1968 Summer Olympics

Lore & Background

The 1968 Mexican Student Movement was crushed days prior to the Games, correlating the Olympics with government repression. The high elevation of Mexico City (2,240 m above sea level) influenced many events, particularly track and field. These were the first Games to use an all-weather synthetic track and exclusively electronic timekeeping equipment.

Reader's Guide

The Games featured venues including Estadio Olímpico Universitario (athletics and ceremonies), Estadio Azteca (football final), and others such as Arena México, Club de Yates de Acapulco, and the Satellite Circuit. The Olympic Village was later converted into residential complexes.

Did You Know?

• The United States won the most gold and overall medals for the last time until the 1984 Summer Games.
• Bob Beamon leapt 8.90 m in the long jump, a 55 cm improvement over the previous world record; it stood as the world record for 23 years and remains the Olympic record.
• Norma Enriqueta Basilio de Sotelo of Mexico became the first woman to light the Olympic cauldron.
• The introduction of doping tests resulted in the first disqualification: Swedish pentathlete Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall for alcohol use.
• East and West Germany competed as separate teams for the first time.