The Modern Olympics
1952 -- Helsinki, Finland
4,925 athletes, 69 nations
The Helsinki Games are regarded as one of the happiest in the history of the Modern Olympics, despite the Cold War between the United States and The Soviet Union.
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The Soviet Union ended their self-imposed exile from the Games and participated for the first time in 40 years.
They took the 1952 Games very seriously and were driven to beat the Americans. The Soviet Union seemed to want to use sports to prove the superiority of their communist system. Likewise, the Americans were determined to beat the Soviet athletes.
The Games turned into an exciting battle between the athletes of two very different countries. The Soviet Union led the race early in the Games, but by the end the Americans had collected more medals.
Canadian Highlights: Canada earned a single gold medal at the Games. George Patrick Genereux won the clay-pigeon-shooting event.
Medal Count: Gold 1, Silver 2, Bronze 0
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PREVIOUS OLYMPICS - 1908-1952 PHOTOS |
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