First London Olympics: 1908

A nostalgic journey back to the first London Olympics of 1908 - an amusing and thought-provoking contrast to the forthcoming London Olympics of 2012 The 1908 Olympics in London was a world away from modern day Olympics - everything was built and organised in under two years, at a fraction of the cost. And amateurism still ruled - as far as the British were concerned, losing pluckily was the right thing to do. But then (as now) the Americans had a very different view - and their ferocious competitiveness led to a series of rows, disqualifications and boycotts. As this delightful and entertaining history shows, far from engendering goodwill among nations, the Games caused international uproar.