1968 Summer Olympics

E52656

The 1968 Summer Olympics were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, notable for being the first Olympics staged in Latin America and for iconic moments such as the Black Power salute by U.S. athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City 1

Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Summer Olympic Games
multi-sport event
biddingCities Buenos Aires
Detroit
Lyon
Mexico City
city Mexico City
closingDate 1968-10-27
continent North America
country Mexico
emblemStyle Op art-inspired graphic design
featuredAthlete Bob Beamon
Dick Fosbury
John Carlos
Tommie Smith
governingBody International Olympic Committee
hostCityElevation approximately 2240 metres above sea level
hostNation Mexico
hostSelectionCity Baden-Baden
hostSelectionDate 1963-10-18
introducedEvent drug testing at the Olympic Games
gender verification tests at the Olympic Games
iocPresidentAtTime Avery Brundage
mainStadium Estadio Olímpico Universitario
mascotStatus held before official Olympic mascots were introduced
motto Everything is possible with peace
nextGames 1972 Summer Olympics (Munich)
surface form: 1972 Summer Olympics
notableAs first woman to light the Olympic cauldron
notableFor 1968 Mexico City Olympics Black Power salute
surface form: Black Power salute by Tommie Smith and John Carlos

first Olympic Games held in Latin America
first Olympic Games held in a Spanish-speaking country
high-altitude performances in sprinting and jumping events
widespread television coverage in color in many countries
notableInnovation Fosbury Flop high jump technique gaining prominence
notableRecord Bob Beamon’s long jump world record of 8.90 m
numberOfAthletes over 5500
numberOfEvents over 170
numberOfParticipatingNations 112
numberOfSports 20
officialName Games of the XIX Olympiad
olympicOathByAthlete Pilar Roldán
olympicOathByOfficial Sergio Palafox
openingDate 1968-10-12
partOf Olympic Games
politicalContext occurred shortly after the Tlatelolco massacre in Mexico City
previousGames 1964 Summer Olympics
sequenceNumber 19
torchLighter Enriqueta Basilio
typeOfGames Summer Games
year 1968

Referenced by (11)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Joseph Henry White OlympicGames 1968 Summer Olympics
subject surface form: Jo Jo White
this entity surface form: 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City
Harald V of Norway competedIn 1968 Summer Olympics
Jacques Rogge competedIn 1968 Summer Olympics
Mark Spitz competedIn 1968 Summer Olympics
Jo Jo White competition 1968 Summer Olympics
George Foreman event 1968 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics followedBy 1968 Summer Olympics
Mark Spitz goldMedalsAt 1968 Summer Olympics
Joseph Henry White participatedIn 1968 Summer Olympics
subject surface form: Jo Jo White
1972 Summer Olympics (Munich) precededBy 1968 Summer Olympics
subject surface form: 1972 Summer Olympics
Games of the XX Olympiad precededBy 1968 Summer Olympics