Hundred of historic documents and images relating to the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been made available online by thte National Archives for the first time.
The Olympic Record website includes a timeline feature enabling visitors to track back through time and browse material from every summer Olympic Games from Athens 1896 to Beijing 2008.
Sarah Hutton, records specialist at The National Archives, hailed the significance of the new website. She said: “These files show the impact the Olympic movement has had on our history in the 116 years since the modern Games were revived.
Highlights from more than 180 online records include:
- Records from the London Olympic Games in 1908 and 1948, including arrangements for the first marathon at the now-standard distance of 26.22 miles as well as accommodation and rations for athletes in the aftermath of the Second World War
- Foreign Office discussions over Britain’s participation in the controversial Nazi-run Berlin 1936 Games
- Papers relating to the Greater London Council’s plans to host the Olympic Games in London’s Docklands in 1984 and 1988 and Manchester’s bid to host the Games in 2000
- Archived web pages in the UK Government Web Archive from Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012
Explore The Olympic Record at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/olympics. You can also put your Olympic and Paralympic Games knowledge to the test.