1960 Summer Olympics

The 1960 Summer Olympics were an international multisport event held in Rome, Italy, from August 25 to September 11, 1960.

Abebe Bikila: An Ethiopian marathon runner who won Olympic gold in 1960 and 1964. He won the Rome marathon barefoot, becoming the first Black African Olympic champion.
Italian economic miracle: Italy’s rapid economic growth and industrial transformation from the late 1940s through the 1960s. Rome staged the Olympics amid the prosperity and modernization associated with this postwar boom.
1955 IOC Session: The International Olympic Committee meeting at which Rome was selected to host the 1960 Summer Olympics. The vote awarded the Games to Rome over four other candidate cities.
1956 Summer Olympics boycott: A series of withdrawals from the 1956 Summer Olympics in protest over international political conflicts. Unlike the substantial withdrawals in Melbourne, Rome’s Games avoided a comparable boycott.
Cassius Clay: An American boxer who won the light-heavyweight gold medal at the 1960 Olympics and later became Muhammad Ali. His Rome victory launched the international sporting career of the future heavyweight champion.
Olympic Games: An international sporting event held every four years, alternating between summer and winter editions. The Rome edition helped shape the modern Summer Olympics as a global media event.
International Olympic Committee: The organization that oversees the Olympic Games and selects their host cities. The IOC chose Rome in 1955 and supervised the event’s preparation.
East Germany at the Olympics: East Germany’s participation as a separate Olympic team after the unified German team era ended. The Rome Games marked the first Olympics with separate East and West German teams.
Wilma Rudolph: An American sprinter who won three gold medals at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Her victories in Rome made her the first American woman to win three track-and-field golds at one Olympics.
Television in Italy: The development and spread of television broadcasting in Italy. The Games accelerated television’s reach as live Olympic coverage became available across Europe.

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