Amsterdam 1928

Symbolic fire

For the first time, a symbolic fire was lit during the Games. The fire was lit in a cauldron that was placed at the top of a tower in the stadium, which had been designed by Jan Wils, a celebrated Dutch architect.

Olympic firsts

At the Opening Ceremony, the team from Greece led the Parade of Nations, with the host Dutch team marching in last. Greece-first, hosts-last has been Olympic protocol ever since. The number of female competitors more than doubled as women were finally allowed to compete in gymnastics and athletics, and Asian athletes won gold medals for the first time.

Winning streaks begin

The team from India swept to victory in field hockey. Between 1928 and 1956, India’s men would win six straight gold medals in this event. Another winning streak also began in 1928, when Hungary earned the first of seven consecutive gold medals in team sabre fencing.

Innocent times

The actions of Australian rower Henry Pearce at Amsterdam have since become legend. He stopped midway through his quarter final to let a family of ducks pass, but still went on to win the race and eventually the gold medal.

NOCs: 46
Athletes: 2,883 (277 women, 2,606 men)
Events: 109
Volunteers: n/a
Media: n/a

A symbolic fire

For the first time, a symbolic fire was lit during the Games of the Olympiad. The fire was lit in a cauldron that was placed at the top of a tower in the stadium which had been designed by Jan Wils.

Return of Germany

Germany participated in the Games once again, after 16 years of absence, since the 1912 Games.

More events open to women

Although women had participated in the past in tennis, golf, archery, figure skating, sailing, swimming and fencing, 1928 marked the first time that one women’s artistic gymnastics event and a small number of women’s athletics events were included on the programme.

Ceremonies

Amsterdam 1928. Henri Denis (NED) pronounces the Olympic oath in the medium of the carriers of the flags of the nations.

Official opening of the Games by:
HRH Prince Hendrik

Lighting the Olympic Flame by:
A symbolic fire at an Olympic Summer Games was first lit in 1928 in Amsterdam.

Olympic Oath by:
Henri Denis (football)

Official Oath by:
The officials' oath at an Olympic Summer Games was first sworn in 1972 in Munich.

On the obverse, the traditional goddess of victory, holding a palm in her left hand and a winner’s crown in her right. A design used since the 1928 Games in Amsterdam, created by Florentine artist Giuseppe Cassioli (ITA -1865-1942) and chosen after a competition organised by the International Olympic Committee. For these Games, the picture of victory is accompanied by the specific inscription: "IXe OLYMPIADE AMSTERDAM 1928".

On the reverse, an Olympic champion carried in triumph by the crowd, with the Olympic stadium in the background.

N.B: From 1928 to 1968, the medals for the Summer Games were identical. The Organising Committee for the Games in Munich in 1972 broke new ground by having a different reverse which was designed by a Bauhaus representative, Gerhard Marcks.

It shows a runner in action holding a laurel branch, symbol of victory. In the bottom part, wavy lines in red, white and blue represent the colours of the Dutch national flag.

The document “The Ninth Olympiad: being the official report of the Olympic Games of 1928 celebrated at Amsterdam” was published quite late, and for the first time in three separate editions: French, English and Dutch. The topics covered were now standard, and those addressed in this work would serve as the basis for future editions.