The first Summer Olympics after World War II were held in London, United Kingdom, in 1948.
🇬🇧 1948 Summer Olympics – Key Facts
- Official Name: Games of the XIV Olympiad
- Location: London, England
- Dates: July 29 to August 14, 1948
- Participating Nations: 59
- Athletes: About 4,104 (including 390 women)
- Events: 136 events in 17 sports
       Historical Context
- The 1940 and 1944 Olympic Games were canceled due to WWII.
- London had been scheduled to host the 1944 Olympics before they were canceled.
- The 1948 Games were known as the “Austerity Games” due to post-war economic challenges:
- No new venues were built.
- Athletes were housed in existing military barracks and colleges.
- Food and clothing were rationed in Britain at the time.
          Notable Highlights
- Germany and Japan were not invited due to their roles in WWII.
- Soviet Union chose not to participate, but they sent observers and joined in 1952.
- The United States topped the medal table with 84 medals.
- Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands, a 30-year-old mother of two, won four gold medals in track and field, earning the nickname “The Flying Housewife”.