The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held during the worldwide Great Depression, with some nations not traveling to Los Angeles as a result; 37 countries competed, compared to the 46 at the 1928 Games in Amsterdam, and even then-U.S. President Herbert Hoover did not attend the Games. The organizing committee was led by William May Garland, a local sports enthusiast and real estate developer.
Los Angeles will host the Summer Olympics for the third time in 2028, becoming the third city in the world—following London and Paris—to do so.
Host city selection
The selection of the host city for the 1932 Summer Olympics was made at the 23rd IOC Session in Rome, Italy, in 1923. Remarkably, the selection process consisted of a single bid, from Los Angeles's Olympic bid Committee led by William May Garland, and as there were no bids from any other city, Los Angeles was selected by default to host the 1932 Games.
Development and preparations Budget Los Angeles was awarded the games on April 9, 1923. William May Garland led the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (OCOG), officially titled the "Xth Olympiad Committee" with a staff of 70 employees. The Games were originally heavily backed by local corporate interests and L.A. business elites. They were primarily underwritten by a state bond act, the “California Olympic Bond Act of 1927″. Later approved as "Proposition 2" by CA voters with 73% of the vote in 1928. The OCOG raised funds from various sources. 1,247,580 million event tickets sold, 42.4% of venues capacity bringing in . A total of 331,518 programs were sold at ten cents each, bringing in over . The OCOG received a share of venue concessions run by a local firm at each venue bringing in sales revenue. The OCOG charged a day for male athletes and coaches to stay at the Olympic Village. Lastly, corporate sponsors like, Omega, Helms Bakery and Coca-Cola provided a revenue source.
Most venues were rented out or leased at no cost to the OCOG. The OCOG paid for the dredging of Alamitos Bay in Long Beach for rowing events. They paid for the Olympic Village, a pool for swimming events and paid for temporary stands at city parks and golf courses used. Including concessions, post-games equipment sales and the bond, estimates of earnings have been placed as high as . The OCOG did not report the financial details of the Games, although contemporary newspapers stated that the Games had made a profit of at closing ceremony.
Security Los Angeles Police (LAPD) Chief Roy E. Steckel and the four other committee members deployed 650 police officers dedicated to traffic control every day of the Games. The Chief ordered police officers to work 12-hour days and to postpone vacations. 150 university students assisted the police as traffic officers. The L.A.P.D. employed 800 duly sworn police officers. According to the L.A.P.D.'s official site, crime was very low during the Olympics.
Transportation Automobiles were the primary method of transportation. The DeSoto Six Sedan, a part of General Motors was named the official car of the Olympic Village. A five-member traffic committee was organized by the OCOG with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and traffic management experts. Athletes were transported in sixty eight bus carriages to competition venues and the Olympic Village in Baldwin Hills. Police escorts were provided by LAPD. The OCOG urged attendees to use the red car trolleys to avoid congestion at venues, the Pacific Electric trolleys were the largest rail network in the world at the turn of the century.
Venues
Fifteen sports venues were used for the 1932 Summer Olympics. In order to control costs in the wake of the Great Depression, existing venues were used. They included two golf courses, two city parks, three public highways, and a city road. The Swimming Stadium was the only new venue constructed for these games.
The Rose Bowl, constructed in 1921, was made into a temporary velodrome for track cycling events under the auspices of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).History of the Rose Bowl Stadium. Accessed 13 October 2010.
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, constructed in 1923, was used as the Olympic Stadium.History of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Accessed 13 October 2010.
The Olympic Auditorium was constructed in 1924 in preparation for Los Angeles being awarded the Games; it was modified to meet the specifications of the boxing, weightlifting, and wrestling federations.
Long Beach Marine Stadium was created in 1925 when Alamitos Bay was dredged, then further dredged seven years later in time for the 1932 Games.Long Beach Marine Stadium information. Accessed 13 October 2010.
Elysian Park, the oldest city park in Los Angeles, was founded in 1886, and has been part of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) training academy since 1925.History of Elysian Park. Accessed 13 October 2010.History of the Los Angeles Department Police Academy. Accessed 13 October 2010.
The Riviera Country Club opened in 1926 as the Los Angeles Athletic Club Golf Course and was renamed Riviera by the time of the 1932 Games.History of the Riveria Country Club in Pacific Palisades, CA: 1931-8. Accessed 14 October 2010.
Equestrian events were held in various locations. The equestrian cross country route was designed by U.S. Cavalry officers John Burke Barry and Sloan Doak, members of the IFE and former Olympians. It was known for being brutally difficult and bisecting multiple rural highways, starting from the Riviera Country Club, thru Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, the Olympic Village and ending at Sunset Fields Gold Club. Named the "Westchester course", although the course did not enter the modern-day neighborhood boundaries of Westchester. Dressage was held at the Riviera Country Club and show jumping at the Coliseum.
The Swimming Stadium, constructed adjacent to the Coliseum in 1932, was intended to be a temporary structure.
