| Host city | Tokyo, Japan |
|---|---|
| Nations participating | 93 |
| Athletes participating | 5,151 (4,473 men, 678 women) |
| Events | 163 in 19 sports |
| Opening ceremony | October 10 |
| Closing ceremony | October 24 |
| Officially opened by | Emperor Hirohito |
| Athlete's Oath | Takashi Ono |
| Olympic Torch | Yoshinori Sakai |
| Stadium | Olympic Stadium |
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's invasion of China, before ultimately being canceled because of World War II. The 1964 Summer Games were the first Olympics held in Asia, and the first time South Africa was barred from taking part due to its apartheid system in sports.[1] (South Africa was, however, allowed to compete at the 1964 Summer Paralympics, also held in Tokyo, where it made its Paralympic Games début.[2]) These games were also the first to be telecast internationally. The games were telecast to the United States using Syncom 3, the first geostationary communication satellite, and from there to Europe using Relay 1.
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Tokyo won the rights to the Games on May 26, 1959, at the 55th IOC Session in Munich, West Germany, over bids from Detroit, Brussels and Vienna.[3]
| 1964 Summer Olympics bidding result[4] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | Country | Round 1 | ||||
| Tokyo | Japan | 34 | ||||
| Detroit | United States | 10 | ||||
| Vienna | Austria | 9 | ||||
| Brussels | Belgium | 5 | ||||
Note: In the Japan Olympic Committee report, sailing is listed as yachting.[5]
These are the top ten nations that won medals at these Games:
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 36 | 26 | 28 | 90 |
| 2 | Soviet Union | 30 | 31 | 35 | 96 |
| 3 | Japan | 16 | 5 | 8 | 29 |
| 4 | Germany | 10 | 22 | 18 | 50 |
| 5 | Italy | 10 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
| 6 | Hungary | 10 | 7 | 5 | 22 |
| 7 | Poland | 7 | 6 | 10 | 23 |
| 8 | Australia | 6 | 2 | 10 | 18 |
| 9 | Czechoslovakia | 5 | 6 | 3 | 14 |
| 10 | Great Britain | 4 | 12 | 2 | 18 |
Conventionally, countries are ranked by the number of gold medals they receive, followed then by the number of silver medals and, finally, bronze.[6]
A total of 94 nations were represented at the 1964 Games. Sixteen nations made their first Olympic appearance in Tokyo: Algeria, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire (as Ivory Coast), Dominican Republic, Libya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Northern Rhodesia (which achieved full independence as Zambia on the same day as the closing ceremony), Senegal, and Tanzania (as Tanganyika). Athletes from Libya withdrew from competition after the Opening Ceremony, so a total of 93 nations actually competed. Athletes from East Germany and West Germany competed together as the United Team of Germany from 1956–1964.
These games were the first to be telecast internationally. The games were telecast to the United States using Syncom 3,[7] the first geostationary communication satellite, and from there to Europe using Relay 1, an older satellite which allowed only 15–20 minutes of broadcast during each of its orbits.[8][9] Total broadcast time of programs delivered via satellite was 5 hours 41 minutes in the United States, 12 hours 27 minutes in Canada, and 14 hours 18 minutes in Europe. Pictures were received via satellite in the United States, Canada, and 21 countries in Europe.[10]
The first trans-Pacific communications cable from Japan to Hawaii was also finished in June 1964 in time for these games. Prior to this, most communications from Japan to other countries was via shortwave.[10]
Although not specifically built for the Tokyo Olympics (it is not mentioned in the official organizing committee report), the start of operations for the first Japanese "bullet train" (the Tokaido Shinkansen) between Tokyo Station and Shin-Ōsaka Station was scheduled to coincide with the Olympic games. The first regularly scheduled train ran on October 1, 1964, just 9 days before the opening of the games, transporting passengers 515.4 kilometers (320.3 mi) in about 4 hours, and connecting the three major metropolitan areas of Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka.
Some already planned upgrades to both highways and commuter rail lines were rescheduled for completion in time for these games. Of the 8 main expressways approved by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 1959, No. 1, No. 4 and a portion of No. 2 and No. 3 were completed for the games. Two subway lines totaling 21.9 kilometers (13.6 mi) were also completed in time for the games, and the port of Tokyo facilities were expanded to handle the anticipated traffic.[11]
The 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo celebrated Japan's progress and reemergence on the world stage. The new Japan was no longer a wartime enemy, but a peaceful country that threatened no one, and this transformation was accomplished in less than 20 years.[12]
To accomplish this, Tokyo's infrastructure needed to be modernized in time for large numbers of expected tourists. Multiple train and subway lines, a large highway building project, and the Tokaido Shinkansen, the fastest train in the world, were completed. Haneda International Airport and the Port of Tokyo were modernized. International satellite broadcasting was initiated, and Japan was now connected to the world with a new undersea communications cable.[10] The YS-11, a commercial turboprop plane developed in Japan, was used to transport the Olympic Flame within Japan.[13] For swimming, a new timing system started the clock by the sound of the starter gun and stopped it with touchpads. The photo finish using a photograph with lines on it was introduced to determine the results of sprints. All of this demonstrated that Japan was now part of the first world and a technological leader, and at the same time demonstrated how other countries might modernize.[12]
Although public opinion about the Olympics in Japan had initially been split, by the time the games started almost everyone was behind them. The broadcast of the opening ceremony was watched by over 70% of the viewing public, and the women's volleyball team's gold medal match was watched by over 80%.[12]
The Cary Grant film Walk, Don't Run was filmed during the Tokyo Olympics, and set in Tokyo during the Olympics. A message at the beginning of the film thanks the Japanese Government and Tokyo Police for putting up with them filming in crowded Tokyo.
Tokyo has attempted to bring the Olympic Games back to the city. They recently bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics but lost to Rio de Janeiro. Tokyo is currently bidding for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
| Preceded by Rome |
Summer Olympic Games Tokyo XVIII Olympiad (1964) |
Succeeded by Mexico City |
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