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STOCKHOLM OLYMPIC STADIUM, 1912stockholm stadium

It was imperative for the future of the international Olympic movement that the 1912 Games be a success. The 1900 and 1904 Olympics were poorly attended disasters. The 1908 Games, in London, fared better, though judging was said to have been marred by favoritism. Fortunately, Stockholm turned out to be everything that was hoped for. Thirty thousand spectators filled the beautiful new Olympic stadium on opening day, as 2,547 athletes from twenty-seven nations paraded in. For the first time, loudspeakers and electronic timing devices were used. To avoid favoritism, events were overseen by an international team of judges. Everything was so efficiently run that the Fifth Olympiad was dubbed the "Clockwork Olympics" and the "Swedish Miracle." Its success was also aided by the incredible performances of Jim Thorpe, earning it another nickname, the "Jim Thorpe Olympics."

CUMBERLAND COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

A Moira Productions Film in association with Datline Productions, © 2008, Lillian Lincoln Foundation