London 1948: The Austerity Games bring relief to a war-shattered world
On 9 June 1939, at the 38th IOC Session in London, the British capital was selected to host the 1944 Olympic Games. Within three months, WWII had broken out, forcing the city to wait to stage its second Games. When that opportunity finally arrived in 1948, three years on from the end of the conflict, the world was a very different place, as nations around the globe began the long road to recovery.
Though the harsh economic climate and the need for rationing meant that these would go down as the “Austerity Games”, London 1948 brought relief to the world after the war, giving the competing nations a chance to come together and reconnect with each other. In doing so, they showed that the Olympic Movement remained strong despite 12 long years having passed since the previous Games. In what was a record at the time, 59 nations represented by over 4,000 athletes took part at London 1948. Those figures compared favourably with the 18 mostly European nations and approximately 1,000 athletes that had graced the city’s previous Olympic Games, in 1908.
For the host nation, the staging of the Olympic Games was a matter of national prestige and an opportunity to lift the post-war gloom. Though there were concerns as to the need for the country to host an international mega event at a time of austerity, and although the global political context remained problematic, the advantages of going ahead with the Games outweighed the disadvantages.
Despite attempts by the British government, the Soviet Union chose not to send a team as the Cold War escalated, while Germany and Japan were not invited to participate on account of their roles in the war and continuing hostility towards them.
Collaboration and cooperation were evident in the public and private sectors, which were instrumental in the delivery of these Games. The owner of the properties at Wembley Park, which included the Empire Stadium and the Empire Pool, lent them to the Organising Committee free of charge, helping to keep costs down. An official team of volunteers was assembled, while competing nations brought their own food and shared it with others, and local organisations donated facilities and equipment.
Such generosity and philanthropy helped the organisers fulfil their goal to “make do and mend”, and reduce costs to a minimum. Crucial to this was the fact that all 29 competition venues used at the Games already existed and no Olympic Village was built. In fact, sponsorship deals and revenue from ticket sales meant that the 1948 Olympic Games yielded a small profit, contributing to the overall success of an event that helped draw a line under one of the darkest periods in the history of humankind.