Riverside Drive, Los Angeles Avenue, Vineyard Avenue, and the Pacific Coast Highway were common driving routes in California at the time of the 1932 Games
LA introduced the first Olympic Village, providing housing for male athletes. The accommodations provided in Los Angeles Baldwin Hills neighborhood is considered to be the first official modern Olympic Village, with a capacity of 2,000 people and located to the west of the city. Consisting of a group of buildings with rooms to lodge athletes (men only), as well as providing a place to eat and train, it serves as the model for today's Olympic Villages. It also provided certain community services for the first time, including a hospital, a fire station, and a post office. Female athletes were housed at the Chapman Park Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard
VenueCity/NeighborhoodSportsCapacity Ref. Olympic StadiumExposition Park(Los Angeles) Athletics, Equestrian (eventing, jumping), Field hockey, Gymnastics 105,0001932 Summer Olympics official report. pp. 61-8.Swimming StadiumDiving, Modern pentathlon (swimming), Swimming, Water polo 10,0001932 Summer Olympics official report. pp. 68, 79, 83. 160th Regiment State ArmoryFencing, Modern pentathlon (fencing) 1,8001932 Summer Olympics official report. pp. 67-8, 70, 78, 84. Grand Olympic Auditorium Downtown Los Angeles(Los Angeles)Boxing, Weightlifting, Wrestling 10,000.1932 Summer Olympics official report. p. 70. Los Angeles Police Pistol Range Elysian Park(Los Angeles) Modern pentathlon (shooting), Shooting Not listed1932 Summer Olympics official report. p. 74. Riverside Drive at Griffith Park Los Feliz(Los Angeles)Athletics (50 km walk) Not listed1932 Summer Olympics official report. p. 86. Riviera Country Club Pacific Palisades(Los Angeles)Equestrian (dressage, eventing), Modern pentathlon (riding) 9,5001932 Summer Olympics official report. pp. 73-4, 572. Sunset Fields Golf Club Baldwin Hills(Los Angeles) Equestrian (cross country), Modern pentathlon (running) Not listed1932 Summer Olympics official report. p. 574."Westchester Course" Riviera Country Club (start)/(thru) West Los Angeles/(end) Sunset Fields Golf Club(Los Angeles) Equestrian (cross country) Not listed Los Angeles Harbor San Pedro(Los Angeles) Sailing Not listed1932 Summer Olympics official report. pp. 76, 78, 585. Long Beach Marine Stadium Long Beach Rowing 17,0001932 Summer Olympics official report. pp. 70-73. Los Angeles Avenue / Vineyard Avenue / Pacific Coast Highway Moorpark (start) / (thru) Oxnard, Santa Monica (end) Cycling (road) Not listed1932 Summer Olympics official report. p. 87. Rose Bowl Pasadena Cycling (track) 85,000
Olympic Arts Festival The Art competitions at the 1932 Summer Olympics awarded medals for works inspired by sport-related themes in five categories: architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture.
Olympic Music American pianist Walter Bradley-Keeler composed "Hymne Olympique", an anthem written specifically for the Xth Olympiad. The IOC would make it the official anthem before the current Olympic anthem was created in 1958.
Tickets Opening ceremony tickets were sold for each. Events tickets ranged between to per individual event. A pass was available to enter the Coliseum for all events. Children's tickets were available for cents for all events.
Marketing
Emblem and Branding The emblem was created by Harry Muir Kurtzworth and the OCOG's in-house art department. It featured the coat of arms of the United States holding the Olympic rings, along with the Olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger) and a laurel branch.
The main colors used were red, white and blue, representing the flag of the United States. Main Colors:
For the first time, colors were assigned to each sport discipline. Colors were used for programs, badges, athlete identifications and event venue branding. Although not a sport discipline, the Art Festival was assigned "Mocha Brown" as the designated color.
Sport Discipline Color assignedSport DisciplineColor assignedAthleticsModern PentathlonBoxingRowingCyclingSailingEquestrianShootingFencingSwimmingGymnasticsWrestlingField HockeyWeightlifting
Mascot
An Olympic mascot, Scottish Terrier Smoky, was featured for the first time in history, albeit unofficially.
Corporate sponsorship The games introduced consumer culture to the Olympics, relying on local corporate sponsorships and partnerships with the Hollywood film industry of the time. Iconic brands like Coca-Cola expanded their early Olympic presence in 1932 serving as the "official soft drink" of the Games. Local baked goods maker Helms Bakery provided baked food items, including Helms Olympic Bread, the "official baker"." Omega SA also debuted as the "official timekeeper" of the games; they provided one watchmaker and thirty chronographs for officials. The Jeffries Printing Co. was the official printing supplier for the games.
Participating nations
A total of 37 nations were represented at the 1932 Games. Colombia made its first appearance at the Olympic Games, and the Republic of China competed for the first time after its failed appearance at the 1924 Games.
Participating National Olympic Committees
(host)
Number of athletes by National Olympic Committees Country Athletes 474 144 131 112 108 103 102 81 73 67 58 51 45 43 40 36 33 21 19 19 13 12 10 8 8 7 7 7 6 6 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 Total 1,332
Calendar For the first time, all discipline events were held within 16 days, 3 weekends within the opening and closing ceremonies. A pattern that has been kept ever since. No previous Summer Olympics had lasted less than 79 days. LAOOC organized 117 events in 14 sports across 20 disciplines. As none of the equestrian teams managed to have three riders finish the Team jumping event course on the 14th day of August, no team medal was awarded.