1948 was only 10.2 seconds, which might not even get you into the final these days! Other notable differences include; the women's long jump, which stood at 6.25 metres in 1948 and is now 7.52 metres; the men's shot put, which has gone from 17.68 metres in 1948 to 23.12 metres today; and the men's marathon, which has improved by over 20 minutes from its 1948 record of 2:25:39.

Olympic facilities

London 2012 — No cost has been spared when it comes to London 2012, and a large majority of the hefty £11 billion bill for the Games has gone towards building new facilities. Spread out across over 40 existing, redesigned and new venues, no expense has been spared to provide the competing athletes with the ultimate Olympic experience. The new Olympic stadium in London will house over 80,000 excited spectators, while the Olympic Village will be able to accommodate around 17,000 athletes and support staff.

London 1948 — Post-WW2 Britain saw the country at an all time economic low, and the government was only able to set aside £750,000 to spend on the Olympics. Even this was considered to be frivolous, and at one point Britain actually considered offering the Games to the USA instead. Absolutely no new facilities were built for the event, with Wembley Stadium instead being repurposed as a makeshift Olympic stadium. There was no Olympic Village either, which meant male athletes had to stay in RAF camps, while women stayed in nearby schools and colleges.

Events

London 2012 — When it comes to Olympic events all of the usual suspects will be present at the 2012 Games, including athletics, track and field and swimming. The most popular event of all is in fact one of the shortest. On 5th August an estimated 4 billion people will watch in some form or another, as Usain Bolt attempts to defend his title and break his own world record in the 100 metres. London 2012 will also see the Olympic debut of women's boxing and the first mixed doubles tennis event since the 1924 Games in Paris.

London 1948 — The 1948 Olympics played host to many of the events we still know and love today, as well as the first Olympic inclusion of various events, including the women's long jump, 200 metres and shot put. However, one aspect of the 1948 Games that you certainly won't be seeing at London 2012 is the Art Competitions. In 1948 there were art-based Olympic events which gave out medals for painting, sculpture, music and poetry. The painting gold medal was won by Alfred Thomson; a 54 year old British man who offered up an Olympic inspired painting entitled 'London Amateur Championships'.