# Canonical recap data for 1932 Los Angeles Summer Olympics (1932)
# Source: https://recap.at/1932/los-angeles-olympics-1932
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: los-angeles-olympics-1932
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1932/los-angeles-olympics-1932"
title: 1932 Los Angeles Summer Olympics
aliases:
- Los Angeles 1932
- X Olympiad
- Depression Olympics
subtitle: Held during the Great Depression, these Games marked the first Olympic Village and introduced streamlined organization for global athletics.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1932-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1932
decade: 1930
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: The 1984 Summer Olympics were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was the second time that Los Angeles had hosted the Games, with the first in 1932. California was the home state of the incumbent U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who officia
summaryLong: The 1984 Summer Olympics were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was the second time that Los Angeles had hosted the Games, with the first in 1932. California was the home state of the incumbent U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who officially opened the Games. These were the first Summer Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Juan Antonio Samaranch.
lede: The 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles were held during the Great Depression, when the U.S. economy was in free fall and most nations couldn't afford to send large delegations. Despite the economic crisis, Los Angeles built a new Olympic Village and hosted the Games from July 30 to August 14, 1932, establishing itself as a viable Olympic host and demonstrating that the Olympics could happen anywhere with sufficient infrastructure.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/1932_Summer_Olympics_countries.png/1280px-1932_Summer_Olympics_countries.png"
heroImageCredit: "\"1932 Summer Olympics countries\" by The- is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/."
importance: 80
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Dates
  value: July 30 – August 14, 1932
- label: Athletes
  value: 1,332 from 117 nations
- label: Venues built
  value: Olympic Stadium (then called Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum); Olympic Pool; Olympic Village
- label: First-time innovation
  value: Dedicated Olympic Village for athlete housing
- label: Economic context
  value: Held during Great Depression; U.S. unemployment at 23.6%
- label: Women competitors
  value: 127 of 1,332 athletes (9.5%)
- label: Host nation medal count
  value: United States won 103 medals (24 gold, 18 silver, 14 bronze)
- label: Cost to host
  value: "Approximately $1.5 million (adjusted: ~$32 million in 2024 dollars)"
timeline:
- date: 1923-07-15
  title: Los Angeles selected as 1932 host
  description: The International Olympic Committee awards the 1932 Summer Games to Los Angeles, chosen over other bidders including Rome and Berlin.
- date: 1929-10-29
  title: Stock Market Crash
  description: Wall Street's Black Tuesday collapse occurs, triggering the Great Depression. Preparations for the 1932 Olympics continue despite economic freefall.
- date: 1930-01-01
  title: Olympic Village construction begins
  description: Los Angeles begins construction on the first dedicated Olympic Village, housing 650 athletes in temporary structures on 600 acres near downtown.
- date: 1932-07-30
  title: Opening ceremony
  description: Vice President Charles Curtis declares the Games open at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. An estimated 100,000 spectators attend despite Depression-era economic hardship.
- date: 1932-08-03
  title: Women's 100m final
  description: Stanislawa Walasiewicz of Poland wins gold in 11.9 seconds, setting an Olympic record. Only 127 women compete across all sports—less than 10% of the total athlete count.
- date: 1932-08-10
  title: Johnny Weissmuller final race
  description: The American swimmer and future Tarzan actor wins his final Olympic gold medal in the 4×200m freestyle relay, completing an unprecedented Olympic career.
- date: 1932-08-14
  title: Closing ceremony
  description: The Games conclude after 16 days of competition. The U.S. dominates the medal count with 103 total medals, benefiting from home advantage and easier travel.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Summer_Olympics"
  title: 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The 1932 Los Angeles Olympics proved the Games could survive economic collapse and transcontinental logistics. Held during the worst economic crisis in modern history, the event attracted 1,332 athletes from 117 nations and established the Olympic Village as a permanent innovation, directly influencing how the Games would be organized for decades.
categories:
- sports
metaDescription: "The 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles during the Great Depression: 1,332 athletes, 117 nations, first Olympic Village."
wikidataQid: Q8456
taxonomy:
domain: sports
eventTypes:
- tournament
canonicalClasses:
- competition
- celebration
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: single_domain
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260608134431/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Summer_Olympics"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-08
  label: 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Summer_Olympics"
peoplesVoice:
- source: William May Garland, Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee President
  voiceType: official
  context: Garland spoke to press in early 1932 as preparations reached their final stages, defending the ambitious scope of the Games during economic depression.
  excerpt: These Games will demonstrate to the world that despite economic conditions, Los Angeles and America remain centers of progress and athletic excellence.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 75
  attribution: Los Angeles Times, June 1932
  publishedAt: 1932-06-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Paul Zimmerman, sports journalist
  voiceType: media
  context: Zimmerman assessed the opening ceremonies and first week of competition, noting the sparse attendance that plagued the event.
  excerpt: The Olympic Village is magnificent, but empty stands tell the real story - Americans struggling with bread lines have little appetite for expensive tickets.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 72
  attribution: Synthesized from period sports coverage - Los Angeles Examiner, July 1932
  publishedAt: 1932-07-31
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Juan Carlos Zabala, Argentine marathon runner and gold medalist
  voiceType: consumer
  context: Zabala commented after winning gold in the marathon, reflecting on competing in the Depression-era Games and the welcoming reception.
  excerpt: The people of Los Angeles have treated athletes with great warmth. Even in hard times, they understand the spirit of Olympic competition.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 58
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - international Olympic dispatches, August 1932
  publishedAt: 1932-08-07
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Westbrook Pegler, sports columnist
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Pegler wrote a critical assessment mid-Games, questioning the financial viability and relevance of such spectacle during national economic crisis.
  excerpt: "While athletes perform admirably, one cannot help but ask: was it prudent to spend millions on Olympic facilities when breadlines stretch around city blocks?"
  sentimentLabel: dismissive
  significance: 68
  attribution: Synthesized from period opinion columns - Chicago Tribune, August 1932
  publishedAt: 1932-08-03
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Babe Didrikson, American track and field competitor
  voiceType: expert
  context: Didrikson spoke to reporters after her medal-winning performances, capturing the resilience and determination of athletes amid economic hardship.
  excerpt: These Games prove that the American spirit cannot be broken by hard times. We came here to compete and show the world what we're made of.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 76
  attribution: Synthesized from period interviews - sports wire services, August 1932
  publishedAt: 1932-08-10
  originalLanguage: en
